The congruence of vocational interests and the workplace environment: Reducing the language teacher shortage

Abstract

There is a shortage of second/foreign language (S/FL) teachers in many parts of the world, and the rates of attrition are cause for alarm in North America. Canadian and US teachers’ ( N = 323) were administered the Self-Directed Search vocational interest inventory and the Coping in Stressful Situations scale. Results from this quantitative study confirmed the vocational profile of an efficacious second/foreign language teacher and revealed significant differences in coping styles between those teachers with and without the vocational profile. Additionally, data analysis indicated that the Social, Artistic, and Enterprising profile is directly related to teacher longevity in the profession. The research has implications for the recruitment and retention of S/FL teachers at a time of critical need.