Pre-service Primary School Teachers Research Articles

The effect of teaching socio-scientific issues with cooperative learning model on pre-service teachers’ argumentation qualities

In this study, the effect of teaching socioscientific issues with cooperative learning model on the argumentation qualities of pre-service teachers was investigated. The study group consisted of 40 primary school pre-service teachers studying at Mus Alparslan University. Exploratory sequential research design was used in this study. In the quantitative dimension of the study, quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was carried out. In this context, a control and 2 experimental groups were formed. Jigsaw and learning together methods were implemented with the experimental groups and activities suitable for group works were carried out with the control group. In the qualitative dimension, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the pre-service teachers. At the end of the study, the argumentation qualities of the pre-service teachers were evaluated with descriptive analysis and semi-structured interviews were evaluated with content analysis. Findings revealed that cooperative learning methods, especially jigsaw method, positively affect the pre-service teachers' arguments.

The Relationship between the Levels of Self-efficacy Beliefs of Pre-service Teachers and their Levels of Determining Suitable Taxonomy, Strategy, and Method-technique for Science Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the level of pre-service primary school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in science teaching and their level of determining taxonomy, strategy, and teaching methods-techniques for the curriculum’s objectives in primary science education. A total of 101 pre-service teachers who were enrolled in the third and fourth grade of the department of primary school teachers in the 2017–2018 academic year at a private university in Gaziantep, Turkey participated in this study. The level of teacher candidates’ self-efficacy beliefs toward science teaching was determined through the “Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument.” In addition, teacher candidates’ levels and reasons for determining the appropriate taxonomy, strategies, methods, and techniques while teaching the objectives in the science curriculum were examined through “form of determining suitable taxonomy, strategy, and method-techniques for objective.” Therefore, qualitative and quantitative data were examined together. This was a correlational study but it was enriched through qualitative data. Results showed that pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs toward science teaching and determination levels of appropriate taxonomy, strategy, and teaching methods-techniques were relatively high. In addition, a statistically weak but positive relationship was found between these two variables. As a result, it is recommended to give more importance to these courses in teacher education of pre-service primary school teachers.

Pre-service teachers’ views about the nature of science and scientific inquiry: The South African case

The convenience sample used in the study reported on here consisted of 91 students enrolled in the primary and middle school Postgraduate Certificate in Education course for 2 consecutive years at a South African university. We used the Student Understanding of Science and Science Inquiry instrument to answer questions about these students’ knowledge of the nature of science and scientific inquiry compared to that published for pre-service primary and middle school teachers from China, Turkey, and the United States of America (USA), whether the changes proposed for the instrument enhanced its reliability, and whether any correlation could be found to these students’ age and educational factors. The findings show that these South African student teachers shared similar levels of knowledge of the nature of science and scientific inquiry to their counterparts from Turkey and the USA, all of which were less sophisticated than that of the Chinese students. The test was found to have a high degree of reliability in the South African context, with the proposed changes to the instrument doing little to enhance this. The older students and those who did not study any tertiary science or mathematics courses scored statistically significantly higher. We suggest that the confirmatory nature of tertiary practical science work and exposure to the complexity of science in postgraduate work or employment in industry could explain these findings. Keywords: international comparison; nature of science knowledge; pre-service teachers; scientific inquiry

Self- efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers in teaching First Reading and Writing and Mathematics

The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between primary school pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in teaching Mathematics and First Reading and Writing courses. The sample consists of 484 1st and 4th grade pre-service teachers selected from four universities in Turkey. In the study, Mathematics and First Reading and Writing Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale were used as data collection tools. Besides descriptive statistical techniques, Independent Sample T-test was used to determine whether the pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs differed according to some factors and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the pre-service teachers’ beliefs in teaching Math and First Reading and Writing. As a result of the research, it was found that the levels of self-efficacy beliefs of the primary school pre-service teachers in two courses were found to be high, that there was no significant difference according to gender, that the self-efficacy beliefs of the 4th grade pre-service teachers were higher in the Mathematics teaching, and that the self-efficacy beliefs of the pre-service teachers who chose the profession voluntarily were higher for teaching Mathematics. It was also revealed that there was a moderate positive relationship between self-efficacy beliefs of the pre-service teachers in teaching for both courses.

