Prospective teachers' professional achievement goal orientations, their self-efficacy beliefs, and perfectionism: A mediation analysis

The present study aims to investigate associations between prospective teachers' professional achievement goal orientations, self-efficacy beliefs, and perfectionistic characteristics. The results revealed that different aspects of perfectionism, and professional self-efficacy belief predicted prospective teachers' different professional goal orientations. Socially prescribed perfectionism positively and significantly predicted prospective teachers' professional self-efficacy beliefs. While doubt about actions positively predicted work-avoidance goal orientation, concern over mistakes positively predicted prospective teachers' performance-avoidance goal orientation. Self-oriented perfectionism, self-worth contingencies, entitlement, and PTs' selfefficacy beliefs positively predicted their performance-approach goal orientation. Prospective teachers' professional self-efficacy beliefs fully mediated the relationship between doubt about actions and learning goal orientation and the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and performance-approach goal orientation.