Personal resources among pre-service teachers: An examination of links with subjective vitality and occupational commitment

The retention of pre-service teachers presents persistent and significant challenges for education and society alike. An emerging body of research suggests that the cultivation of personal resources may serve as a means to foster PSTs wellbeing, which is integral to fostering positive experiences within teacher education. We sought to examine this potential association in a sample of 664 Australian teachers by investigating the associations between five personal resources - adaptability, workplace buoyancy, psychological detachment, optimism, and social self-efficacy - and two teaching-related outcomes: subjective vitality at work and occupational commitment. Using structural equation modelling, analysis of data collected from PSTs between 2020 and 2023 revealed that adaptability, optimism, and social self-efficacy played unique roles in relation to the outcomes. The study also explored whether these relationships differed for PSTs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with results indicating some variations across cohorts. These findings offer implications for strategies aimed at strengthening wellbeing and occupational commitment among PSTs. • Personal resources are malleable capacities relevant to pre-service teachers. • Adaptability, optimismsocial self-efficacy are associated with PSTs' occupational commitment and subjective vitality. • Cultivating personal resources in teacher education courses may be an avenue to address pre-service teacher attrition.