Relationship Between Professional Engagement, Career Development Aspirations and Motivation Towards The Teaching Profession of Prospective Teachers

Accepted: 04.12.2020 The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations, and motivation towards the teaching profession of prospective teachers. Having been structured both with descriptive and relational survey model, the study consisted of 460 volunteer prospective teachers attending pedagogical formation certificate program at the education faculty of a big university located in Turkey’s Western Black Sea Region. The research data was collected through the Personal Information Questionnaire, Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations (PECDA) Scale and Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards the Teaching Profession (MLPTTP) Scale. According to the data gained from the study, it was determined that prospective teachers’ professional engagement and career development aspiration level was moderate and their motivation towards teaching profession level was high; there is a moderate, positive and significant relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession. In the light of the data gained from the present study, long-term studies can be carried out with prospective teachers, and the development of the subjects related to the present research can be monitored after they are appointed as teachers.

The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations, and motivation towards the teaching profession of prospective teachers. Having been structured both with descriptive and relational survey model, the study consisted of 460 volunteer prospective teachers attending pedagogical formation certificate program at the education faculty of a big university located in Turkey's Western Black Sea Region. The research data was collected through the Personal Information Questionnaire, Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations (PECDA) Scale and Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards the Teaching Profession (MLPTTP) Scale. According to the data gained from the study, it was determined that prospective teachers' professional engagement and career development aspiration level was moderate and their motivation towards teaching profession level was high; there is a moderate, positive and significant relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession. In the light of the data gained from the present study, long-term studies can be carried out with prospective teachers, and the development of the subjects related to the present research can be monitored after they are appointed as teachers.

Introduction
Achieving the aim of education can only be possible with qualified training of the most important element, the teacher. Observing the historical process of teacher training in Turkey, after so many different practices, in April 2014 Higher Education Council, besides the undergraduate education given by education faculties, transformed pedagogical formation education into a certificate program for all graduates and hereby teaching profession into a personal development program in the lifelong learning process. Therefore, whether pedagogical formation certificate programs, taken in as short as one year by any graduates other than faculty of education graduates, are sufficient for the teaching profession has been discussed by different studies in Turkish literature (Atmaca, 2019;Gürbüz, 2017;Kiraz and Dursun, 2015;Pektaş, 2019;Yılmaz, 2015). On account of this, professional engagement, extrinsic motives, most general (Bastick, 2000;Brookhart & Freeman,1992;Richardson & Watt,2005;Rinke,2008); professional, altruistic, materialistic, personal status, social status and time to spend with the family motives (Richardson & Watt, 2005;Watt & Richardson, 2007; external or internal motives (Deci, 1971;Sinclair, Dowson & McInerney, 2006). According to Deci and Ryan (1985), intrinsic motivation is usually the reason for participating in an activity as it is enjoyable and satisfying; Zimmerman (2000, p.89) defines extrinsic motivation as an external control to take action when the individual has no interest or desire. As Sinclair (2008) states, prospective teachers have multiple, rather than a single, motivation to begin the teaching profession. According to the related studies, prospective teachers were found to be mostly influenced by altruistic motives such as social benefit and utility values, shaping the future and personal desire and motivation to work with children / adolescents; internal factors such as the desire for a safe job and gaining personal satisfaction and meaning, wish to make a difference in their lives and external factors in their choice of the teaching profession (Arends, Winitzky & Tannenbaum, 1998;Bastick, 2000;Boz & Boz, 2008;Brookhart & Freeman, 1992;Bruinsma and Jansen, 2010;Bursal and Buldur, 2016;Ekinci, 2017;Kılınç, Watt and Richarson, 2012;Manuel and Hughes, 2006;Öztürk Akar, 2012;Papanastasiou ve Papanastasiou, 1997;Richardson and Watt, 2006;Richardson, 2007, 2008). According to Ryan and Deci (2000), people can be motivated at different levels and different types and although internal motivation is more desirable, it alone is not enough. Briefly, we can say that motivation necessary for success in intrinsic motivation is the individual's own beliefs, and in extrinsic motivation, external control is effective for a behaviour to occur. In the study of Aypay (2011), it was found that one of the conditions of being a good teacher was that they should have professional motivation. In most of the related studies, prospective teachers were found to have high levels of motivation and attitude towards the teaching profession and desire to continue the profession (Aksu, Demir, Daloğlu, Yıldırım & Kiraz. 