Assertiveness and adaptation: Prospective teachers’ social competence development and its significance for occupational well-being

Background.Difficult social interactions with students are reported to be among the main stressors of beginning teachers, and although social competence has been suggested to represent a vital resource for their transition into practice and early-career adaptation, this assumption has rarely been empirically studied.Aim.We conducted two studies to investigate the predictive validity and development of prospective and beginning teachers’ social competence. In Study 1 we examined,whether social competence predicts beginning teachers’ emotional exhaustion. Study 2investigated, whether university teacher training contributes to social competence development among prospective teachers.Sample.The samples of both studies based on large-scale assessments. Participants in Study 1 were 1,758 beginning teachers who had been tracked since their entry into university teacher training. Study 2 included 831 prospective teachers who were surveyed over a total period of two years.Methods.Data were analyzed utilizing a structural equation modeling approach(Study 1) and latent change score modeling (Study 2).Results.The results of Study 1 revealed that social competence negatively predicts emotional exhaustion. Further, beginning teachers’ reports of classroom management functioned as a mediator within that relationship. According to the findings in Study 2, prospective teachers showed no significant enhancements of social competence within one year of university teacher training. However, there was a significant change considering the two-year interval.Conclusions.Social competence, as a predictor of occupational well-being, may constitute one important resource for the early-career adaptation of beginning teachers. However, efforts to promote social competence within university teacher training should be increased.