Investigation of Lifelong Learning Competency Beliefs of Preservice Teachers from Different Departments using Latent Class Analysis

Abstract

In this study, lifelong learning competency beliefs of 1242 preservice teachers from four different departments at a state university in the west of Turkey were investigated using Latent Class Analysis (LCA). As a result, it was found that these beliefs consisted of four different homogeneous sub-groups. Then the probabilities of preservice teachers from different genders, years of study, department, age, GPA, location, high school type, epistemological orientation and self-competency belief profiles to be in these significant sub-groups were determined. Senior and self-competent preservice teachers were found most likely to be in the “most competent group”.