The Relationship Between The Attitudes of Teaching Profession, Life Satisfaction, Possible Selves and The Emotional States of Pre-Service Teachers

Abstract

In this study, the relationship between pre-service teachers' attitudes towards the teaching profession, their life satisfaction, possible selves and emotional states were examined. This study, in which the quantitative research approach was adopted, was carried out with the relational survey model and was realized with the participation of 685 pre-service teachers. Data were collected in the 2021-2022 Academic Year. Personal information form, “Attitude Scale Towards Teaching Profession”, “Life Satisfaction Scale”, “Pre-service teachers' Possible Self Scale” and “Emotional State Scale” were used as data collection tools. As a result of the analyzes, it was seen that there was a positive and significant relationship between the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards the profession and their life satisfaction, expected possible teacher selves and emotional states. Accordingly, the more the teaching profession is loved and the more it satisfies the teacher, the more it can improve the quality of life in a positive way. In addition, a negative relationship was found between the pre-service teachers' life satisfaction and feared potential teacher selves, and a positive relationship was found between their life satisfaction and emotional states. This result suggests that there is a link between pre-service teachers' overall life satisfaction and their concerns about future teacher roles and responsibilities. Another result of this study is that there is a positive relationship between the pre-service teachers' emotional states and their expected potential teacher selves, and a negative significant relationship between their emotional states and feared possible teacher selves. This result means that pre-service teachers' feared potential teacher self-perceptions may become stronger when they evaluate themselves negatively, have concerns about their professional future, or have negative emotional experiences. According to the results of this study, it is understood that pre-service teachers' attitudes towards the profession are related to both their self-esteem as a teacher and their perception of professionalism.