A Research on The Views and Proficiency of The Students in The Department of Child Development (Preservice Preschool Teachers) About Science Activities Preschool Education

Abstract

In this study, it is aimed to examine the attitudes and competencies of associate degree child development department students (Preservice Pre-School Assistant Teacher) on science activities applied in pre-school education. The research is a case study from qualitative research designs, and the data of the research were collected from 10 second-year students studying in the associate degree Child Development Department of a university in the Eastern Black Sea Region in the 2017-2018 academic year. A semi-structured interview form and semi-structured observation form were used as data collection tools, and content analysis was used in data analysis. To the result of the research, the preservice preschool assistant teacher acted according to the planning, implementation, and evaluation stages while applying the preschool science activities. However, it was observed that their planning, implementation, and evaluation were not sufficient. They were quite deficient in terms of content knowledge, and they always used the same teaching method. In addition, it was seen that their highest expectations were in the direction of content knowledge, application, and material support.