Examining the relationship between preservice teachers' ability to work independently and take responsibility and lifelong learning tendencies

In this study, the competence of pre-service teachers to work independently and take responsibility, their lifelong learning tendencies and the relationship between them were examined; it was investigated whether the competence to work independently and take responsibility and lifelong learning tendencies differed according to variables such as gender, age, field of assignment, weighted GPA, place of residence, family income level, parents' education level. In this context, a quantitative research approach was adopted in the study and 351 pre-service teachers were included in the study in the 2022-2023 academic year. In this study, which was conducted with descriptive and relational survey model, pre-service teachers' competence to work independently and take responsibility and their lifelong learning tendencies were found to be at a high level. When examined according to gender, a significant difference was found in favor of women in the competence of pre-service teachers to work independently and take responsibility and in the curiosity dimension of lifelong learning tendencies. When the competence of pre-service teachers to work independently and take responsibility was analyzed according to family income level, it was found that the competence of pre-service teachers with high income level to work independently and take responsibility was significantly higher. The ability to work independently and take responsibility did not differ statistically according to the age, field of assignment, weighted GPA and mother/father education level of pre-service teachers. While there was a significant difference in pre-service teachers' lifelong learning tendencies according to age, there was no significant difference according to place of residence, area of assignment, weighted GPA and mother/father education level. However, as the place of residence changed from metropolitan cities to towns or villages, it was determined that there was a decrease in pre-service teachers' ability to work independently and take responsibility and their lifelong learning tendencies. A moderately significant relationship was found between pre-service teachers' competence to work independently and take responsibility and their lifelong learning tendencies. It was seen that pre-service teachers' ability to work independently and take responsibility positively predicted their lifelong learning tendencies; 21% of lifelong learning tendencies was explained by the ability to work independently and take responsibility.