Primary School Teaching Department Research Articles

Assessment of Changes in Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of the Concept of the Environment

Higher education institutions are responsible for producing individuals with the knowledge, skills, and values to contribute to the improvement of society’s quality of life. Environmental education is also one of the leading permanent solutions for environmental problems. The aim of this research is to understand teacher candidates’ perceptions of the concept of “environment.” In this context, a case study, as one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The participants consisted of 36 students enrolled in the primary school teaching department at a state university. The data collection tools included a word association test, metaphor, and drawing techniques. These data collection tools were applied before and after an environmental education course that participants attended for 14 weeks. From the research findings, it is understood that the participants’ mental structures for the concept of “environment” shifted from being living creature-oriented to being pollution-oriented by the end of the environmental education course.

Educating future primary school teachers to create a communication culture through educational technologies

The purpose of this research is to get the opinions of teacher candidates to train future primary school teachers to create a communication culture through educational technologies. This study was created with the qualitative research method. The study group of the research consists of 40 teacher candidates studying in the primary school teaching department at various universities in Kazakhstan. Research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. As a result, while the majority of primary school teacher candidates found themselves sufficient in using technology, they found themselves moderately competent in using educational technologies. Primary school teacher candidates stated that programs related to both educational technologies and creating a communication culture should be developed in universities. It is necessary to implement the suggestions of pre-service teachers on improving the communication culture and to organize the education given at universities in this direction.
 Keywords: Communication culture; educational technologies; primary school; teacher candidates.

Development of the project activities of future primary school teachers based on a collaborative environment

The aim of this study is to determine the views of future primary school teachers on the development of project activities based on a collaborative environment. Permanent teaching is provided by providing diversity in learning with new generation learning techniques. For this purpose, the project activities listed in the education faculties of the universities were analysed. Primary school teacher candidates' opinions on whether education is provided in a cooperative learning environment in project activities are very important. Depending on the results of this research, it will be clear whether the prospective classroom teachers will use these techniques in their future professional lives. For this purpose, a qualitative research method was used with the participation of 72 university students in the spring term of 2021–2022 in order to determine the opinions of the students of the classroom teaching department studying at the university about the collaborative environment. Project-based teaching and two universities with education faculties were included in the research. The research study group consists of senior students studying at the education faculty of the university. As a result of the survey, the opinions of future classroom teachers about the probe activities and the collaborative environment were taken. Semi-structured interview questions prepared by the researchers were asked of the students. It was revealed that, in the last year, teacher candidates studying in the department of primary school teaching were effective in project-based learning and supported the collaborative approach. In the same way, it was suggested that the project activities of the teacher candidates should be increased.
 
 Keywords: Teacher training, classroom teaching, project-based teaching, collaboration, education

Primary School Teachers’ Music Course Competencies on the Axis of the Teachers’ Perspectives and the Curriculum

In this study, it was aimed to determine the proficiency of primary school teachers in music courses. The case study model, which is among the qualitative research methods, was used in this research. In the process of collecting data; the expected teacher competencies in the primary school 1,2,3 and 4th grade music textbooks and the competencies gained in the music teaching course of the Higher Education Council 2018 primary school teaching undergraduate program were specified and compared. Within the scope of this research, interviews were conducted with eight music education experts who previously delivered music lessons in the primary school teaching department and the results of the interviews were analyzed. As a result of the research, it has been determined that 22 different competencies are expected for a primary school teacher to be able to conduct music lessons at all levels of primary schools, but the competencies by the undergraduate program do not provide the six of expected competencies. As a result of expert opinions, it was concluded that most of the expected competencies cannot be gained in a one-semester course period and accordingly a qualified education is not possible. The data obtained from the research were exhibited under the relevant headings and in the light of these results, suggestions were made regarding the current situation and the future of music education.

