Abstract

Research in education is one of the most striking issues in the field. Prospective teachers need to be motivated to do research during their education. Thus, when they become teachers, they can design research projects to search for some alternative ways for getting better results in their professional life. Therefore, in this study, it is aimed at investigating the attitudes of the prospective teachers attending the ELT Department at a Turkish University toward research in education and orienting them to do research during undergraduate education in order to increase their motivation and self-confidence. In the study, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Survey method was used to evaluate quantitative data in the study through two questionnaires. One was used to investigate their attitudes toward research. The other was administered after they completed 14-week course in which they had engaged in some research tasks. The questionnaires were analyzed with statistical program. The prospective teachers’ attitudes were observed in the classroom and the observed attitudes were reported. Observation reports were used as qualitative data.

Key words: Research engagement, educational research, motivation, self-confidence