ABSTRACT

This study aims to investigate the motivation levels, individual effort tendencies, and approaches to learning responsibility among pre-service teachers enrolled in German Language Teaching programs. The research utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods, drawing data from online surveys and semi-structured interviews conducted with 150 students. Findings indicate that a significant portion of the participants did not intentionally choose the teaching program, considered the preparatory German education insufficient, and failed to exert the sustained effort required for individual language development. Many reported difficulties in using academic German during coursework, while a lack of motivation, reduced self-confidence, and passive participation were found to be common across the cohort. The limited sense of responsibility towards language learning was observed to negatively affect students’ professional development. Despite the central role of language mastery in shaping teacher identity, the results show that most students remain disengaged from the effortful process of learning German. This condition is conceptualized in the study as an “unfought struggle”—a necessary but largely neglected effort. The findings underline the need for a student-centered, data-informed model of teacher education that emphasizes learner autonomy, individual responsibility, and continuous language development.