In the Norwegian context, teacher education has evolved into a five-year Master’s degree course. The rationale for raising it to this level is based on the notion that school should be a research-informed workplace, and the knowledge base of the teaching profession should be research-based (Lillejord and Børte, 2017). Questions have been raised as to whether primary school teacher training is preparation for the profession in the way that it enables the teaching students to take part in career-long professional learning (Klette and Carlsen, 2012). One goal in this respect has been to develop the students’ knowledge base and their competence. In the evolution into a five-year teacher training programme, the Ministry of Education launched a national strategy for quality and collaboration in teacher education where emphasis has been placed on developing the student’s competence to reflect on pedagogical decisions. (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017). Professional quality is a key element in this regard.

Higher education has increased in importance for qualifying students for working life, achieving financial security and having good prospects (Kunnskapsdepartementet, 2017). However, many students leave higher education without having completed their education. Although higher education has, in recent years, made significant improvements in the quality of the studies programmes, many students still drop out of teacher training. Considering declining admission numbers in teacher education studies as a whole (Munthe & Huat See, 2022), and coupling this with the increasing need for teachers in schools (ssb.no), the consequences of students dropping out of their studies must be seen as disturbing. As more men than women drop out of teacher education (Munthe & Huat See, 2022), the desire to have diversity in the teaching profession is another important aspect in this context.

Several research studies explore non-completion of studies in higher education (e.g. Grau & Minguillon, 2013, Nemtcan et al., 2020, Tinto, 2017). Examining the various departments’ support to encourage students to persist in their studies and prevent non-completion, Tinto (2017) presents a model that highlights goals, motivation and persistence. This model covers the connection between such different aspects in play as self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perception of the curriculum. Of special interest for our research is the steps the universities can take to keep students in their studies. Tinto investigated the students’ perspective on what institutions can do to promote inspiration and increase their persistence to achieve completion. Motivation is a crucial factor for them deciding to continue with their studies despite the challenges they face and the doubts they have. The interaction of student goals, self-efficacy, sense of belonging and perceived value or relevance of the curriculum are found to be critical to persistence (Tinto, 2017:255).

The research presented in this paper will focus on student decisions to drop out of teacher education and how the institutions deal with this challenge. The aim is to investigate and discuss the extent to which procrastinatory behaviour and self-efficacy influence drop-out decisions and students’ motivation to continue with their education.

To date, little research has been carried out in this area. Increasing our knowledge on this issue could have consequences for the teacher education programme and how it is designed by the universities. 

We use a mixed-method approach in this research (Kovac, 2023). One survey has already been completed (N= 438), where all the informants are students at the same university. It will also be carried out at two more universities. In addition to the survey, ten in-depth interviews will be conducted. Informants will be recruited from among students in different cohort groups in the teacher education programme. Data in this paper will be developed from the qualitative data to further investigate and elaborate on drop-out decisions, study habits and study skills. The analysis, which will be guided by the research questions, will be carried out in three steps (Brinkmann & Tanggaard, 2020). The first step will provide an overview of the collected material and the second will systematise the content according to the research questions and highlight the most relevant and interesting information. We will then analyse the data according to Tinto’s model of student motivation and persistence.

This study is ongoing therefore no clear data or conclusions are yet available. Given the research questions, we expect some key topics to emerge. We intend to explore and analyse which factors influence the students’ decision to leave university, and the extent to which study habits and study skills have an impact on their decision to continue with or leave the teacher education. The findings may reveal measures the educational institutions can take to retain students, and in the next phase train more teachers who are needed in school.

Brinkmann, S., & Tanggaard, L. (Eds.) (2020). Kvalitative metoder: en grundbog (3rd edition). Hans Reitzel. Grau, J., & Minguillon, J. (2013). When procrastination leads to dropping out: analysing students at risk. Klette, K., & Carlsten, T. C. (2012). Knowledge in teacher learning. In Professional learning in the knowledge society (s. 69-84). SensePublishers. Kovač, V. B., & Kovač, V. B. (2023). Hvordan vet du det? : vitenskapelig tenkning og forskningsmetoder (1. utgave. ed.). Fagbokforlaget. Kunnskapsdepartementet. (2017). Lærerutdanning 2025. Nasjonal strategi for kvalitet og samarbeid i lærerutdanningene. https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/d0c1da83bce94e2da21d5f631bbae817/kd_nasjonal-strategi-for-larerutdanningene_nett_11.10.pdf Lillejord, S. & Børte K. (2017). Lærerutdanning som profesjonsutdanning - forutsetninger og prinsipper fra forskning. Kunnskapssenter for utdanning, Kunnskapsdepartementet Munthe, E., See, B. H., Munthe, E., & Kunnskapssenter for, u. (2022). Å rekruttere og beholde lærere i barnehage og skole : et kunnskapsgrunnlag. Kunnskapssenter for utdanning. Nemtcan, E., Sæle, R. G., Gamst-Klaussen, T., & Svartdal, F. (2020). Drop-Out and Transfer-Out Intentions: The Role of Socio-Cognitive Factors. Frontiers in education (Lausanne), 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.606291 Statistisk sentrabyrå (2021). Ansatte I barnehage og skole. 12993: Ansatte lærere i grunnskolen, etter kjønn, stillingsprosent og kompetanse (F) 2015 - 2021 Tinto, V. (2017). Through the Eyes of Students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 19(3), 254-269.