Povezanost slikovnih i pojmovnih svojstava ugla i kocke u geometrijskom rezonovanju budućih učitelja

Drawing upon Fischbein's theory of figural concepts, the starting point of the paper is the use and value of the history of geometry in mathematics education - first point that we make historical reference are theorems of Eudemus of Rhodes and Thales of Miletus and the second one is elaboration of these theorems in work of Serbian mathematicians Mihailo Petrovic Alas. Fischbein's theory is mainly based on a hypothesis that geometry deals with mental entities, the so-called geometric figures, which simultaneously possess conceptual and figural properties. Fischbein called the geometric figures figural concepts because of their nature. We have analyzed the internal tensions of the concepts of angle and cube, which may appear in figural concepts because of their double nature, developmental aspects and didactical implications. The goal of the research was to examine the pre-service primary school teachers' geometric reasoning regarding the correlation between figural (pictoral) and conceptual properties of geometric objects (angle and cube) in order to obtain a framework for creating didactic situations that reduce the gap between figure and concept. The results of this study show that the figural (pictoral) structure of an angle (and cube) dominates in the geometric reasoning of the pre-service primary school teachers over its formal conceptual constraints. There were some differences in situations when an image is helpful in solving tasks involving the concepts of the net of the cube and the cube itself.

Rečnički članak kao tekst u nastavi leksikologije

The paper presents the possibilities of using dictionary articles from our descriptive monolingual dictionaries as texts for teaching lexicology at academic courses of teacher training faculties. The starting point of the paper is that literary texts are traditionally used in teaching languages, while other types of texts (non-literary texts) are less frequently used, which, in turn, affects students' reading literacy. The main part of the paper focuses on the qualitative analysis of the selected dictionary articles from our descriptive monolingual dictionaries, with a special emphasis on using a dictionary article in teaching lexicology as an 1) introductory text, 2) text used for identifying lexical phenomena, 3) text used for practising lexical phenomena, and 4) text as a part of the knowledge assessment test. Based on our analysis, we concluded that using dictionary articles in teaching lexicology may entail multiple benefits - acquiring the knowledge of lexicology, enriching one's vocabulary, developing language culture, but also developing lexicological knowledge, skills, and habits, which fosters preservice primary school teachers' functional literacy.

Training in gender and sexual identities in EFL teaching. Participants’ contributions

This paper is based on a training course which took place at the University of Granada (Spain) with the general purpose of introducing and discussing queer issues in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching. The specific aim was to empower primary and secondary school pre-service EFL teachers in order to take pedagogical action in favour of LGBTIQ+ persons’ equity. In this action research study, emphasis was put on practical activities, including the production of original queer teaching materials, and class interactions based on queer theory and transformative pedagogy. Qualitative data, emerged from the participants’ written and oral course evaluations as well as class observations, were examined through thematic analysis, which served to improve further editions of the course. The main results of this study suggest that this type of training should begin in early childhood education, that it is necessary to train EFL (as well as any other discipline) pre-service teachers in these issues and that progressive Spanish legislation for LGBTIQ+ people might not be sufficient in itself unless it is adequately implemented in education.

Percepcije studenata - budućih učitelja o primeni interaktivnog obrazovnog softvera u razrednoj nastavi

The Interactive Educational Software in Classroom Teaching (IESCT) represents computer programs used for the independent design of educational content that is to be acquired. The starting point of this research was the general assumption that IESCTs significantly contribute to the effectiveness of classroom teaching and the learning and participation of students in classes. The starting points were also the specific assumptions that the research would identify the components that indicate the most common contributions of IESCTs and that it would establish a significant difference in the estimates of the pre-service teachers regarding the contribution of the IESCTs relative to their academic achievement. To establish this, the research presented in this paper was conducted in the second half of 2019 on a sample of 83 pre-service primary school teachers at the Faculty of Education in Prizren (Republic of Serbia). The data were generated by the IESCT Scale (a = .912). The factor analysis identified two components that indicate the contribution of the IESCT: 1) the efficiency of teaching and 2) individuality in learning. The analysis of variance revealed that there was a significant difference in the estimates of the four groups of students, grouped according to their academic achievement. Based on the critical comparative analysis presented in the paper and the results of the empirical research, a proposal was given for introducing innovative approaches to classroom teaching in schools in the Republic of Serbia and for its implementation in accordance with innovative didactic and methodological models that include the use of interactive educational software in teaching.

