The effect of social studies teachers' perception of competence in historical knowledge on their professional motivation

The most fundamental element of education and training is students and the teachers who are primarily responsible for their learning. Effectively carrying out educational activities in schools requires teachers to possess a high level of motivation and to be competent not only in terms of pedagogical formation but also in terms of their field competencies. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is for teachers to increase their professional motivation by being aware of their field competencies. This study, which aims to reveal the impact of social studies teachers' perceptions of their history field competencies on their professional motivation, employed a sequential explanatory design, a mixed-method design. A history field competency perception scale and a teacher motivation scale were used as data collection tools in the quantitative dimension of the study. A semi-structured interview form consisting of six questions, developed by the researcher, was used in the qualitative dimension of the study. The results obtained using SPSS were analyzed and interpreted at a significance level of p<0.05. Content analysis was used in the analysis of qualitative data. Notes and written documents taken during the interviews with teachers were converted into text in a computer environment. A code list was prepared in line with the specified expressions to facilitate data analysis. Based on the coding, diagrams reflecting the patterns related to each subproblem were prepared and the findings were interpreted. The findings of the study revealed that social studies teachers generally have high perceptions of their competence in history, and that social studies teachers with high perceptions of their competence in history also have high professional motivation. However, perceptions of history competence alone are not a sufficient predictor of teacher professional motivation. In light of these findings, the use of audiovisual materials, continuous professional development, self-assessment processes, strong student interaction, and structured support mechanisms are recommended to increase social studies teachers' perceptions of their competence in history and their professional motivation.