2010;Altınkurt, Yılmaz & Erol, 2014;Dereli & Acat, 2010;Doğan & Çoban, 2009;Kartal & Afacan, 2011;Özdemir & Erol, 2015;Özder, Konedralı & Perkan Zeki, 2010;Saban, 2003). Teachers being motivated towards teaching profession have significant achievements in the realization and implementation of educational reforms as well as gaining success and job satisfaction (De Jesus & Lens, 2005). Rots, Kelchtermans and Aelterman (2012) determined in their study that professional motivation also depended on the development of a sense of professional competence and success. In other words, motivation towards profession and professional satisfaction and success mutually feed each other. Akbaba (2006) states that motivation is also the main factor in teachers' coping with professional problems and enjoying their profession. It is important for teachers to have a high professional motivation to work effectively and efficiently and have higher professional satisfaction and performance. Teachers who cannot achieve success and satisfaction because of low motivation levels also have a lot of stress. In addition, high motivation of teachers increases the success of their students as well (Yılmaz, 2009) and high motivation levels will enable students as well as teachers to enjoy school more (Öncü, 2004).

Importance of the Study
Owing to the increasing importance of individuals having a profession, the term 'career' is gaining importance day by day. Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that one of the most important factors affecting individuals' aspirations to develop a career is their motivation towards the profession. Although prospective teachers have deep future anxiety about their profession due to the concern of not being able to find a job according to their fields of study, low possibility of employment and Public Personnel Selection Exam (PPSE) held in Turkey and are guided in their career decisions inadequately (Akoğlan Kozak and Dalkıranoğlu, 2013;Anılan and Anılan, 2014;Sezgin Nartgün and Gökçer, 2014;Yılmaz,2015), Bruinsma and Jansen (2010) determined in their study that their motivations towards the teaching profession were significantly higher than prospective teachers' career development aspirations. Similarly, in the study conducted by Gür Erdoğan and Arsal (2015) prospective teachers' professional engagement and career development aspirations were found low. Eren (2011) examined the relationship between teacher candidates' professional orientation and career development inspirations and their interest levels towards teaching profession and found that the levels of professional orientation and career development inspirations of prospective teachers with a high level of interest in the teaching profession were significantly higher. Watt, Richardson, and Wilkins (2014) examine the relationship between teaching motivation and professional development aspirations and identified three types of beginning teachers: 'classroom engaged careerists', 'highly engaged persisters' and 'lower engaged persisters'. Classroom engaged careerists were found to show a desire to spend their whole future career in teaching; highly engaged persisters were found to indicate career plans of leaving classroom teaching for broader educative roles and lower engaged desisters were found to show a rather negative motivation profile, with the possible choice of teaching as a fallback career; those studies show that different professional development aspirations are associated with positive and negative motivation profiles. West and Brousseau (1987) found that the majority of prospective teachers (94%) in their sample planned to work as teachers for a minimum of 5 years, but only more than half (57%) planned to teach for 10 years or more. At a time when other careers offer higher salaries, clearer pathways for career development, greater social prestige, and more agreeable working conditions (OECD, 2005;Ramsay, 2000), teaching would seem to be less attractive as a career. Due to these reasons, in the present research, it is tried to determine the relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession levels of the prospective teachers being thought to be qualified for teaching profession through pedagogical formation certificate program lasting only one year. Thus, in the related literature, having not been encountered to a study examining the relationship between the prospective teachers' professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers at pedagogical formation certificate program taken in as short as one year reveals the importance of the present research.

The Aim of the Study
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers participating in pedagogical formation certificate program. For this aim, the following questions are sought to answer: (1) What are the levels of professional engagement, career development aspirations, and motivation towards the teaching profession of prospective teachers participating in the pedagogical formation certificate program? (2) Is there a relationship between the levels of professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards the teaching profession of prospective teachers participating in the pedagogical formation certificate program? (3) Do the levels of professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession of prospective teachers participating in pedagogical formation certificate program differ according to their gender, age, current employment status, education level, reasons for attending pedagogical formation certificate program, and whether they preferred a teaching department in university entrance exam previously and whether they will take PPSE?

