The transition from studying to teaching practice is a critical phase in the professionalization of teachers. Prospective teachers are confronted with a variety of professional tasks, new life circumstances and previously unknown areas of responsibility, which leads to a high level of strain regardless of structural conditions. The issue of the transition to practice is exacerbated on the one hand by the current shortage of teachers in many European countries (OECD, 2024) and on the other hand by the long-known problem of teachers dropping out early in the first five years of their careers (Ingersoll, 2003). Whether the transition to the teaching profession is successful and perceived as a constructive experience for the further educational biography does not only depend on the skills and knowledge acquired during studies, but also on emotional and motivational factors during this intensive phase of professionalization: 

Teachers with a high level of well-being show greater job satisfaction and a lower risk of burnout; well-being not only has a positive effect on the quality of teaching but also on the relationship with students (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2018). In addition, strong intrinsic motivation, which is based on the joy of imparting knowledge and the desire to support students, is fundamental to job satisfaction and long-term commitment to the teaching profession (Richardson & Watt, 2010); teachers with intrinsic motivation are more resilient to professional challenges and demonstrate higher teaching quality (Frenzel et al., 2016). The emotional experience is particularly crucial for a successful transition into the teaching practice; while positive teacher emotions such as joy and pride promote motivation and the quality of teaching (Frenzel et al, 2021), negative emotions such as fear and frustration correlate with a higher risk of leaving the profession and burnout (Chang, 2020). Accordingly, it is not surprising that social-emotional competences, such as empathy and the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies, support a successful transition into the teaching profession. Teachers with strong social-emotional skills create a supportive classroom climate that promotes students' motivation to learn and strengthens the quality of relationships with students, colleagues and parents (Becker et al., 2014), which in turn increases professional satisfaction and the likelihood of remaining in the teaching profession. 

This symposium is therefore dedicated to the importance of emotion, motivation and well-being of teachers in the transition to teaching practice. Pre-service teachers, career starters and several groups of early career teachers will be examined to work out the different stages of professionalization taking into account emotional and motivational factors and to derive conclusions for teacher training as well as for the support and guidance of teachers at the beginning of their professional careers. The first study presents well-being profiles of pre-service teachers (N=2867) and emphasizes interventions tailored to the needs of different profiles. Teacher emotions, their regulation and the associated experience of strain of different groups of career starters are then discussed, to identify thier different needs and to support them accordingly. (N=1115). In a next step, the connection of intrinsic motivation and emotional well-being with effective teaching practice will be worked out in a longitudinal study to derive targeted support options for early-carrier teachers (n=250). Finally, a person-centered approach illustrates the central importance of social-emotional competencies for the subjective experience of well-being and the professional commitment of teachers in the first years of their professional practice (N=589). Building on these broad findings, a concluding discussion critically examines the future of teacher education and training against the background of emotional and motivational “conditions of success”.     

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