Investigation Of The Effects Of Tinkercad Based Stem Implementations On Computational (Computer) Thinking Skills And Technology Use Standards Of Teacher Candidates

Purpose: This study investigates the effect of STEM implementations on computational thinking skills and technology usage standards of classroom teacher candidates. The experimental method “One-group Pretest-Posttest Design” has been used in the study. In line with the purpose of the study, data on Computer Thinking Skills and Technology Use Standards of pre-service teachers who participated in STEM education practices for 11 weeks were collected and analyzed at the beginning and end of the procedure. Design/Methodology/Approach: The experimental method “One-group Pretest-Posttest Design” has been used in the study. Ninety pre-service teachers who took Science and Technology Laboratory Practices I and II courses from Kastamonu University Faculty of Education and the primary school teaching department participated in the study. Findings: According to the results of the study, while it was seen that the candidates for STEM implementations were not generally effective in their classrooms, their preferences in one of the nearby backgrounds from one of the sub-dimensions considered only by the computer.

Educating future primary schoolteachers to create a communication culture through educational technologies

The purpose of this research is to get the opinions of teacher candidates to train future primary schoolteachers to create a communication culture through educational technologies. This study was created with the qualitative research method. The study group of the research consists of 40 teacher candidates studying in the primary school teaching department at various universities in Kazakhstan. Research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. As a result of the research, while the majority of primary schoolteacher candidates found themselves sufficient in using technology, they found themselves moderately competent in using educational technologies. In addition, the vast majority of teacher candidates consider themselves inadequate in providing education through educational technologies. The majority of primary schoolteacher candidates participating in the research stated that educational technologies have a positive effect on creating a communication culture. Primary schoolteacher candidates stated that programmes related to educational technologies and creating a communication culture should be developed in universities. It is necessary to implement the suggestions of pre-service teachers on improving the communication culture and to organise the education given at universities in this direction.
 Keywords: Communication culture, educational technologies, primary schoolteacher candidates;

Group psychological and pedagogical technologies for developing the narrative ability in future specialists

The purpose of this research is to get the opinions of future experts and primary schoolteacher candidates on the use of group psychological and pedagogical technologies for the development of narrative skills. This research was created by using the qualitative research method. The participant group of the research consisted of 80 teacher candidates studying at the primary school teaching department in various universities in Kazakhstan in the 2021–2022 academic year. Research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. As a result of the research, majority of the primary schoolteacher candidates participating in the research stated that their narrative skills are at a medium level and their technological pedagogical content knowledge is partially sufficient. In addition, the majority of primary schoolteacher candidates participating in the research; stated that they support the use of group psychological and pedagogical technologies for the development of narrative skills. It has become necessary to create an effective training programme for primary schoolteacher candidates by using group psychological and pedagogical technologies in order to develop narrative skills in future experts.
 
 Keywords: Future experts, primary schoolteacher candidates, narrative ability, technological pedagogical knowledge;

Examining the Relationship Between Pre-Service Teachers' Behaviors Towards Environmental Issues and Their Awareness

This research was designed in the relational screening model to examine the relationship between the awareness levels of pre-service teachers towards environmental issues and their behaviors towards environmental issues. 5 multiple-choice questions to determine their descriptive features, the "Awareness Scale for Environmental Issues" developed by Guven (2011) to measure their awareness of environmental issues, and the "Behavior Scale for Environmental Issues" to measure their behaviors on this were applied by the researcher to 129 pre-service teachers studying at Gazi Osmanpasa University, Faculty of Education, Department of Primary School Teaching in the 2019-2020 academic year. Numbers, percentage, mean, standard deviation were used as descriptive statistical methods in the evaluation of the data. T-test was used for comparison of quantitative continuous data between two independent groups and a one-way Anova test was used for comparison of quantitative continuous data between more than two independent groups. Scheffé's test was used after the Anova test as a complementary post-hoc analysis to determine the differences. The Pearson correlation and regression analysis were applied between the continuous variables of the study. As a result of the research, it was determined that the awareness of the pre-service primary school teachers about environmental issues was low and their behavior towards environmental issues was moderate. A low-level significant relationship was found between pre-service primary school teachers’ awareness of environmental issues and their behaviors. As a result, it was concluded that as the awareness levels of primary school teachers towards environmental issues increased, their behaviors towards environmental issues increased positively.

