The motivation, skills and professional identity of future teachers develop during their initial teacher education. The aim of this research is to assess the differences between first-year and fifth-year student teachers on a number of personality and motivational variables that are indicative of their approaches to learning, using a cross-sectional design. The participants were 217 first-year and 109 fifth-year student teachers from three Croatian universities. The questionnaire measured personality dispositions, self-descriptions, achievement goals, motivation, learning strategies and perceived autonomy support in learning. The results showed that final-year student teachers displayed more conscientiousness and self-efficacy, and less avoidant goal orientations, extrinsic motivation and surface learning compared to first-year student teachers, indicating final-year students' more adaptive and proactive approach to learning. The observed differences could be a result of maturation processes and/or the effects of teacher studies that support the development of more adaptive patterns of learning and self-beliefs.