Abstract
The purpose of this study was to discover the transformation preschool teacher candidates go through in their perceptions about teacher and teaching during their teacher education program. The participants of the study were 35 senior students enrolled in the preschool teacher education program at a university located in the Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey. A qualitative survey instrument was conducted to examine the preservice teachers’ perceptions. The data collected from the survey were analyzed by adopting a constant comparative coding method. The study revealed a change in the participants’ perceptions about preschool education before and after they enrolled in the program. The hardest parts of teaching in preschool were the need of high level of energy, patience, and skills to manage the classroom while the most pleasurable sides were having fun, play opportunities, and the positive impact teachers make on children. The qualities of an ideal preschool program listed by the participants involved curriculum, physical environment, and social-emotional atmosphere while the themes regarding the ideal preschool teacher were revolved around the personal qualities, professional attitude, and professional knowledge and skills. Hence, the findings of this qualitative study can only be generalized in the context the study was conducted; however, the study could have important implications for preschool teacher education in Turkey and in other countries, and help the international readers perceive preschool teacher education from a different perspective.
Highlights
Preschool education in Turkey has been improved by the recent initiatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations
The national education statistics of formal education for the education period of 2013-2014 published by the Turkish Republic Ministry of National Education (MoNE; 2014) revealed that the 27.71% of children between 3 and 5 years, 37.46% of children between 4 and 5 years, and 42.54% of children 5 years old received preschool education
Research Question 2 (RQ2): Why the students chose preschool teaching as a profession? Research Question 3 (RQ3): What were the most beneficial courses for the students? Research Question 4 (RQ4): What were the most influential theories for the students? Research Question 5 (RQ5): What were the changes in the students’ thoughts about preschool education before and after the program? Research Question 6 (RQ6): What were the hardest and pleasurable sides of teaching young children? Research Question 7 (RQ7): What are the qualities of their ideal preschool teacher? Research Question 8 (RQ8): What are the students’ perceptions of a preschool teacher’s qualities? Research Question 9 (RQ9): What are the students’ concerns about teaching in the future?
Summary
Preschool education in Turkey has been improved by the recent initiatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The general aim of these initiatives was to increase the nation’s young children’s enrolment rates in preschool as much as possible. The national education statistics of formal education for the education period of 2013-2014 published by the Turkish Republic Ministry of National Education (MoNE; 2014) revealed that the 27.71% of children between 3 and 5 years, 37.46% of children between 4 and 5 years, and 42.54% of children 5 years old received preschool education. Following the initiatives to improve preschool education, in the education year of 2006-2007, the Council of Higher Education (CoHE; 2007) revised the national teacher education curricula to increase the quality of teacher education in Turkey’s universities. Students graduating from Turkish preschool teacher education programs are granted their preschool/kindergarten teaching license, and are entitled to teach in public and private preschools and kindergarten classes
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