The Relationship between Motivation to Teach, School Climate, and Attitude toward Teaching Profession

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between pre-service teachers' motivation to teach, their perceptions of school climate, and their attitudes toward the teaching profession. Data were collected from 377 pre-service teachers studying at a state university in Turkey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that motivation to teach significantly and positively predicted attitudes towards teaching profession both directly and indirectly through school climate. While motivation to teach also significantly predicted school climate, school climate had a smaller but significant effect on professional attitudes. The model explained 69% of the variance in professional attitudes and 47% of the variance in school climate. These findings emphasize the importance of strengthening intrinsic motivation and creating supportive educational environments to promote positive professional attitudes in teacher education.