The socio-economic and cultural profiles of pre-service teachers

The aim of this research was to reveal the socio-economic and cultural profiles of pre-service teachers. To achieve this aim, cross-sectional survey design was used. The data collection tool was The Socio-Economic and Cultural Profiles of Pre-Service Teachers Questionnaire developed within the scope of the research. The participants were 1072 pre-service teachers studying at Anadolu University Faculty of Education in the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cross-tabs. The results of the research show that 20% of pre-service teachers experience economic difficulties. Furthermore, nearly 13% of them are at risk of dropping out of university due to economic reasons. The economic status of 25%-35% of the teacher candidates also affects negatively their educational expenditures, access to educational opportunities, socialization, and cultural development. In addition, it was observed that the majority of pre-service teachers were women, and when it came to nationality, ethnicity, and religious beliefs some groups were dominant. It was also seen that pre-service teachers carried out activities that supported their cultural development more than their families, but only about half of the pre-service teachers performed these activities. It has been concluded that the friends of the teacher candidates mostly support the cultural development of the candidates, and the social environment (family, friends, teachers, etc.) contributes to the education and private life of the candidates.