The Perception of Teaching as a Profession by Turkish Trainee Teachers: Attitudes towards Being a Teacher

Abstract

Attitudes are formed as a result of learning and experiences which develop in a certain period of time. Since attitudes are bound to an individual’s set of values, there are several factors which have an influence upon the construction or changes in the already existing attitudes. This study is an attempt to investigate the perception of teaching as a profession by trainee teachers. 80 trainee teachers studying at a state university’s Faculty of Education, English Language Teaching Department in Turkey were asked about their attitudes towards teaching as a profession. A 30-item Likert type scale was used to gather data and the results indicate that these students have clear positive attitudes for their future profession.