Exploring Progressive Mindsets Among Prospective Teachers Towards Teaching Profession at University Level
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.3.780Keywords:
Progressive Mindset, Teaching Profession, Prospective Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, Classroom Challenges, Professional DevelopmentAbstract
This study was explored the progressive mindset of prospective teachers towards the teaching profession at the university level. The study aims to examine the perceptions of prospective teachers regarding continuous professional growth, innovative teaching practices, readiness to face classroom challenges, and the role of teacher education programs in fostering a progressive mindset. A progressive mindset emphasizes lifelong learning, adaptability, creativity, ethical responsibility, social justice, and the promotion of inclusive and student-centered learning environments. The research adopted the descriptive research methodology and data were gathered through questionnaires. Simple random sampling technique was used to collect data from 400 university students enrolled at six universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the academic year 2025-2026. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations were used to describe the data, while Pearson’s chi-square test was employed to examine the associations among the study variables. The finding revealed that 89.0% of respondents valued professional growth in the teaching profession. A majority 90.0%supported innovating teaching practices and 94.3% highlighted the importance of adapting to changing educational needs. Regarding classroom readiness 94.3% agreed on their ability to modify teaching strategies. Overall the study concludes that prospective teachers possess a positive progressive mindset and are well prepared to handle classroom challenges.
Downloads
References
Alkhateeb, H. M. (2013). Attitudes towards teaching profession of education students in Qatar. Comprehensive Psychology, 2, 01–03. https://doi.org/10.2466/01.03.IT.2.9
Alonzo, D., Ellis, N. J., & Nguyen, H. (2025). A set of effective mentoring standards: A theoretically and empirically-driven framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 168, 105228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105228
Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and education: An introduction to the philosophy of education. Macmillan.
Duan, S., Bissaker, K., & Xu, Z. (2024). Correlates of teachers’ classroom management self-efficacy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36, Article 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09881-2
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamericanmind0116-36
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2010.10782551
Farjon, D., Smits, A., & Voogt, J. (2019). Technology integration of pre-service teachers explained by attitudes and beliefs, competency, access, and experience. Computers & Education, 130, 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.11.010
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.
Gresele, A.-M., Rappa, N. A., Ellis, W., Sears, E., &Kostusik, R. (2025). The SimLab: A model implementation of “practice before practicum” simulations for initial teacher education. Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1511–1528. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.T2026030500014800273348809
Kashif, M., Shah, M. S., Fatima, A., Ahmad, S., & Maqbool, A. (2026). Parent–teacher collaboration and teacher-rated classroom engagement among autistic students in Punjab, Pakistan: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study. International Journal of Emerging Multidisciplinaries: Social Science, 5(2), 369–409. https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.2.692
Khan, A. A., & Khan, W. (2026). The impact of teacher qualifications, professional training, and pedagogical practices on female elementary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. International Journal of Emerging Multidisciplinaries: Social Science, 5(3), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdss.2026.05.3.725
Korthagen, F. A. J. (2010). How teacher education can make a difference. Journal of Education for Teaching, 36(4), 407–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2010.513854
Laine, S., & Tirri, K. (2023). Literature review on teachers’ mindsets, growth-oriented practices and why they matter. Frontiers in Education, 8, 1275126. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1275126
Li, H. (2025). Integrating ICT in education: A scoping review of pre-service teachers’ ICT beliefs. PLOS ONE, 20(2), e0317591. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0317591
Mesler, R. M., Corbin, C. M., & Martin, B. H. (2021). Teacher mindset is associated with development of students’ growth mindset. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 76, 101299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101299
Nelson, M. J., & Hawk, N. A. (2020). The impact of field experiences on prospective preservice teachers’ technology integration beliefs and intentions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 89, 103006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.103006
Nelson, M. J., &Voithofer, R. (2022). Coursework, field experiences, and the technology beliefs and practices of preservice teachers. Computers & Education, 186, 104547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104547
Nor, H., Hizriani, N., &Kadariyah, N. L. (2022). Teachers’ materials development, lesson planning, and teaching skills readiness in teaching English. PANYONARA: Journal of English Education, 4(1), 32–64. https://doi.org/10.19105/panyonara.v4i1.5909
Patterson, C., & Hartley, S. (2026). Pre-service teacher preparedness for their profession: A systematic review of the literature. The Australian Educational Researcher, 53, Article 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-026-00952-7
Ramzan, M., Saleem, K., Islam, M., & Afzal, M. (2014). Development and validation of prospective teachers’ teaching attitude scale (PTTAS). Journal of South Asian Development, 3(4), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2014.3.4.1
Rehman, M. U., Zareen, S. J., & Bashir, M. (2025). Growth and fixed mindset: Impact on the teaching efficacy during teaching practice among prospective teachers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The Critical Review of Social Sciences Studies, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.59075/wb9ppp50
Schwiering, P., & Heyder, A. (2026). Experimental evidence on the effects of preservice teachers’ growth and fixed mindsets on teaching self-efficacy and anticipated instructional practices. Learning and Instruction, 102, 102266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2025.102266
Sisk, V. F., Burgoyne, A. P., Sun, J., Butler, J. L., & Macnamara, B. N. (2024). A meta-analysis on teachers’ growth mindset. Educational Psychology Review, 36. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09925-7
Tabassum, I., Rana, M. R., & Gull, F. (2024). Effect of prospective teachers’ growth mindset on their self-efficacy, psychological well-being and academic achievement. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 5(1), 369–378. https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2024
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742051X(01)00036-1
Wilson, M. L. (2023). The impact of technology integration courses on preservice teacher attitudes and beliefs: A meta-analysis of teacher education research from 2007–2017. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 55(2), 252–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1950085
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sadia Ahad, Qaisara Perveen, M. Arshad Dahar, Sadia Masood
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Under the Creative Common Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) license, authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication.
