Supporting early-career teacher resilience: a systematic review of resilience-enhancing practices for teacher retention

Early-career teacher attrition remains a persistent concern, and evidence on resilience-oriented supports in relation to retention remains fragmented. This review aimed to identify resilience-enhancing programs and support mechanisms for early-career teachers, synthesize their core support elements, and examine links with resilience development and retention-related indicators. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searches were conducted across Scopus, Wiley Online Library, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, and APA PsycINFO. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis identified five support categories: mentoring, coaching, and induction-based supports; mindfulness- and compassion-based programs; self-regulation and coping-focused training; collaborative preparation and professional learning community supports; and formal and informal support systems. Across these categories, core support elements included sustained relational support, collaborative professional community, structured reflection, emotion regulation and self-compassion practice, pedagogical and workplace scaffolding, self-regulation skills, and sustained program duration. Retention was mainly represented through proximal indicators rather than long-term observed retention. Findings suggest that these elements can inform self-development among early-career teachers, school-based induction, mentoring, coaching, and support systems, as well as policy-level professional development for beginning teachers. Future studies should develop and evaluate targeted interventions based on these elements, while future reviews should examine comparable teacher education systems and school settings in greater contextual depth.