An Investigation of the Relationship between Prospective Teachers’ Attitudes towards Multiculturality and Refugee Students

Multiculturalism refers to the existence of different social groups in society. Multiculturalism advocates a society in which no culture is dominant. Multiculturalism is a fact of life for many people. Multiculturalism and globalization affect how people organize the world around them and how they see themselves and others. Multicultural education offers an educational program that concerns not only specific minorities but also all social groups. Today, with the effect of globalization, teachers and students can participate in educational activities all over the world. This situation requires educators to approach multicultural education positively in order to ensure equality of opportunity in education. In this study, it is aimed to examine the relationship between prospective primary school teachers and pre-school teacher candidates’ attitudes towards multiculturalism and refugee students. The article summarizes the information on multicultural education, which is one of the reflections of globalization on education, and refugee students and equal opportunities in education. The research was carried out with the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. In the study, it was determined that the sum of multicultural attitudes increased the general level of attitude towards refugee students. Another result of the research is that the sum of multicultural attitudes increases the level of communication, adaptation and efficiency. In the study, the communication scores of the preschool teaching department were also found to be higher than the communication scores of the primary school teaching department.

Determining students' reflective thinking levels and examining their reflections on science concepts

The study aims to learn that they want to reflect on their reflective thoughts and reveal how they reflect what they have learned. Reflective thinking, one of the higher-order thinking skills, enables students to learn more easily and permanently. Students with high reflective thinking skills will be more successful both in their academic and social life. A screening model was used in this study. Since we want to describe an existing situation as it is, the screening model has been the most suitable model for our study. The sample of the study consists of the 2nd-grade students of Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Classroom Teaching Department. The study was conducted with 59 students selected by a simple random method. A learning diary study was conducted with 10 students out of these 59 students. It is important to develop students' existing potential by determining their reflective thinking levels. This gives us information on how to plan and implement reflective activities in learning environments. The data were collected through the learning diary and reflection papers by analogy. The students were asked to write a learning diary during the first 8 weeks of the science teaching lesson of the primary school teaching department. After the lecture was completed, the students were asked to make an analogy using the science concepts they learned. The analogies were asked to be formed regarding the analogies between the concepts that students learned in the science lesson and their friends. In addition, students were asked to write down the reason why they made analogies between their friends and the science concepts. In this way, the accuracy of their reflections on whether they learned the concepts or not was examined. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The reflection levels of the expressions of the students in the diaries where they describe their learning processes were determined using the method of Moon (2009). In the results obtained through content analysis, it was observed that the reflective thinking levels of the students were at medium level and they did not have high-level reflective thinking skills. In the analogy study in which science concepts were used, 61% of the students did not make conceptual errors while associating the science concepts, while 39% of them had conceptual errors. The basis of misleading about science concepts should be investigated and corrections should be made on this issue. Appropriate techniques and time are needed to develop students' reflective thinking skills. Students should be allowed to reflect on their learning situation. It is known that individuals who can think reflectively are more successful academically. This way of thinking provides convenience to students both in academic success and in social life. Techniques that develop reflective thinking should be given more places in educational settings.

