The role of the 2023 earthquakes in the competencies and critical thinking skills of teacher candidates in Türkiye

Background: The impact of natural disasters on the professional development of teacher candidates has, to date, primarily been investigated in relation to psychological well-being and trauma. Nevertheless, the association between these extreme events and teacher candidates’ personal and professional competencies, as well as their critical thinking skills, remains insufficiently addressed in the literature. In particular, for teacher candidates who directly experienced the 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye, there exists a distinct need for comprehensive research that integrates both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Methods: This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. In the quantitative phase, the Personal-Professional Competencies Perception Scale (PPCPS) and the Critical Thinking Standards Scale (CTSS) were administered to 304 teacher candidates at İnönü University who directly experienced the 2023 earthquakes. In the qualitative phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 purposively selected participants to contextualize and deepen the quantitative findings. Results: A positive, significant, and strong correlation was found between critical thinking skills and personal and professional competency (r =.657, p <.01). Qualitative findings revealed that in the post-earthquake period, teacher candidates developed positive perceptions of critical thinking, particularly under the themes of developing different perspectives, empathy, and increased awareness; however, the inefficiency of distance education, communication problems, and psychological difficulties negatively affected their perceptions of professional competence. Conclusion: Research findings indicate that the earthquakes had a bidirectional impact on teacher candidates' perceptions of competence and critical thinking. Among these İnönü University teacher candidates, traumatic experiences appeared to enhance cognitive and critical awareness consistent with Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) theory, while simultaneously weakening teacher candidates’ perceptions of professional competence, owing to distance learning disruptions and psychological challenges. These findings highlight that post-disaster teacher education processes should focus not only on academic sustainability but also on structural arrangements that support critical thinking, psychological resilience, and professional competencies.