Determining Value Preferences in Teacher Identity

Abstract

This study aims to determine the value preferences of preservice teachers and examine them in terms of different variables such as gender, class, place of residence, field of study, and reasons for choosing the teaching profession. In addition, the study investigates the preferences of preservice teachers for the primary values that a teacher should possess. The research was conducted with teacher candidates studying at Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Faculty of Education in the 2020-2021 Fall Semester. Care was taken to ensure that prospective teachers took part in the research voluntarily. In the research, the data of 836 teacher candidates were evaluated. Personal Information Form created by the researchers and Values Scale developed by Dilmaç, Arıcak and Cesur (2014) were used as data collection tools. In the research, firstly, the value preferences of teacher candidates were examined and the highest value areas were human dignity, social values, freedom values, intellectual values, career values, futuwwa values, spirituality and materialistic values; Romantic values were determined as the lowest value area. Teacher candidates’ value preferences generally did not show a significant difference according to gender, class, place of residence and reasons for choosing the teaching profession; It showed a significant difference according to the department variable. It has been determined that teacher candidates prioritize the values of justice, education and knowledge in their selection of the primary values that a teacher should have, and these are followed by the values of responsibility, tolerance, respect, helpfulness, personal development, mental health, consistency and effort, respectively. The findings of the study were discussed in the light of the literature.