Abstract The target of this research is to study innovative perception and qualities of social studies pre service teachers. Accordingly, the pre service teacher’s innovation definitions, innovation reasons, innovative categories they have, their being open for the innovation in their environment and roles in social groups they belong about innovations were handled. Qualitative research method was used in research. Accordingly semi-structured interview technique was used, datas were interpreted with content analysis. Purposeful and criterion sampling methods were used in determining the work group. The work group of the research was consisted of 13 women, 11 men,totally 24 pre service teachers who study at social studies department of Turkish and Social studies education of teachers collage in Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University.It was determined that pre service teachers describe the innovation, the innovation is necessary for the education, they are open for innovations and they adopted innovations. In means of innovativeness category, they are mostly ‘’innovative’’. however it was determined that they are so close to the ‘’innovative’’ category in category of ‘’pioneer’’. moreover pre service teachers have innovativeness qualities according to innovativeness category. It is suggested that by organizing innovative teacher education programmes, teachers and pre service teachers should be prepared for life long learning and the characteristic qualities of an innovative teacher should be integrated with the opportunities of vocational education in order to make individuals gain innovative thinking skills in education.

Innovation, innovative thinking, skill, 21st century skills, social studies, pre-service teachers.