Studying the problem of developing motivation for professional and pedagogical activity among future biology teachers

Motivation is an internal or external force that motivates a person to act, guides his behavior, and determines the goals he strives for. It plays a crucial role in an individual's life and influences his actions, decisions and achievements, including in the field of vocational training and further work. The multifunctionality of the professional activities of biology teachers, the special demands that society places on the personality of a teacher, and the changing context of the modern educational situation determine the need to develop a solid system of professional and personal motives for future specialists. The article presents the results of a study on the development of motivation for professional and pedagogical activity among first- and fourth-year students studying in the field of «Pedagogical Education» (profile «Biological education»). Through the use of questionnaire methods, psychological and pedagogical testing, and analysis of the results of students' creative activity (the content of the pedagogical essay), data were obtained that make it possible to identify the features of professional motivation of first-year students and graduates of a pedagogical university, as well as the problems of developing the motivational sphere of future biology teachers. Based on the conducted empirical research, the conditions for the formation of professional motives of students during the development of the teaching profession are substantiated, as well as ways to maintain and develop it are proposed.