CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY PRESCHOOL TEACHERS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION PRACTICES IN TURKEY: A META-SYNTHESIS STUDY (2014-2022)

Abstract

Children’s first formal education begins with preschool education. The science activities included in the preschool curriculum are the children’s first planned learning experience to support their scientific process skills. During the preschool period, teachers have an important role in planning and implementing science activities. Therefore, the challenges that teachers encounter in science education practices during the preschool period are significant. The purpose of this research is to examine the challenges encountered by preschool teachers in science education practices in Turkey through a meta-synthesis method and to discuss the findings of qualitative studies that suggest solutions to these challenges. As a result of this meta-synthesis research, the challenges experienced by preschool teachers in science education were presented under five themes: ‘Challenges Related to Shortages of Materials’, ‘Challenges Related to Physical Conditions’, ‘Challenges in Establishing a Science Center’, ‘Challenges Encountered in Planning’, and ‘Challenges in Practice and Evaluation’. As a result of this study, the reasons for the challenges experienced by preschool teachers in science education within the five identified themes were explained, and solutions were provided for these reasons.