Is it all about relevance?! On the importance of the relevance of study content for student teachersʼ learning-related emotions and dropout intention

The relevance of study content in teacher education is regularly discussed and often critically assessed by student teachers. This paper examines the relationships between relevance of study content, general self-efficacy, learning-related emotions (enjoyment, boredom, anger), and study success of student teachers. Based on a cross-sectional survey (N = 204), the relationship is analysed using a structural equation model. The results indicate that the perceived relevance of study content is associated with the learning-related emotions (enjoyment, boredom, anger). A higher association is found between perceived relevance of study content and learning-related emotions than between general self-efficacy and learning-related emotions. Furthermore, low perceived relevance of study content is associated with high levels of learning-related anger, which in turn is linked to an increased dropout intention.