Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate pre-service elementary and special education teachers’ learned helplessness and its effect on career motivation.
 Methods Data were collected from students enrolled in an elementary and special pre-service teacher education program at a rural university in the K area of the Republic of Korea. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire including scales assessing learned helplessness in daily life (“helplessness”), learned helplessness in academic situations (“academic helplessness”), and career motivation based on self-determination theory. Data from 62 participants were analyzed using descriptive analysis, correlational analysis, multiple regression analyses, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test.
 Results Descriptive analyses revealed the absence of learned helplessness (helplessness, academic helplessness) among participants. Levels of amotivation were low, while autonomous motivation, including identified regulation and intrinsic regulation, were high. Correlational analyses indicated significant positive correlations between learned helplessness and non-regulation, external regulation, and introjected regulation, respectively. Regression analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis H test indicated that academic helplessness was the significant predictor of non-regulation and external regulation.
 Conclusions These findings suggest that negative responses to academic failures could result in a lack of initiation or persistence in career goal-directed behaviors, or in avoiding the adverse outcomes associated with career-related activities. This study provides valuable foundational data for understanding learned helplessness and undetermined career motivation, offering insights for interventions and future research in the field.
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