Self-efficacy beliefs of students of primary school teaching department regarding mathematics and teaching mathematics

Prospective teachers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding self-efficacy beliefs become the basis of their attitudes in their professional lives, as they affect their students’ attitudes and self-efficacy. The aim of this study is to determine the primary teacher training students’ attitudes towards mathematics and self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching math and the relationship among them. The “Relational Scanning Model” is used in the study. Data is collected from 290 students who were studying in the Primary Education Department of 9 Eylül University, Buca Faculty of Education. Mathematics Attitude Scale and Self-efficacy Belief Scale towards Teaching Mathematics are used to gather data. SPSS 22 was used for data analyses. T-test used for identifying significance of differences, and the Pearson correlation coefficient by means of different aspects. Results showed no differences by gender in attitudes towards math and self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching math of the students who completed the survey. However, although Primary Education prospective teachers scores were higher in their attitude points and self–efficacy towards math teaching, a significant difference between pre-school and primary school prospective teachers. Besides, results revealed a relationship between attitude and self-efficacy beliefs regarding math. To further research, it is recommended that the same surveys should be done with different groups and the larger sample sizes

Investigation of the Effects of a Peer-Led Team Learning Instructional Model (PLTL) in Teaching the Simple Electrical Circuits Subject on the Seven Principles for Good Practice

The aim of this study was investigated the effects of applying a Peer-Led Team Learning Instructional Model (PLTL) to the prospective primary school teachers in teaching the simple electrical circuits subject on the seven principles for good practice. This study used the three-group Solomon Experimental Design. The study participants were sophomore level prospective teachers from the Department of Primary School Teaching at a state university. The control group (CG) was applied close-ended experimental method, while the experimental groups (EG1 and EG2) was applied the PLTL. The data collection tool of the study was used “Seven Principles Opinion Scale for Good Practice” (SPOS) developed by Bishoff (2010). The SPOS was used for the pre-test of EG1 and CG, and for the post-test of EG1, EG2 and CG. Accordingly to the post-test, The experimental groups applying the PLTL were better than the control group in the “Encouraging Student-Faculty Contact”, “Encouraging Cooperation among Students”, “Respecting Diverse Talents/Ways of Learning”, “Encouraging Active Learning”, and “Giving Prompt Feedback” principles. The PLTL is effective in attaining the objectives of the seven principles for good practice. It is recommended that further studies on PLTL should be conducted in order to contribute to the relevant literature by investigating the teaching experience that leaders gain in applying the principles necessary for a good education.

Teacher Candidates' Perspectives about Applied 'Basic Science in Primary Education' Course

This study aimed to investigate teacher candidates’ perspectives about the ‘Basic Science in Primary Education’ course which adopted inquiry-based instruction approach. The participants of this study consisted of 87 teacher candidates (18 males, 69 females) who continued their education in the Department of Primary School Teaching at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in the 2019-2020 academic year. A form which consisted of 5 questions was used to investigate the perspectives of the primary school teacher candidates about the science course called ‘Basic Science in Primary Education’ and to understand their opinions about the process of designing a course and applying course plans using an inquiry-based instruction. Descriptive codes were used to find out the opinions of the teacher candidates, which also helped analyse the data obtained from the form and interpret the results of the study. The results of the study showed that the teacher candidates shared their awareness and knowledge about teaching science effectively, which changed with this course. The teacher candidates also revealed that they learned the qualifications of teaching science effectively. In addition, despite the awareness that the teacher candidates gained about inquiry-based instruction approach, they shared that they struggled with planning and applying designed course plans. The study suggests that courses aiming to focus on science education ought to have applied practices beyond giving theoretical knowledge.

Cheating in the Exams Attitudes, Opinions and Self- Esteem of Classroom Teachers' Students

