Psychological predictors of professional readiness: modeling the effects of preservice teachers’ 21st-century skills on self-efficacy and professional attitudes

BACKGROUND: Psychological readiness is widely recognized as a fundamental determinant of preservice teachers' professional growth, instructional effectiveness, and long-term commitment to the teaching profession. Contemporary educational reforms emphasize that teachers must possess not only strong pedagogical and subject-matter knowledge but also advanced 21st-century competencies, including critical thinking, collaboration, problem solving, and technology literacy. These competencies are essential for effective instructional decision-making and adaptability in increasingly complex learning environments. Concurrently, psychological constructs such as teacher self-efficacy and professional attitudes play a central role in shaping preservice teachers' motivation, persistence, and professional identity formation. However, empirical evidence explaining how 21st-century competencies contribute to preservice teachers' psychological readiness through self-efficacy and professional attitudes remains limited. Accordingly, exploring how 21st-century skills contribute to the development of teacher self-efficacy has become an emerging research priority in teacher education. METHODS: This cross-sectional correlational study included 401 preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education programs at two public universities in Konya, Türkiye. Data were collected using the Multidimensional 21st Century Skills Scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Perception Scale-Short Form, and the Attitudes toward the Teaching Profession Scale. To examine the hypothesized relationships among variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted. Model adequacy was evaluated using standard fit indices. Because the data were collected at a single point in time, the analyses focused on associations among variables rather than causal relationships. RESULTS: The SEM results revealed that 21st-century skills significantly and positively predicted both teacher self-efficacy and attitudes toward the teaching profession. Specifically, 21st-century skills showed a strong positive effect on teacher self-efficacy (β = .58, p < .001) and a moderate positive effect on attitudes toward the teaching profession (β = .39, p < .001). The model explained 34% of the variance in teacher self-efficacy and 15% of the variance in professional attitudes, indicating that 21st-century competencies function as meaningful psychological resources for preservice teachers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the importance of integrating 21st-century skill development into teacher education curricula as a pathway to strengthening preservice teachers' psychological readiness for the teaching profession. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to educational psychology by conceptualizing 21st-century competencies as psychological resources that support the development of teacher self-efficacy and positive professional attitudes. Competency-based training models that foster both cognitive and motivational outcomes may enhance future teachers' resilience, confidence, and professional engagement. These results offer practical implications for teacher education policy and contribute empirical evidence from a non-Western context to the field of educational psychology.