Trait emotional intelligence and vocational outcome expectations among Turkish preservice teachers: serial mediating role of hope and career adaptability

Introduction: This cross-sectional study investigated the sequential mediating effect of hope and career adaptability on the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and vocational outcome expectations among preservice teachers. Methods: Data were collected from 311 preservice teachers (239 female, 72 male) across various teaching disciplines. The SPSS Amos software package was used for data analysis. Results: The findings indicate that trait emotional intelligence is significantly associated with vocational outcome expectations. Crucially, the results demonstrate that both hope and career adaptability collectively mediate this relationship through a sequential mediation effect. Discussion: These results reveal that vocational outcome expectations are also shaped by emotional and motivational resources, thereby contributing to the existing literature on the professional development processes of preservice teachers.