Bu çalışmada sınıf öğretmenliği öğrencilerinin bazı sosyo-demografik değişkenler ile kopya çekmeye ilişkin tutumları, görüşleri ve benlik saygısı düzeyleri arasında bir ilişkinin olup olmadığının incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Bu araştırma ilişkisel tarama modelinde betimsel bir çalışmadır. Araştırmanın örneklemini Çukurova Üniversitesi Sınıf Öğretmenliği Anabilim Dalı öğrencileri oluşturmuştur. Araştırmaya 481’i kız, 253’ü erkek olmak üzere toplam 734 öğrenci katılmıştır. Ölçme araçları olarak; Kopya Çekmeye İlişkin Tutum Ölçeği, Kopya Çekmeye İlişkin Görüşler Anketi ve Rosenberg Benlik Saygısı Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları incelendiğinde öğrencilerin cinsiyet ile kopya çekme tutumları arasında anlamlı bir fark olmadığı görülmüştür. Sınıf düzeyi arttıkça öğrencilerin kopya çekmeye ilişkin olumsuz tutumlarının arttığı anlaşılmıştır. Lisedeyken kopya çeken öğrencilerin, çekmeyenlere göre üniversitede daha olumlu bir kopya çekme tutumuna sahip oldukları bulunmuştur. Ayrıca genel not ortalaması yüksek olan öğrencilerin, düşük olan öğrencilere göre kopya çekme tutumları daha olumsuz bulunmuştur. Öğrencilerin kopya çekme tutumları ile benlik saygısı arasında anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmamıştır.

Attitudes of Physical Education and Classroom Teacher Candidates towards Teaching Profession in Turkey

It is important to determine the attitudes of physical education teacher candidates who will carry out physicaleducation courses in secondary and high schools and classroom teacher candidates who will carry out physicaleducation courses in primary schools. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of physical educationand classroom teacher candidates towards teaching profession. The research was evaluated with a general surveymodel. The research group consisted of totally 280 teacher candidates; 168 of them study at School of PhysicalEducation and Sports in Physical Education and Sports Teaching Department, 122 of them study at the Faculty ofEducation Primary School Teaching Department in the 2017-2018 academic year Hatay Mustafa Kemal Universityin Turkey. As data collection tools Personal Information Form developed by the researchers and the “Attitude ScaleToward Teaching (ASTT)” developed by Erkus (2000) et al. were used. In the statistical analysis of the data, t-testand one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. In the result of the research, it was determined that theattitudes of physical education and classroom teacher candidates towards teaching profession were high, but it wasfound that physical education teacher candidates had higher attitudes than classroom teacher candidates.

Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının Problem Çözme Sürecinde Kullandıkları Stratejiler: Rutin Problem Çözme Durumları

Yapılan çalışma genel anlamda, sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının problem çözme süreçleri ile ilgili durumlarını ortaya koymayı hedeflemekle beraber özelde, problem çözme sürecinde kullandıkları stratejilerin belirlenmesi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, bir devlet üniversitesinin eğitim fakültesi sınıf öğretmenliği ana bilim dalı üçüncü sınıfında öğrenim gören 126 katılımcı ile nitel olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Kendilerine sorulan ilkokul düzeyine uygun rutin bir problemin çözümünün incelenmesi ile elde edilen veriler Polya’nın problem çözme sürecinin basamakları doğrultusunda betimsel olarak analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar, sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının çoğunlukla tahmin-kontrol, sistematik liste yapma ve ilkokul düzeyine uygun olmayan denklem kullanma stratejisini kullandıklarını, bir kısmının ise muhakeme etme ve diyagram kullanma stratejilerini tercih ettiklerini göstermektedir.

The Impacts of Conceptual Change Text-based Concept Teaching on Various Variables

In this study, the purpose of which is to investigate the effectiveness of conceptual change texts, the data was obtained through ‘Concept Achievement Test’ by Calik and Ayas [17], ‘Attitude Scale toward Conceptual Change Text’ by Yalvac [18] and ‘Science Teaching Self-Efficacy Belief Instrument’ by Enochs and Riggs [20]. The scales were conducted as pre-test before empiric process and post-test after empiric process. The study group consists of 112 teacher candidates studying at the 3rd grade of Primary School Teaching Department at a state university. The study was designed and conducted within experimental design with pre-test and post-test control group. After a four-week research, the analysis of the data showed that the concept achievements, attitudes toward conceptual change texts and elementary science teaching self-efficacy beliefs of the teacher candidates who were given conceptual change texts based concept education were significantly higher than those of the teacher candidates who received traditional concept education without conceptual change texts.

