The general purpose of the research is to determine prospective music teachers’ academic motivation levels. In the framework of this purpose, an answer has been searched for the question whether there is a significant difference in the prospective teachers’ academic motivation levels depending on their gender and grade variables. In the research, Academic motivation scale, of which Turkish adaptation and validity and reliability studies were conducted by Karaguven (2012), has been used. The scale consists of totally 7 sub-dimensions as “ Cognition-oriented Internal Motivation, Achievement-oriented Internal Motivation, Stimulation-oriented Internal Motivation, Determined External Motivation, Introjection External Motivation, External Motivation-External Arrangement and Amotivation” and 28 factors. The sample group of the research comprises of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade undergraduate students of the Department of Music Education in N.E.U. A.K.E.F. In the research result, it has ensued that prospective music teachers’ “amotivation” level , a sub-dimension of the scale, is dramatically low and their motivation levels in other sub-dimensions are quite high. According to the research, while the male prospective teachers’ levels of cognition-oriented internal motivation, stimulation-oriented internal motivation and introjected external motivation are higher than the female ones, the female prospective teachers’ external motivation-external arrangement level is higher than the male ones. In regard to grade variable, it has been concluded that 4th grade students’ levels of achievement-oriented internal motivation and determined external motivation are lower than other students whereas their amotivation level is higher. The results of the research has been argued comparing with previous studies.
Keywords:
Motivation, Academic Motivation, Prospective Music Teachers