Research Model
The study was structured in a descriptive survey model, primarily because it aims to reveal the professional engagement, career development aspirations, and motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers. Studies aiming to reveal an existing situation are examined within the scope of the descriptive survey model (Balcı, 2005;Gay & Airasian, 2000). As the relationship between professional engagement, career development aspirations, and motivation towards the teaching profession of prospective teachers is also examined in the present research, it is also structured with a relational survey model. According to Karasar (2013), the relational survey model aims to determine the presence and / or degree of variation between two or more variables.

Study Group
The study group having been determined by random sampling method consisted of 460 volunteer prospective teachers out of 750 prospective teachers attending pedagogical formation certificate program at education faculty of a big university (about 33000 students and 1450 academic staff) located in Turkey's Western Black Sea Region. According to Özdemir (2008), random sampling refers to a variety of selection techniques in which sample members are selected by chance, but with a known probability of selection. The results of the descriptive analysis of the independent variables are summarized in Table 1. As summarized in Table 1, the data of this research consists of the answers given to the scales by a total of 460 prospective teachers, 336 females and 124 males. There are 380 prospective teachers in the 20-30 age range and 80 prospective teachers in the age range of 31 and above. 298 prospective teachers are undergraduate students and 162 of them are graduates. While 123 prospective teachers are currently working, 337 of them are not. While the number of prospective teachers answering their reason for joining the pedagogical formation certificate program as "perform teaching profession" is 410, the number of prospective teachers whose reason is "just to get the certificate" is 50. 197 prospective teachers preferred a teaching department previously in the university entrance exam while 263 of them did not. The number of prospective teachers stating that they will take PPSE is 414 while 46 of them will not.

Data Collection Instruments
In the study, the Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations Scale and Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards Teaching Profession Scale were used to obtain data on professional engagement, career development aspirations and motivation towards the teaching profession. In order to obtain data on demographic variables of prospective teachers, Personal Information Questionnaire prepared by the researcher was used.

Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations (PECDA) Scale
Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations Scale developed by Watt and Richardson (2008) and adapted to Turkish by Eren and Tezel (2010) was used to obtain data on professional engagement and career development aspirations of prospective teachers as mentioned in the study. PECDA is a 17-item scale including four factors: planned effort (4 items), planned persistence (4 items), professional development aspiration (5 items) and leadership aspiration (4 items). The original scale has a 7-point Likert-type response format ranging from extremely (7) to none (1). The maximum score that can be obtained from the scale is 187 and the minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 17. In the present study, professional engagement and career development aspiration levels were evaluated as low for 17-73 points; moderate for 74-130 points and high for 131-187 points.

Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards the Teaching Profession Scale
23-item Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards the Teaching Profession Scale developed by Acat and Yenilmez (2004) was used to obtain data on prospective teachers' motivations towards the teaching profession as mentioned in the study. The maximum score that can be obtained from the scale is 115 and the minimum score that can be obtained from the scale is 23 in this five-point Likert-type motivation scale. In the present study, prospective teachers' motivation levels towards the teaching profession were evaluated as low for 23-63 points; moderate for 64-94 points and high for 95-115 points. It was observed that, for each of the independent variables, the kurtosis and skewness values of the overall total and subscale scores of the scales remained between ± 1.5. If the kurtosis and skewness values are within ± 1.5, the distribution of the data set is considered as normal (Pituch & Stevens, 2016, p.228). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed in Mplus program to test the structure validity of the scales by providing the assumption of normality. The results of the goodness of fit of the scales regarding the CFA analysis are summarized in Table 2.  (Çokluk, Şekercioğlu & Büyüköztürk;2010, p.271-272) First of all, as a result of the CFA analysis of four-dimensional Professional Engagement and Career Development Aspirations Scale consisting planned effort (4 items), planned persistence (4 items), professional development aspiration (5 items) and leadership aspiration (4 items), it was observed that the standardized path coefficients of the items were statistically significant as they varied between 0.737-0.925 and the correlations between the sub-dimensions varied between 0.20-0.65. When the fit indexes given in Table 2 of the scale were examined, it was seen that the data fit well to the structure tested. While Cronbach's alpha reliability of the planned effort, planned persistence, professional development aspiration and leadership aspiration sub-dimensions were calculated as 0.924, 0.933, 0.921 and 0.922, respectively; the overall reliability of the scale was calculated as 0.961 with layered alpha. Cronbach, Schonemann and Brennan (1965) proposed the use of the Stratified Cronbach Alpha coefficient for the reliability of the composite scores obtained from measurement instruments involving sub-dimensions. Stratified Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated using the "sirt" (Robitzsch, 2017) package in the R program. Analyses related to PECDA Scale were summarized through the scale total score. Motivation Levels of Prospective Teachers towards the Teaching Profession Scale had five items under the 0.30 factor load limit. This might be the reason for the DFA results to fall outside the expected values. However, as the scale was an adapted scale and validity and reliability values were sufficient during the adaptation process, no item was removed from the scale. Furthermore, the Cronbach's alpha reliability value of the scale was found as 0.824.

