The construction of the vocational education system is an important educational development goal in China. Teachers are considered as a key factor affecting the quality of education. The early stage of a teacher's career development plays a significant role in transforming a novice teacher into an excellent teacher. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among work engagement, self-preparation and adaptability of novice teachers in Chinese vocational colleges. This study recruited novice teachers from Chinese vocational colleges including higher vocational colleges and undergraduate vocational programs in universities to participate in the research. A total of 433 valid questionnaires were collected, including 199 male teachers (46%) and 234 female teachers (54%). Furthermore, based on the engagement theory, this study proposed seven research hypotheses and constructed a research model. Through the analysis of SPSS and AMOS, the study results showed that: 1. Three types of work engagement have positive effects on novice teachers' self-preparation and career adaptability; and 2. Teachers' self-preparation has a positive effect on career adaptability. According to the results, work engagement is an important factor in the early stage of career development for novice teachers. This study helped novice teachers to understand how to adapt to teaching work more effectively through different types of work engagement and teachers' working conditions through models based on engagement theory when they first start teaching. © 2023, Success Culture Press. All rights reserved.
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