Portraits of primary school pre-service teachers at a South African university: Implications for nuanced student support

In this article, we report on a study of two South African primary school teacher education cohorts undertaken to investigate and understand their readiness to succeed in higher education and to plan support accordingly. Using the methodology of portraiture, we generated data from a combination of student questionnaires and examination results. Qualitative content analysis enabled the construction of six personas and three main themes. The portraits helped with an understanding of the complexity of the themes, in particular with how an identification of both the malleable and non-malleable elements affecting students' lives could inform and shape interventions for successful transition into university. More specifically, the dominance of particular characteristics in the personas provided information about which student groups required the most psychosocial and academic support and where it was required. The portraits also helped us to gauge the value of existing first-year initiatives, such as the educational excursion, for promoting student enculturation and in overcoming their initial anxieties and preconceptions. We argue for more nuanced information about students to inform a multi-pronged approach to student support that may extend much longer than teacher educators anticipate.

Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Addressing Science Process Skills Using Theory of Planned Behavior

This study intended to specify salient beliefs of pre-service primary school teachers (PPSTs) in terms of addressing science process skills (SPS) in their future science teaching. For this purpose, Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior was used as a theoretical framework. Twelve Turkish junior PPSTs completed a questionnaire comprised of open-ended questions, which was followed by one-to-one interviews. According to content analysis results, PPSTs believed that including SPS in science teaching results in largely positive consequences, such as allowing students to learn knowledge permanently and enabling students to use these skills in daily life. The only negative consequence of implementing SPS in science teaching articulated by PPSTs was that the time left for science subjects would be short. Parents and school administrators emerged as the most prominent normative referents related to using SPS in science teaching. Lastly, a number of control factors that would ease or obstruct PPSTs’ implementation of SPS during science teaching were specified, such as availability of laboratory equipment and materials at school, large class size, and support from school administrators. Recommendations were made in order for PPSTs to address SPS in their future science teaching.

Analysis of students’ mathematical errors as a means to promote future primary school teachers’ diagnostic competence

The conceptualization of teachers’ professional competencies has evolved in the last decades. The specification of the types of knowledge that teachers require, the inclusion of affective and motivational aspects and the acknowledgments of the processes that connect these dispositions to the behavior of teachers in the classroom are considered especially important. In particular, teachers’ diagnostic competence has been regarded as crucial for successful teaching because it allows teachers to understand students’ thinking and make a corresponding plan to promote learning. Errors have been recognized as a valuable source of information about students’ thinking and therefore, teachers’ diagnostic competence in error situation is the focus of this study. This article shares the design of a university course and the theoretical basis aimed at developing pre-service primary school teachers’ diagnostic competence in error situations within their initial teacher education programs. Its implementation in Chilean universities suggests a valuable opportunity for future teachers to learn and discuss about mathematics and its teaching and learning.

Pre-service Primary School Teachers’ Scientific Epistemological Beliefs and Attitudes toward Science: Is there a Relationship?

The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service primary school teachers’ scientific epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward science. The study also investigated whether there was a relationship between epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward science. Sample of the study consisted of 90 students pursuing their third year in primary teacher education at Giresun University, which is located in northeastern part of Turkey. Data for the study were collected through the use of the Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale and the Attitudes toward Science Scale. Means, t-test, and correlation analysis were used to analyze data. Findings showed that these pre-service primary school teachers’ scientific epistemological beliefs differentiated for the dimensions of the scale from relatively naive to sophisticated beliefs. There were no significant differences between male and female pre-service teachers in terms of scientific epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward science. Results also showed a positive significant correlation between the scientific epistemological beliefs and attitudes toward science.

The Relationship between L1 and L2 Reading Comprehension and Language and Reading Proficiency at the Tertiary Level

The importance of reading is especially emphasized nowadays when the majority of information, irrespective of the source (books, daily press, professional literature, web sources, etc.), is primarily accessed via reading. Therefore, effective reading and reading comprehension are important in everyday life, but also in an academic setting. This particularly refers to pre-service preschool and primary school teachers, whose teacher training courses imply a good command of reading skills, but also teaching skills required for the development and teaching of pre-reading and reading skills. In L2 reading, there are additional issues that need to be considered, principally the possibility of skill transfer between the mother tongue and the second/foreign language. Hence, this research aimed to test reading comprehension in both Croatian (L1) and English (L2) languages in a group of university students (N=83), studying to become pre-service preschool and primary school teachers. Reading comprehension tests and a background questionnaire were used as research instruments in this mixed-method research. Contrary to our expectations, reading comprehension test results were fairly low, i.e. out of a total of 17 points, the mean results for the Croatian language reading comprehension test were M=13.6 (SD=2.05), while for the English language reading comprehension test they were M=11.29 (SD=2.24). The results were further correlated with the participants’ self-assessed language knowledge and reading abilities in both languages. A positive correlation was found only between the English language reading comprehension test and the participants’ self-assessed language knowledge and reading ability. Based on the obtained results, it may be proposed that teachers should focus more on developing reading skills and reading comprehension at all levels as well as in all of the languages that the learners are acquiring, especially in view of the proposed possibility of the transfer of skills among languages.