Data Analysis
The results of the first research question were summarized with mean and standard deviation values. Within the scope of the second research question, the relationship between the total scores of the two scales was determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient as the data showed normal distribution. As there were not fully agreed intervals in the interpretation of correlation coefficient in terms of magnitude, the results of the study were interpreted over the limits that Kirk (2008, p.138) and Büyüköztürk (2011, p.32) stated as they frequently used. These limits were defined as "if the absolute value of correlation coefficient was r ≥ 0.90, there was a very high relationship"; "if the absolute value of correlation coefficient was r = 0.70-0.89, there was a high relationship"; "there was a medium relationship if the absolute value of correlation coefficient was r = 0.69-0.30", and "there was a low-level relationship if the absolute value of correlation coefficient was r ≤ 0.29". The third research question was analyzed by t-test from parametric tests because of the normal distribution of data, sufficient observations in the categories of independent variables and two-categorical independent variables.

Findings
Within the scope of the first research question, prospective teachers' professional engagement and career development aspirations and motivation towards teaching profession levels have been examined with mean and standard deviation values of the total scores of scales and results are summarized in Table 3. When Table 3 is examined, it is seen that prospective teachers' total score average of professional engagement and career development aspiration scale is medium with a mean of 95,53 points and its standard deviation is 13,41 points. It is also observed that prospective teachers' total score average of motivation towards teaching profession scale is high with a mean of 91,01 and its standard deviation is 10,52 points.
In the second research question, the Pearson correlation coefficient results are summarized in Table 4. When Table 4 is examined, it is seen that there is a moderate, positive, and significant relationship between PECDA Scale and MLPTTP Scale (r = 0,64 and 0,57; p <0,01).
In the third research question, independent groups t-test was used to examine whether prospective teachers' motivation towards the teaching profession, professional engagement and career development aspiration mean scores change according to the independent variables. The results related to the independent variables are shown in Table 5 to Table 11.
T-test results to determine whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspiration regarding male and female prospective teachers are given in Table 5. When Table 5 is examined, it is seen that mean scores of female prospective teachers are (x̄ = 96,00) and mean scores of male prospective teachers are (x̄ = 94,23) on the PECDA Scale, and the difference between two means is not statistically significant (t = 1,26; p = 0,21). The standard deviation points of female and male prospective teachers on PECDA Scale are 13,44 and 13,32, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, mean scores of female prospective teachers are (x̄ = 92,17) and mean scores of male prospective teachers are (x̄ = 87,88); the motivation towards teaching profession level of females is statistically higher than that of males (t = 3,94; p = 0,00) and this difference is statistically meaningful in favor of females at p<0,01 level. The standard deviation points of employed and unemployed prospective teachers on the MLPTTP Scale are 10,21 and 10,76, respectively.
