Investigation of lifelong learning competency levels of teacher candidates attending the faculty of education and those enrolled in the pedagogical formation certificate program

In today's evolving and developing world, individuals' lifelong learning competencies are an essential and recurring aspect of their lives. The ability of individuals to process and transfer the knowledge they acquire in their professional or social lives promotes progress both for the individual and the society in which they live. Although lifelong learning is vital for all professions, it is particularly critical for teachers, who universally hold an instructive role. It is crucial to emphasize and prioritize the lifelong learning competencies of individuals practicing the teaching profession, as well as to instill these principles in teacher candidates during their training process. The aim of this study is to examine the lifelong learning competencies of teacher candidates who are studying at the faculty of education and those participating in the pedagogical formation certificate program in terms of sub-dimensions, and to compare and analyze their differences based on variables such as gender and specialization. The research employs a survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, and collects data using the "Updated Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning Scale" developed by Akkaya-Tatlıdil (2023), administered to teacher candidates. The study group consists of 74 teacher candidates who, during the 2023-2024 academic year, were enrolled in the Faculty of Education at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University or participated in the pedagogical formation certificate program. The data obtained from the Updated Key Competencies for Lifelong Learning Scale were analyzed using the IBM-SPSS 26 statistical software program. The results of the study indicate that teacher candidates have high perceptions of lifelong learning competencies. No significant differences were found when comparing the lifelong learning competencies of teacher candidates studying at the Faculty of Education with those participating in the pedagogical formation certificate program. According to the Mann-Whitney U Test results examining the comparison of scores obtained from the research scale and its sub-dimensions by gender within the group of teacher candidates studying at the Faculty of Education, statistically significant differences were found in the literacy competence and mathematical competence sub-dimensions. These differences are attributed to the higher mean scores of male participants in these sub-dimensions. Similarly, the Mann-Whitney U Test results for the pedagogical formation and certificate program group revealed statistically significant differences in the literacy competence and mathematical competence sub-dimensions, again due to the higher mean scores of male participants. When examining the perceptions of lifelong learning skills of teacher candidates studying at the Faculty of Education by their field of study, it was found that elementary mathematics teacher candidates scored the highest within the group, while science teacher candidates scored the lowest. However, overall, the lifelong learning competence perceptions of teacher candidates were at a high level. For the group of teacher candidates participating in the pedagogical formation and certificate program, geography teacher candidates scored the highest within the group, while physical education teacher candidates scored the lowest. Nevertheless, in general terms, the lifelong learning competence perceptions of teacher candidates in this group were also high