Preparing teachers for Generation Alpha: insights from psychosocial profiles of Generation Z candidates

In the post-technology era, teaching is a multidimensional profession requiring emotional intelligence, ethical leadership, digital fluency, and psychosocial resilience. This descriptive-correlational study investigated the psychosocial profiles of 186 Generation Z pre-service teachers and considered these profiles in relation to characteristics attributed to Generation Alpha learners in the literature. Data were collected using the SF-36 Health Survey, the Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model, and the Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale. Participants displayed high extraversion and openness to experience, but lower emotional stability, self-regulation, mental health, and social functioning. A considerable proportion also reported diagnosed psychological conditions. Significant relationships emerged among emotional intelligence, personality traits, and health variables. When considered alongside literature on Generation Alpha, these findings raise important questions for teacher education. Greater attention to pre-service teachers’ psychosocial development, particularly emotional regulation, mental health, and resilience, may strengthen their preparation for the complex demands of teaching contemporary learners effectively and ethically.