T-test results to determine whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspiration of prospective teachers between the age groups of 20-30 and at the age of 31 and above are given in Table 6. When Table 6 is examined, it is seen that mean scores of prospective teachers between the ages of 20-30 are (x̄ = 95,64) and mean scores of prospective teachers at the age of 31 and above are (x̄ = 94,98) on the PECDA Scale, and the difference between two means is not statistically significant (t = 0,40; p = 0,69). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers between the ages of 20-30 and at the age of 31 and above on the PECDA Scale are 13,70 and 12,00, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, mean scores of prospective teachers between the ages of 20-30 are (x̄ = 91,03) and mean scores of prospective teachers at the age of 31 and above are (x̄ = 90,91), and the difference between the two means is not statistically significant (t = -1,26: p = 0,21). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers between the age of 20-30 and at the age of 31 and above on the motivation scale are 10,73 and 9,55, respectively.
T-test results of undergraduate and graduate prospective teachers regarding whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspirations are given in Table 7. When Table 7 is examined, mean scores of undergraduate prospective teachers are (x̄ = 95,20) and mean scores of graduate prospective teachers are (x̄ = 96,12) on the PECDA Scale, and the difference between two means is not statistically significant (t = -0,70; p = 0,48). The standard deviation points of undergraduate and graduate prospective teachers on PECDA Scale are 13,24 and 13,74, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, mean scores of undergraduate prospective teachers are (x̄ = 91,17) and mean scores of graduate prospective teachers are (x̄ = 90,73), and the difference between two means is not statistically significant (t = 0,43: p = 0,67). The standard deviation points of undergraduate and graduate prospective teachers on the MLPTTP Scale are 10,49 and 10,61, respectively.
T-test results to determine whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspirations of employed and unemployed prospective teachers are given in Table 8. When Table 8 is examined, mean scores of already employed prospective teachers are (x̄ = 98,15) and mean scores of unemployed prospective teachers are (x̄ = 94,57) on PECDA Scale, and the difference between mean scores of two groups is statistically significant in favor of employed prospective teachers (t = 2,56; p = 0,01) at p<0.05 level. The standard deviation points of employed and unemployed prospective teachers on the PECDA Scale are 12,72 and 13,55, respectively. Mean scores of employed prospective teachers are (x̄ = 91,45) and mean scores of unemployed prospective teachers are (x̄ = 90,85) on MLPTTP Scale, and there is no significant difference between these two means (t = 0,53; p = 0,59). The standard deviation points of employed and unemployed prospective teachers on the MLPTTP Scale are 10,79 and 10,43, respectively.
T-test results regarding whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspirations of prospective teachers whose purpose is performing teaching profession after getting the certificate and just getting the certificate are given in Table 9. When Table 9 is examined, mean scores of prospective teachers stating that they participate in that pedagogical formation education program to perform teaching profession after getting the certificate are (x̄ = 96,84), mean scores of prospective teachers stating that they participate in pedagogical formation education program just to get the certificate are (x̄ = 84,74) on PECDA scale, and this difference between two means is statistically significant (t = 6,27; p = 0,00) in favor of prospective teachers stating that they participate in pedagogical formation education program to perform teaching profession after getting the certificate at p<0.05 level. The standard deviation points of prospective teachers aiming to perform the teaching profession and to just get the certificate on the PECDA scale are 12,55 and 15,40, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, mean scores of prospective teachers stating that they participate in pedagogical formation education program to perform teaching profession after getting the certificate are (x̄ = 92,84) and mean scores of the prospective teachers whose purpose is just to get the certificate are (x̄ = 82,84). The difference between the mean scores of the two groups is statistically significant in favor of prospective teachers stating that they participate in a pedagogical formation education program to perform the teaching profession after getting the certificate at p<0.05 level (t = 6,04; p = 0,00). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers whose purpose is to perform the teaching profession after getting the certificate and just to get the certificate on the MLPTTP Scale are 10,13 and 10,18, respectively.
T-test results to determine whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspirations of prospective teachers who chose a teaching department in university entrance exam previously and prospective teachers who did not choose a teaching department in the university entrance exam in Table 10. formation education who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exam are (x̄ = 97,00) and the ones who did not choose a teaching department in university entrance exam are (x̄ = 94,29) on PECDA scale, and the difference between two means is statistically significant in favor of prospective teachers receiving pedagogical formation education who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams at p<0.05 level (t = 2,30; p = 0,02). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams and the ones who did not choose a teaching department previously on the PECDA scale are 12,88 and 13,69, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, the mean scores of prospective teachers who chose a teaching department previously in the university entrance exam are (x̄ = 92,22) and those who did not choose are (x̄ = 90,11). The difference between the two means is statistically significant in favor of those who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams previously at p<0.05 level (t = 2,14; p = 0,03). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams and the ones who did not choose a teaching department on the MLPTTP Scale are 10,44 and 10,51, respectively.
