Predicting teacher candidates' professional innovativeness tendencies: The role of gender, achievement goals, and entrepreneurship

This study aims to test whether gender, achievement goals, and entrepreneurship are significant predictors of teacher candidates' tendencies toward professional innovativeness. The research was conducted using a correlational survey model. A total of 351 teacher candidates participated in the study. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The findings indicate that being female is a significant predictor of innovativeness on its own. Mastery goals positively and significantly predict teacher candidates' tendencies toward professional innovativeness, whereas performance-approach and performance-avoidance goals do not show predictive power. The subdimensions of entrepreneurship, as a block, positively and significantly predict professional innovativeness tendencies. At the subdimensions level, only opportunity recognition and emotional intelligence make a unique and significant contribution to explaining professional innovativeness tendencies.