Teaching motivation, mindfulness in teaching, and metacognitive awareness as predictors of teachers' perceptions of curriculum literacy competency

The primary purpose of this research is to examine the extent to which teaching motivation, mindfulness in teaching, and metacognitive awareness predict middle school teachers' perceptions of curriculum literacy competence, using the structural equation model. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate these variables descriptively. Designed according to the general survey model, the study group of this research consists of 304 middle school teachers working in schools affiliated with the District Directorates of National Education in the Kepez, Konyaaltı, and Muratpaşa districts of Antalya during the 2024–2025 academic year. The research data were collected using the "Teaching Motivation Scale," the "Mindfulness in Teaching Scale," the "Teacher's Metacognitive Awareness Scale," and the "Curriculum Literacy Competency Perception Scale" The data were analyzed using IBM Statistics SPSS 24 and IBM Statistics Amos software. Data related to the sub-objectives of the research were analyzed using frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, and standard deviation techniques. In contrast, data related to the research hypotheses were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings related to the sub-objectives of the research are as follows: Regarding the first sub-objective, it was found that middle school teachers' levels of teaching motivation were above average. For the second sub-objective, it was concluded that their level of mindfulness in teaching was above average. Regarding the third sub-objective, it was found that middle school teachers' metacognitive awareness levels were also above average. As for the fourth sub-objective, it was determined that the levels of curriculum literacy competency perception among middle school teachers were above average. Regarding the research hypotheses: For the first hypothesis, it was found that teaching motivation positively and significantly affects mindfulness in teaching. For the second hypothesis, it was determined that teaching motivation significantly predicts mindfulness in teaching. For the third hypothesis, the results showed that teaching motivation positively and substantially affects metacognitive awareness. The fourth hypothesis revealed that teaching motivation significantly predicts metacognitive awareness. According to the fifth hypothesis, teaching motivation was found to positively and significantly affect the perception of curriculum literacy competence. For the sixth hypothesis, it was concluded that mindfulness in teaching positively and significantly affects the perception of curriculum literacy competence. Regarding the seventh hypothesis, it was found that metacognitive awareness positively and significantly affects the perception of curriculum literacy competence. The final hypothesis concluded that teaching motivation, mindfulness in teaching, and metacognitive awareness together positively and significantly affect the perception of curriculum literacy competence. To sum up, teaching motivation, mindfulness in teaching, and metacognitive awareness are significant predictors of teachers' perceptions of curriculum literacy competence. Based on the research results, several recommendations have been presented.