T-test results to determine whether there is a significant difference between mean scores of motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspirations of prospective teachers who will and will not take PPSE are given in Table 11. When Table 11 is examined for the PECDA scale, mean scores of prospective teachers who will take PPSE are (x̄ = 95,99) and mean scores of prospective teachers who will not take PPSE are (x̄ = 91,35), and the difference between two means is statistically significant in favor of prospective teachers who will take PPSE at p<0.05 level (t = 2,24; p = 0,03). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers who will take and will not take PPSE on the PECDA scale are 12,93 and 16,73, respectively. On MLPTTP Scale, mean scores of the prospective teachers who will take PPSE are (x̄ = 91,16) and mean scores of the prospective teachers who will not take PPSE are (x̄ = 89,67), and there is no significant difference between the two means (t = 0,91; p = 0,36). The standard deviation points of prospective teachers who will take and will not take PPSE on the motivation scale are 10,50 and 10,78, respectively.

Discussion and Conclusion
According to the finding that the total score average of prospective teachers is moderate on the PECDA scale, it can be said that they have medium levels of planned effort, desire for professional development and leadership, the favor of their profession in order to progress in career development and continuing teaching profession; this finding is partially consistent with the findings of the research conducted by Anılan and Anılan (2014) in which prospective teachers were not willing to teach in the future; with the findings of the research conducted with West and Brousseau (1987) in which the majority of prospective teachers (94%) in their sample planned to work as teachers for a minimum of 5 years, but only more than half (57%) planned to teach for 10 years or more and with the findings of the research conducted by Gür Erdoğan and Arsal (2015) in which prospective teachers' professional engagement and career development aspirations were low. Watt, Richardson, and Wilkins (2014) also determined in their study that 'lower engaged desisters' show a rather negative motivation profile with the possible choice of teaching as a fallback career. However, in the study conducted by Saban (2003), the fact that most prospective teachers in the study have the idea of continuing their teaching profession and that they have a professional aspiration towards it does not fully coincide with the finding of the present research. Eren (2011) examined the relationship between teacher candidates' professional orientation and career development inspirations and found that the levels of professional orientation and career development inspirations of prospective teachers with a high level of interest in the teaching profession were significantly higher than those with medium and low levels of interest. According to the findings of the study conducted by Sezgin Nartgün and Gökçer (2014), it is seen that pedagogical formation certificate program students have deep future anxiety about their professions and in the study conducted by Dalkıranoğlu (2013) it was found that prospective teachers were not sufficiently guided in their career decisions and their economic concerns prevented their career opportunities; therefore, in the present research, prospective teachers' moderate level of professional engagement and career development aspirations may be due to their career and financial anxiety as well. It is recommended that the gains related to the love of the teaching profession, including continuation to this profession and fulfilling the requirements for professional development, should be added to course contents in pedagogical formation certificate programs (Gülşen & Seyratlı, 2014) and education faculties. It has been determined that prospective teachers also have a moderate level of leadership aspirations when they start their profession. This finding may have resulted from teacher training programs not having any content related to management practices. Furthermore, there is no undergraduate program for training school managers and being a teacher is the only criterion to become a school administrator in Turkey (Cemaloğlu, 2005) and prospective teachers perceive leadership as a separate career field from the teaching profession in Turkey (Eren, 2011).
