Fostering early career teachers' preparedness, self-efficacy and professional commitment: The role of teacher education

Retaining high-quality early career teachers (ECTs) has become a considerable challenge in recent years. Few studies have concentrated on the role played by teacher education. Building on Shulman's conceptual framework of the "knowledge-base for teaching," the study investigates its contribution to ECTs' sense of preparedness, selfefficacy, and professional commitment. The results demonstrate a direct positive correlation between the components of the teacher education knowledge base and ECTs' sense of preparedness and self-efficacy. Moreover, the knowledge acquired during teacher preparation indirectly contributes to teachers' professional commitment, mediated by a sense of preparedness and self-efficacy. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.