Social competence, outcome expectations, and social media use among pre-service teachers: Implications for digital-age teacher education

This study examined the behavioral relationships between pre-service teachers' social competence, social outcome expectations and their social media usage patterns within the framework of social cognitive theory. As digital technologies become increasingly integrated into educational settings, understanding how future educators cognitively and socially engage with social platforms is crucial for fostering adaptive digital behaviors and teacher readiness in the 21st century. Using a relational survey design, data were collected from 354 pre-service teachers enrolled at a public university. Validated instruments were employed to assess social competence, outcome expectations, and social media usage purposes. The results indicated significant positive correlations among the key variables, along with age-related differences in socially motivated media use and a moderating effect of daily internet usage. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating behaviorally informed approaches into teacher education curricula to strengthen digital competence, interpersonal communication, and reflective social media engagement in technology-rich learning environments.