Will they stay in the teaching profession? Nexus between attitude towards teaching and retention among pre-service teachers in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates

The role of teachers in the promotion of quality education cannot be overemphasised. In teacher education, the emphasis is on training individuals who are committed to teaching. However, educational systems are facing difficulties when it comes to keeping qualified teachers in the profession. There are problems with training individuals with a positive attitude towards teaching and, at the same time, retaining qualified teachers. However, the relationship between attitudes towards teaching and teacher retention has not been explored. The present study was guided by Ajzen's concept of behavioural belief, which is a tenet of the theory of planned behaviour, and Mason and Matas' four-capital retention model. A total of 407 pre-service teachers enrolled in education programmes from one institution in Egypt (n = 275) and one in the United Arab Emirates (n = 132) were surveyed. The data were analysed using the Pearson moment correlation coefficient, multiple and hierarchical regressions, and moderation analysis. The results show a positive contribution of attitude to the variance in retention among pre-service teachers. Moreover, teacher nationality significantly moderated the relationship between attitude and teacher retention. The need to incorporate course content on changing attitudes towards teaching into teacher education programmes as part of the effort to promote retention is discussed in detail.