Quarter life crisis of candidate teachers: A qualitative study

Quarter life crisis describes the developmental difficulties experienced by young adults trying to adapt to adult life after formal education. The purpose of this qualitative (phenomenological) was to examine the possible quarter-life crisis experience of teacher candidates who have failed at least twice in the national exams determining employment in the national public school system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 young adult teacher candidates (between the ages of 24-35). The data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Three major themes emerged from the analyses: 1) Pre- crisis, 2) crisis and 3) post-crisis. Participants reported experiencing some difficulties especially in career-related areas, in social and romantic relationships and acquiring an appropriate adult identity during the transition to adulthood. In addition to the difficulties of adult life, the socioeconomic context in which individuals live also makes the transition to adulthood difficult; they also noted that the increase in the number of university graduates and the contraction in the labor market are the main obstacles for participants to acquire appropriate adult roles. Identifying the difficulties that emerging adults experience during the transition to adulthood is important in the context of individuals naming the process they experience and discovering appropriate ways to cope. The findings were discussed within the scope of the literature and suggestions were presented.