Analysis of Classroom Teaching Candidates’ Speaking Self-efficacy in Terms of Different Variables

Human beings are social creatures by nature and one of their most important characteristics is the multifaceted communication they establish with their environment. There are numerous ways of establishing communication. However, the most preferred manner has always been speech. For the speaking skill to be used effectively, the individual should have self-confidence. Educational institutions are the places where the foundations of self-confidence are laid. In educational institutions where self-confidence is taught, it is fundamental that the educators have self-confidence themselves. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the self-efficacy levels of classroom teacher candidates, who will be teaching in primary schools where the basic characteristics of the speaking skill are taught, display any differences in terms of different variables. The study group of the study consists of students receiving education at the Department of Primary School Teaching, Faculty of Education in a state university in the 2016-2017 academic year. The study group consists of 225 students who were selected through the typical case sampling method, which is one of the purposeful sampling types. With the purpose of collecting data, the ‘Speaking Self-Efficacy Scale (SSES)’ developed by Aydın (2013) consisting of four sub-dimensions with a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.95 was used. SPSS software program (Version 22) was used in the analysis of numeric data. The data was analyzed with the Independent Sample t-test, One Way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests. According to the results of the study, a significant difference has been determined in the speaking process and listener factor sub-dimensions of the students in favor of the male students. Regarding the grade levels, it was concluded that the upper grade levels regarded themselves as more self-sufficient in the skill of speaking in all of the sub-dimensions.

English

In this study, the pedagogical development level of pre-service primary school teachers for science teaching was examined. The participants of the study consist of 135 pre-service teachers from Primary School Teaching Department in Faculty of Education at Pamukkale University. After removing the invalid forms, a total of 128 pre-service teachers participated in the study. Data were collected with “Pre-service Teachers’ Pedagogical Development Scale” developed by Hudson and Ginns and adapted by HacA±omeroAŸlu and Ažahin-TaAŸkA±n. For data analysis, standard deviation, mean, t-test, one way ANOVA were used. Results showed that the pre-service teachers totally agreed they have science teaching skills in general. They totally agreed also with the dimensions (theory, development of children, planning, and practice) of the scale. There was no statistical difference between the pedagogical development levels of the pre-service teachers according to their gender. However, they differ according to the type of high school that they graduated from; other types of high schools (Anatolian Teacher Training High School and Science High School) perceived themselves more efficient than students from Anatolian High Schools in terms of theory and planning dimensions. Key words: Pedagogical development, science teaching, pre-service primary school teacher.

The Views and Atitudes of The Teacher Candidates from Preschool And Elementary School Teaching Departments toward Family Participation

Presently the family participation, which is considered as an important part of the education, makes a huge contribution to the whole education of the children. Therefore it is necessary to know the views and the attitudes of the teacher candidates especially before they become teachers and accordingly they should be supported regarding the family participation issue. The purpose of this study is to investigate the views and the attitudes of the elementary education teacher candidates towards family participation. In addition with this research it was attempted to determine whether the grades of the teacher candidates cause a common effect on their attitudes towards family participation according to their department. Within the research descriptive scanning model was used. The sample of the research consisted of totally 300 teacher candidates, were attending Uludağ University Education Faculty Preschool Teaching Department and Primary School Teaching department. Within the research the questionnaire, which was consisted of six open ended questions and Attitude Scale Regarding Family Participation for Teacher Candidates, which was developed by Yavuz Güler (2014), were used. In order to determine the views of the students from Primary School and Preschool Teaching departments, descriptive statistics were used. It was attempted to determine whether there was a relation between the departments with t test. According to their departments whether the grade has a significant effect on the total scores of the teacher candidates regarding family participation and the sub-dimensions was investigated with Two Factors ANOVA. The open-ended questions were given in the tables with frequency and percentages. As a result of the research teacher candidates not having adequate knowledge regarding family participation and the negative views they acquire from the environment regarding the families may cause them to develop negative attitudes and have prejudice regarding family participation.