The Relationship Between Preservice Teachers’ Level of Innovativeness and Academic Career Awareness

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between preservice teachers’ levels of individual innovativeness and their awareness of academic careers. Method: The research employed a correlational survey model with a sample of 333 preservice teachers enrolled in the Faculty of Education of a university in the Black Sea Region of Türkiye during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Individual Innovativeness Scale and the Academic Career Awareness Scale. Findings: The findings indicated that preservice teachers demonstrated a moderate level of individual innovativeness, with the highest mean score observed in the “resistance to change” dimension and the lowest in “risk-taking.” Preservice teachers’ overall academic career awareness levels were found to be high, with the strongest awareness in the dimension of “being a faculty member and related conditions.” Correlation analysis revealed a low but statistically significant positive relationship between individual innovativeness and academic career awareness. Regression analysis showed that the dimensions of openness to experience and risk-taking were significant predictors of academic career awareness, explaining approximately 9% of the variance (R² = .09). Conclusion: By empirically demonstrating the predictive role of specific innovativeness dimensions in academic career awareness, this study contributes to the literature by moving beyond descriptive findings and offering evidence-based implications for teacher education programs.