According to data obtained from the research, it is noteworthy that motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers is high. In recent years, the establishment of new state universities in every city of Turkey, increasing number of private universities, continuous increase of student quotas in universities cause university graduates to have very serious employment problems and some undergraduates prefer the teaching profession with the concern of not being able to find a job according to their fields of study and have negative thoughts about Public Personnel Selection Exam (PPSE) and therefore most prospective teachers experience intense future anxiety (Anılan and Anılan, 2014;Sezgin Nartgün and Gökçer, 2014). Although the participants of those programs are not students of education faculty, the reason for their high motivation towards the teaching profession is their hopes to be employed as teachers. In other words, prospective teachers of the present study have high social benefit and utility values, desire to shape the future, to work with children / adolescents, to have a safe job and to make a difference in their lives. In the study conducted by Kartal and Afacan (2011), it was determined that the reasons for choosing the teaching profession are working hours' and conditions' being relatively more comfortable than other professions and once they were assigned as a teacher, they would have a state-secured job in Turkey. The fact that prospective teachers in the sample make a great effort to take this certificate during their undergraduate education and work-life is strong evidence of their high level of motivation towards teaching profession. In addition, it is thought that this certificate program adds value to the motivation of prospective teachers towards the profession. This finding of the current study is supported by the findings of studies conducted by Aksu et al., 2010;Acat and Yenilmez (2004), Aypay (2011), Altınkurt et al. (2014, Ekinci (2017), Dereli and Acat (2010), Doğan and Shepherd (2009), Kartal andAfacan (2011), Özdemir &Erol, 2015;Özder, Konedral and Perkan Zeki (2010), Özturk Akar (2012), Saban (2003) and Richardson (2007, 2008). However, West and Brousseau (1987) found that only slightly more than half of the prospective teachers in their study sample (57%) planned to teach for 10 years or more. This difference may be because the socialization processes of teachers are not the same and that each of them goes through different socialization processes (Connely, Clandinin & He, 1997;Richards, 1998;Zeichner & Gore, 1990). In short, motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers have been determined to be high in many studies and it can be said that this high level stems from the idea of finding a more comfortable job as a teacher, having better working conditions and getting a state-guaranteed job especially in Turkey.
It is seen that there is a moderate, positive, and significant relationship between PECDA and MLPTTP scales. In other words, prospective teachers of the present study want to achieve success and progress in their career through the motivation they gain in the career development process. It can be said that the efforts which they plan to demonstrate professionally, their willingness to continue the profession, to fulfill the requirements for their professional advancement and to perform leadership positively affect their motivation levels towards the teaching profession and this data is supported by the findings of related studies in the literature (Eren, 2012;Eren & Tezel, 2010;Watt & Richardson, 2008). This finding of the study is also partially consistent with the findings of the study conducted by Bruinsma and Jansen (2010), Rots, Kelchtermans and Aelterman (2012), Eren (2011), West and Brousseau (1987) and Watt, Richardson, and Wilkins (2014). Those studies' finding being partially consistent may be due to different levels of motivation of the participants. Professional motivation depends on the development of sense of professional competence and success. In other words, according to Öncü (2004), increased motivation will enable teachers to enjoy school more. Akbaba (2006) stated that motivation is the main factor in teachers' coping with professional problems and enjoying their profession. It is important for teachers to have high professional motivation to work effectively and efficiently.
It is seen that the observed difference between the mean scores of male and female prospective teachers, prospective teachers between the ages of 20-30 and at the age of 31 and above; and undergraduate and graduate prospective teachers are not statistically significant on the PECDA Scale. Similarly, on MLPTTP Scale, no significant difference is found between mean scores of undergraduate, graduate, employed and unemployed prospective teachers, and the ones who will and will not take PPSE. Therefore, it can be said that prospective teachers between the age of 20-30 and at the age of 31 and above, undergraduate and graduate prospective teachers have similar levels of aspiration to put an effort to perform the tasks required by the profession when they start working as teachers, willingness to continue teaching profession, to fulfill the requirements for professional development and to perform leadership and motivation towards teaching profession. This may be because prospective teachers taking that program are currently studying in other undergraduate programs or working in other business branches. In the study conducted by Akoğlan Kozak and Dalkıranoğlu (2013), the finding that female prospective teachers' perceptions about careers are higher than that of males does not coincide with the findings of the present study. The fact that there is no difference between the motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers who will and will not take PPSE within the scope of the research may be because prospective teachers know that taking that certificate program is not the only solution for their assignment as teachers, as according to the findings obtained within the framework of employment policies, the number of prospective teachers taking PPSE from 2011 to 2014 is much higher than the number of teachers assigned at the end of the exam; in other words, low level of employment affects the motivation of the prospective teachers negatively (Yılmaz, 2015).