Pre-Service Primary School Teachers’ Mathematical Reasoning Skills from Gender Perspectives: A Case Study

A person's reasoning can be seen through his or her way in solving a problem. A person's reasoning can be explored in systematic ways. This study aimed at exploring student reasoning at the stage of understanding the problem and looking back in terms of gender differences. The sample of this study were one male and one female students at Halu Oleo University Kendari, Indonesia. This research was a qualitative research. Student reasoning data were obtained using the main instruments namely the researcher and supporting instruments namely mathematics ability tests, problem solving tests, information form, and interview guidelines. Subject selection was based on a gender questionnaire analysis. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that there were differences in the reasoning of male and female student teachers, in which at the stage of understanding the problem, the answers given by the male student was more detailed than those by the female one. Whereas in looking back stage, both male and female performed the steps in the same way both in terms of checking the problem solving and calculation steps.

Special Education Teachers’ Self-efficacy Beliefs Toward Science Course

The aim of this study is to determine the self-efficacy belief levels of special education teachers toward science. In the research, an explanatory mixed method in which quantitative and qualitative research methods are involved together used. In the research, the survey study and case study were used. In order to determine the level of self-efficacy beliefs of special education teachers about the science, 'Self-Efficacy Beliefs toward Science Scale' developed and adapted in 1990 by Riggs and Enochs was used. This scale was translated to Turkish by Bikmaz (2004). A total of 427 pre-service pre-school teachers and pre-service primary school teachers in Kirsehir Ahi Evran University in Turkey were selected for the pilot study. The reliability coefficient of the study was .78. The main data of the study were collected through a survey by 115 special education teachers in Kirsehir in Turkey during the spring semester of 2017-2018 academic year. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with four special education teachers selected from main study. When the results of the study are examined, it is seen that the teachers' level of self-efficacy beliefs towards the science course is at a neutral level. According to the results of qualitative data analysis, teachers stated that they feel sufficient theirselves when they are prepared for the course and that they affect the competence level of students' performances. In addition, special education teachers stated that they experienced no problems in certain subjects which are easy in science lessons while they experienced problems in difficult subjects. Special education teachers believe that if the teacher gives a lesson in accordance with students' level, he / she can benefit to student and if the teacher likes the science course, the success of the student will increase. When examined in terms of demographic variables, only a significant difference occurred in favor of the classroom teacher in terms of the department.

Primary school pre-service teachers’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4

This was descriptive research aiming at providing a general description of primary school pre-service teachers’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4. The main instrument of this research was a self-report questionnaire consisting of both scaled and free-response items. The questionnaire was distributed to 46 sophomores of Primary School Teacher Education Program of Sanata Dharma University taking Media Pembelajaran Berbasis ICT (MPB ICT) course as one of their compulsory courses. The analysis of the data gathered from the questionnaire responses showed that 58.7% of the primary school pre-service teachers of Sanata Dharma University had ‘average’ technology self-efficacy in creating e-learning content using CourseLab 2.4 while only 41.3% having ‘high’ self-efficacy in using the same software. The average technology self-efficacy was attributed to their unfamiliarity to the authoring software and their limited experience in course content development as well as in coding in general. The student teachers, however, credited the software for providing them with tools and machinery to create their own tests or quizzes for any learning materials they had previously created.Keywords: Pre-service teachers, primary school, self-efficacy, CourseLab 2.4

Analysis of the Problems Posed by Pre-Service Primary School Teachers in Terms of Type, Cognitive Structure and Content Knowledge

