An Investigation of First Grade Elementary Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of Their Teaching Profession Competencies: A Mixed Method Study

Gülsüm Çatalbaş,Serhat Süral,Emel Saritaş

doi:10.13189/ujer.2018.060720

Abstract

Although teaching profession has lost its prestige over the years, the recent studies demonstrate that teaching still ranks among the top of most respected of professions. Teacher candidates' individual characteristics play a crucial role in choosing teachers and designing curriculum for educating teacher candidates. The present study is of vital importance to identify the perceptions of first grade teacher candidates enrolled in Faculty of Education towards teaching profession and whether they have teaching competencies needed or not. In this research, a mixed research, sequential explanatory mixed design was utilized in which both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed together. The quantitative data were collected through using teaching competency scale for teacher candidates and afterwards quantitative data was statistically analyzed. It was thus attempted to draw a general picture of the research problem. According to the results obtained, an in-depth analysis of teacher candidates' perceptions of teaching competencies was required. Employing quantitative data, purposive sampling was identified and semi-structured interviews were carried out with the participants in the purposive sampling. The unidimensional scale developed by [1] and adapted into Turkish by [2] was employed for data collection in the quantitative stage of the research. When viewing teacher candidates' perceptions on their teaching competencies, first grade teacher candidates stated that they perceive themselves competent in terms of attitude and values and vocation skills.

Highlights

Learning by constructive construct is the process of constructing meaning by establishing a relationship between new knowledge and old knowledge and experience
The present study aimed to identify the perceptions of first grade teacher candidates enrolled in Faculty of Education towards teaching profession and whether they have teaching competencies needed or not
It is found that teacher candidates associate the concept of teaching competency with individual characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Learning by constructive construct is the process of constructing meaning by establishing a relationship between new knowledge and old knowledge and experience. The learners configure things to be learned by associating them with what they have learned in their minds In this process, the experience, knowledge, beliefs and expectations of the learners play an important role. The experience, knowledge, beliefs and expectations of the learners play an important role In this case, the learning process is the process by which the previously acquired knowledge is revealed and it is an activity that enables the students to be actively involved in the new knowledge. Learning and teaching are a universal endeavour Both in formal education and informal education, individuals continuously exist in a learning environment. Conditions, individuals, requirements and expectations are amongst those elements which shape learning-teaching environments. The concepts of education, teaching and learning are core elements of education system which intertwines and has strong ties with each other. A teacher is the major actor who performs these core elements in a planned, systematic way and coordinates them [3]

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