The role of individual innovativeness levels in the relationship between preservice teachers' lifelong learning tendencies and online learning readiness levels

This research aims to examine the role of individual innovativeness levels in the relationship between preservice teachers' lifelong learning tendencies and their readiness levels for online learning. Designed as a study using a predictive correlational design, one of the quantitative research types, the population of the study consists of 5781 preservice teachers studying at the Faculty of Education of a state university in the 2024-2025 academic year. The required sample size was calculated to be 361 people. The sampling method was determined as convenience sampling, one of the non-random sampling methods. The data collection tools are the Lifelong Learning Scale, the Online Learning Readiness Scale, and the Individual Innovativeness Scale. Data were collected online using a form created in Google Forms. The participant group comprises 397 preservice teachers from 23 departments. Of the preservice teachers, 50% of whom are first-year students, 74% are female, and 26% are male. The statistical suitability of the data was checked using various methods. Data analysis was performed on 369 datasets using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. According to the findings, preservice teachers' lifelong learning tendencies and online learning readiness were above the moderate level, while their individual innovativeness was low. It was observed that preservice teachers were mostly in the "early majority" type among the individual innovativeness categories. Relationships between preservice teachers' lifelong learning tendencies and online learning readiness levels; between lifelong learning tendencies and individual innovativeness levels; and between online learning readiness levels and individual innovativeness levels were found to be positive, significant, and moderate. Furthermore, it was revealed that the individual innovativeness level variable is a partial mediator variable in the relationship between lifelong learning tendencies and online learning readiness level variables. These results were discussed alongside other research, and various suggestions were presented.