<p style="text-align:justify">In the current study, the problems posed by pre-service primary school teachers within the context of semi-structured problem formation were analyzed according to their type, cognitive structure, and content knowledge. A total of 134 pre-service primary school teachers attending a state university in Turkey participated in the current study designed in line with the case study design. The pre-service teachers were presented with a table and they were asked to establish a problem suitable for the elementary level using the data given in the table. The data were collected through the established problem statements and written explanations of the participants. The collected data were analyzed by using both content and descriptive analyses. The findings have revealed that the pre-service teachers less preferred real-life problems than routine type of problems and the problems at the level of reasoning than the problems at the levels of knowing and applying. Moreover, nearly half of the pre-service teachers erroneously expressed the grade level for which they established their problem. The results have shown that the pre-service teachers do not adequately use real-life problems and problems at the level of reasoning and that there are deficiencies in their mathematical content knowledge depending on their knowledge of the curriculum.</p>

Pre-Service Primary School and Pre-School Teachers’ Perception of Individual Entrepreneurship and Opinions about Their Creative Thinking Tendency

<p style="text-align:justify">The purpose of the current study is to determine pre-service teachers’ perception of individual entrepreneurship and opinions about their critical thinking tendency. As the data collection tools, the Individual Entrepreneurship Perception Scale and the Marmara Creative Thinking Tendencies Scale were used in the current study. The participants of the study are 469 freshman, sophomore, junior and senior students attending the Departments of Pre-school Teacher Education and Primary School Teacher Education. In the analysis of the collected data, frequencies, percentages, independent samples t-test, Mann Whitney U test and correlation analysis were employed. The findings obtained from the analyses have revealed that the pre-service teachers’ individual entrepreneurship perceptions and creative thinking tendencies vary significantly depending on the variables of gender and whether they took a course/seminar on entrepreneurship. The pre-service teachers’ individual entrepreneurship perceptions and creative thinking tendencies were found to be not varying significantly depending on the department attended. The pre-service teachers’ personal entrepreneurship perceptions and creative thinking tendencies were found to be above medium. A highly positive and significant correlation was found between the pre-service teachers’ individual entrepreneurship perception and creative thinking tendency total scores. The pre-service teachers can be encouraged to take the course “Economics and Entrepreneurship” and to participate in certificate programs on entrepreneurship.</p>

Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının Kesir ve Kesir Öğretim Bilgilerinin İncelenmesi

Bu çalışmanın amacı sınıf öğretmeni adaylarının ke-sir ve kesir öğretim bilgileri nasıldır sorusuna yanıt aramaktır. Çalışma bir devlet üniversitesinin Sınıf Öğretmenliği Progra-mına devam eden 7 son sınıf öğrencisiyle yürütülmüştür. Ça-lışmanın verileri Kesir öğretim bilgisi soruları (KÖBS) ile toplanmıştır. KÖBS; iki çoktan seçmeli, bir eşleştirme ve beş açık uçlu sorudan oluşmakta olup, toplamda ikişer şıklı sekiz soruyu içermektedir. Sorular; kesir bilgisi, kesirlerle işlemler ve öğrenci hataları giderilmesi, kesirlerde karşılaştırmanın öğretimi ve olası öğrenci düşüncelerinin tahmini, kesir işlemle-ri ile ilgili problem kurma ve çözümü modelleme konularını kapsamaktadır. Soruların hazırlanmasında mevcut literatür taranmış ve soruların çoğunluğu benzer çalışmalarda kullanı-lan problemlerin uyarlanmasından oluşturulmuştur. Veri toplama aracından elde edilen veriler nitel veri olup; analizinde betimsel analiz ve içerik analizi yaklaşımı kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizinden; öğretmen adaylarının kesirlerle işlemler ve problem kurma, kesrin farklı anlamları, işlemsel ve kavramsal sorulara uygun yanıtlar verebilme, öğrencilerin kesirler konusundaki muhtemel düşüncelerini tahmin edebilme noktasında sıkıntılar yaşadığı sonuçlarına ulaşılmıştır.

Cursive handwriting skills of primary school pre service teachers

Normally, a pre service teacher will get an education in order to prepare themselves in cognitive knowledge, positive attitudes and skills. Moreover, what will be faced by them is educating children who are actually going through the initial stages of learning, namely reading, writing, and counting. Writing, especially cursive handwriting, helps children train their motor skills. To teach cursive handwriting, the pre service teacher should have good cursive handwriting skills. It would be nice if during their study, pre service teachers get cursive handwriting training. This article will describe the learning activities of primary teacher education program related to cursive handwriting. Qualitative studies were conducted on 39 students in the same class. The result shows that learning activities which implement planning, implementation and evaluation stages can support students' skills in cursive handwriting. This process is being implemented in order to prepare pre service teachers to have good cursive handwriting skill.