THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' CREATIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND MOTIVATION LEVELS

Authors

  • Selçuk Şimşek Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education, Denizli, Turkey
  • Ali Rıza Erdem Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education, Denizli, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v13i9.7080

Keywords:

pre-service teachers, creative personality traits, motivation, predictive power, relationship

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between creative personality traits and motivation levels among pre-service teachers in Turkish public universities and to investigate the predictive effects of gender, university, department, academic program, and grade level on these variables. A correlational survey design was employed. The sample consisted of 756 pre-service teachers enrolled in faculties of education at eight public universities representing the seven geographical regions of Türkiye. Data were collected using the Creative Personality Traits Scale developed by Şahin and Danışman (2017), the Adult Motivation Scale developed by Tulunay Ateş and İhtiyaroğlu (2019), and a personal information form. Multiple regression and Spearman correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that gender, university, department, academic program, and grade level jointly predicted both creative personality traits and motivation levels. University and academic program were significant predictors of creative personality traits, whereas university emerged as the only significant predictor of motivation. However, the explanatory power of the regression models was relatively low (R² = .022). The most notable finding of the study was the existence of a positive, moderate, and statistically significant relationship between creative personality traits and motivation levels among pre-service teachers (r = .536, p < .01). This result suggests that motivational processes play an important role in the development of creative personality characteristics. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating practices that foster intrinsic motivation and creative thinking into teacher education programs. Such practices may contribute to the development of more innovative, adaptable, and professionally competent future teachers.

Author Biographies

  • Selçuk Şimşek, Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education, Denizli, Turkey

    Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Şimşek serves as a faculty member in the Department of Primary Education at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education. His academic research focuses on primary education, life sciences and social studies instruction, values education, and teacher training. His studies explore areas such as creative personality traits and motivation levels of prospective teachers, educational history, character education, and contemporary instructional models in these fields. He has published numerous articles, book chapters, and scientific studies in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

  • Ali Rıza Erdem, Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education, Denizli, Turkey

    Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Rıza Erdem serves as a faculty member in the Department of Educational Sciences at Pamukkale University, Faculty of Education. His academic research focuses on educational management, inspection, planning, and economics, as well as teacher training. His studies explore areas such as school administration, leadership, educational policies, and teacher education. He has published numerous articles, book chapters, and scientific studies in peer-reviewed national and international journals.

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Published

2026-09-29

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 9 (2026)

Section

Articles

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