Digital innovations in teacher recruitment: An experimental study

Teacher shortages are a serious challenge in many countries, made worse by declining enrolments in initial teacher education (ITE) programs and growing competition for talented young people making career decisions. To address this challenge, we developed and tested two digital interventions—a persuasive game (TeachQuest) and a realistic job preview (RJP)—designed to enhance undergraduate students' teaching interest, teaching self-efficacy, and perceptions of fit with the profession. In a two-phase experimental study (N = 957), undergraduate participants were randomly assigned to TeachQuest, the RJP, or a control condition. Results from Phase 1 showed that both interventions increased participants' interest and perceived fit with teaching, with the RJP also improving teaching self-efficacy. In Phase 2, results from a delayed post-test (six weeks later; N = 572) indicated that while motivation-related outcomes remained higher than pre-test levels, changes were non-linear, with TeachQuest sustaining interest through participants’ immersion experiences and the RJP maintaining self-efficacy through mastery experiences. Our findings suggest that immersive game-based recruitment interventions may be particularly effective in informing and engaging potential applicants, whereas RJPs may be useful in reinforcing confidence in teaching. The study provides new insights informing the design of scalable, evidence-based teacher recruitment tools that align with the interests and digital-focused lives of prospective applicants for ITE programs.