Globally, there are ongoing problems with teacher retention, leading to a loss of experience and expertise. In policy and research, the emphasis is often on the professional development and retention of early career teachers, whereas teachers in later stages of their career are relatively under-represented. This article addresses this imbalance, reporting on a mixed methods scoping study that explores definitions of mid-career teachers in England and their retention and development, via a literature review, primary data collection and secondary analysis of data from the OECD’s TALIS 2018 survey. We found that there is no agreed definition of mid-career teacher, relating to time in teaching, role and wider life circumstances and self-definition. Whatever definition is used, mid-career teachers are a heterogenous group, with varying needs, career plans and commitment to the profession. Whilst typically confident in their practice, their learning needs vary and are often experienced as unmet, especially for those looking for progression routes outside leadership and those with family commitments. This indicates that their potential for career development to benefit the profession may not be reached. The article concludes with suggestions for further study, policy and practice to improve understanding of this under-researched group.

中文翻译：

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职业中期教师：专业发展、职业发展和保留的混合方法范围研究

在全球范围内，教师留任问题持续存在，导致经验和专业知识的流失。在政策和研究中，重点往往是早期教师的专业发展和保留，而处于职业后期的教师相对较少。本文通过文献综述、主要数据收集和对经合组织 TALIS 2018 年调查数据的二次分析，报告了这种不平衡，报告了一项混合方法范围界定研究，该研究探索了英格兰职业中期教师的定义及其保留和发展。我们发现对于处于职业生涯中期的教师没有一致的定义，涉及教学时间、角色和更广泛的生活环境以及自我定义。无论使用什么定义，处于职业生涯中期的教师都是一个异质的群体，有着不同的需求，职业规划和对专业的承诺。虽然他们通常对自己的实践充满信心，但他们的学习需求各不相同，并且经常得不到满足，特别是对于那些在领导力之外寻找进步路线的人和有家庭承诺的人。这表明他们的职业发展潜力可能无法实现，从而使该行业受益。文章最后提出了进一步研究、政策和实践的建议，以提高对这一研究不足群体的理解。