Examining the contributions of support and class belonging to preservice teachers' career motivation in Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to examine the contribution of the perceived support and sense of class belonging to pre-service teachers' career motivation. A total of 670 pre-service teachers majoring in various teaching areas including science, social studies, Turkish and mathematics at a state university in Aegean Region participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires including the FIT-Choice Scale, the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale, and the Support Scale were used as data collection tools. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was utilized to determine the extent to what level of the variance explained in the motivational factors and the perception about teaching by support and sense of class belonging. Results of analysis showed statistically significant relations between sense of class belonging and the FIT-Choice scale. Additional to this, it was found to be statistically significant relations between the support types and the FIT-Choice scale, while support from instructors was the strongest predictor of motivation. Future directions and implications were discussed.