'Will I Be a Teacher after I Graduate?' Employment Anxiety, Self-Compassion, and Life Satisfaction among Pre-Service Teachers

This study aimed to determine the relations between employment anxiety, self-compassion, and life satisfaction among pre-service teachers. The sample of the study consists of 376 Turkish fourth-year pre-service teachers from a state university, who were selected by stratified purposeful sampling method. The data were collected via the self-compassion scale-short form, the employment anxiety scale, and the satisfaction with life scale. Positive, moderate and significant relationships were found between pre-service teachers' self-compassion and life satisfaction, and negative, moderate and significant relationships were observed between self-compassion and employment anxiety. Path analysis results revealed that self-compassion negatively predicted employment anxiety and positively predicted life satisfaction. Results also showed that employment anxiety had a partial mediating role in the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction. In addition, self-compassion had a stronger effect on life satisfaction than employment anxiety.