On the PECDA scale, the difference between average scores of employed and unemployed prospective teachers is in favor of the employed prospective teachers; the difference between average scores of prospective teachers stating their reason for participating in the certificate program is to perform teaching profession after the program and just to get the certificate is in favor of the ones stating that they will perform teaching profession; the difference between the average scores of prospective teachers who will and will not take PPSE is in favor of the ones stating that they will take PPSE; the difference between the average scores of prospective teachers who chose and did not choose a teaching department in university entrance exams is statistically significant in favor of those stating that they chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams. In the study conducted by Kiraz and Dursun (2015), it is determined that the participants think that they could become teachers more comfortably with that certificate program and therefore they participate in that program to obtain the certificate. Determining that the difference between average scores of prospective teachers who will and will not take PPSE on the PECDA Scale is in favor of the prospective teachers stating that they will take PPSE, may be due to the working conditions of teachers and the desire to obtain a state-guaranteed job as determined in the study conducted by Kartal and Afacan (2011). The fact that, in Turkey, PPSE is the only way to work as a teacher for the state, prospective teachers think the result they will get from the exam for their persistence in the profession. Therefore, it is an expected result that prospective teachers who are employed, whose reason for participating in the program is to perform teaching profession, who will take PPSE and who chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams have higher levels of aspirations to put an effort to perform the tasks required by the profession when they start to work as teachers, to continue teaching profession, to fulfill the requirements for professional development and to perform leadership. In MLPTTP Scale, the difference between the average of male and female prospective teachers is in favor of females; the difference between the averages of the prospective teachers who chose and did not choose a teaching department in university entrance exams previously is in favor of those stating that they chose a teaching department previously in university entrance exams; the difference between the averages of the prospective teachers who state the reason for joining pedagogical formation education program as they want to perform teaching profession after the program and just to get the certificate is statistically significant in favor of the prospective teachers who stated that the reason for joining the program as they want to perform teaching profession after the program. In the study conducted by Ozan and Bektaş (2016), a significant difference is found in favor of females for some items according to gender factor in the motivation towards teaching profession levels of education faculty students. In research conducted in Turkey, the teaching profession is seen as a "woman" profession by the participants (Eskicumalı, Yaman & Yaman, 2001;Saban, 2003). It can be said that motivation towards teaching profession levels of prospective teachers who chose a teaching department previously in the university entrance exams is higher because of their desire to perform this profession for a long time. The higher motivation level of prospective teachers who state the reason for taking that pedagogical formation education certificate program stating that they want to work as teachers can be interpreted as they have already participated in that program in order to perform this profession.

Limitations and Suggestions
According to the finding that prospective teachers' professional engagement and career development aspirations are at a medium-level, they moderately plan to make an effort to carry out the tasks required by the profession, to continue teaching profession and to fulfill the requirements for their professional development when they start working as a teacher can be specified. The reason why they desire to develop themselves professionally and have planned effort at medium level should be analyzed thoroughly and the ways to increase their desire for professional development and leadership should be included in their curriculum as independent lectures or extra trainings as well. Teachers who are successful in their fields should be invited to schools to be role models and be introduced to those prospective teachers. And the success stories of those teachers should also be told to the prospective teachers.
As prospective teachers in the current study are concurrently having undergraduate education and working or some of them are currently unemployed, the motivation levels of them are found to be high towards the teaching profession. That is, they have the power of performing this profession to pursue their goals, aspirations and desires. That there is a moderate, positive and significant relationship between PECDA and MLPTTP scales of prospective teachers can be an indication that their enthusiasm to engage in professional developments is positively and significantly related to their motivation levels towards the teaching profession.
In this research, prospective teachers' motivation towards the teaching profession and professional engagement and career development aspiration levels have been obtained through quantitative analysis. Accordingly, a different study with qualitative analysis and more in-depth data can be compared with the data of the current research. The data obtained in this study are cross-sectional data reflecting the opinions of prospective teachers over a certain period. Long-term studies can be carried out with prospective teachers participating in these programs, and after they are appointed as teachers, the development of the subjects related to the current research subjects can be monitored. The research can also be done on the faculty of education students and the results can be compared with the results of the current study.