School Experience Course Research Articles

Pre-service Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Opinions on the School Experience Course Conducted through Distance Education

This study aims to examine the experiences of pre-service elementary mathematics teachers regarding the school experience course conducted through distance education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The study was conducted with 64 volunteer participants, from students who took the School Experience course in the fall semester of the 2021-2022 academic year at a state university, which was determined by convenience sampling among the universities in Turkey. The data was gathered using Google form at the end of the fall semester, using a data collection tool including 4 open-ended questions. These questions were about general evaluation, contributions, faced problems, and suggestions about the school experience course process. The study is phenomenological research from qualitative research types, and the content analysis method was used to analyze the data. Based on the analysis of the collected data, the following codes were obtained: positive, neutral, and negative under the heading of general evaluation; no contribution, getting to know students, professional skills, and time under the heading of contributions; technological problems, lack of professional skills, professional satisfaction, and communication under the heading of faced problems; and active participation, changing the course content, educational support, face-to-face education, student participation, and technological support under the heading of suggestions.

The Effect of the Socio-Emotional Learning for Professional Development (SEL-PD) Program on Turkish Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Practices

The use of socio-emotional learning skills in the classroom is one of the most important teacher competencies. Therefore this study aimed to examine the change in early childhood pre-service teachers’ professional perceptions, knowledge and skills throughout the Socio-Emotional Learning for Professional Development Program which was developed to provide support for pre-service teachers. The sample of this qualitative study consisted from 25 early childhood pre-service teachers whom selected through criterion based purposeful sampling. They met the criterion of completing the School Experience Course and having ongoing teaching practice at a kindergarten with 3-6 year old children. Data collected through Demographic Information Form and Structured Interview Form. Structured interview form include questions regarding participants’ perceptions on teachers’ professional development, emotion socialization responses, their interaction with children and the program outputs on their professional development. The findings showed that pre-service teachers’ perceptions and practices towards professional development and socio-emotional learning have been changed positively after the program implementation. Besides, their emotional awareness and emotion socialization skills have been improved. It is revealed that this changes also improved their classroom practices that they displayed more social emotional learning skills and less negative emotion socialization behaviors during their classroom practices. Findings were asserted concerning the importance of pre-service teacher training in terms of acquiring socio-emotional learning.

Investigating Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on Classroom Management Strategies Demonstrated by Mentor Teachers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding classroom management strategies employed by practicum instructors in school experience courses. This cross-sectional investigation was conducted with 245 pre-service teachers from various university departments. The study's data was collected via "Classroom Management Strategies Evaluation Scale". The scale had a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.94. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, the t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used. According to research findings, the gender of pre-service teachers, the gender of practice teachers, and the seniority of practice teachers had no significant impact on their opinions regarding the classroom management strategies used by practice teachers. However, the degree program that pre-service teachers attended and their grade point average had a significant impact on their opinions.

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF TURKISH NOVICE EFL TEACHERS AFTER ONLINE PRACTICUM

Although technology is a vital part of 21st-century education, teachers in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts face challenges when using digital tools in their teaching. Studies have been conducted with in-service teachers to understand their beliefs and practices with digital learning of English. However, there is a gap in the literature about investigating the technology integration beliefs and practices of newly graduated EFL teachers who experienced online teaching practice during their pre-service education. Thus, this study aimed to investigate how novice teachers’ online practicum affects their teaching with technology in face-toface classrooms. To this end, this study adopted a qualitative case study research design and collected data through six open-ended questions from 20 Turkish novice EFL teachers who received their teaching practice and school experience courses online and conducted semi-structured interviews with 5 participants. The thematic analysis of the data showed that the participants were aware of the importance of technology use, and their online teaching practice experience helped them get familiar with teaching English with digital tools before graduating. However, the lack of resources and support in their current face-to-face teaching contexts prevented them from using technology. The findings revealed that teacher education programs should offer updated content and opportunities for creating digital material to prepare EFL teachers for the future.

Revealing the development of interaction among components of pedagogical content knowledge in teaching chemical equilibrium

This study aimed to capture the development of interaction among the components of pre-service chemistry teachers’ enacted PCK throughout the school experience course. Data were collected from four pre-service teachers using content representation (CoRe), observations, field notes, and semi-structured interviews. Secondary analysis was conducted by re-analyzing the pre-existing data for the previous study (Ekiz-Kiran B., Boz Y. and Oztay E. S., (2021), Development of pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge through a PCK-based school experience course, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 22(2), 415–430.) from a different perspective to find out the interaction among the components of pre-service chemistry teachers’ enacted PCK. In order to analyze data, we used three approaches: an in-depth analysis of explicit PCK, an enumerative approach, and the constant comparative method. Results were presented as PCK maps, and results indicated that the development of the integration of the PCK components was idiosyncratic. Moreover, the most significant development was seen in the connections between knowledge of curriculum and other components, especially knowledge of assessment. Additionally, knowledge of instructional strategy (KoIS) was the most frequently integrated component with the other PCK components. Implications for research and science teacher education are included.

Analysis of Teacher Candidates' Attitudes Towards the School Experience Course

The study aimed to determine the attitudes of the preservice teachers who have taken the school experience course. The participants consist of 3rd and 4th-grade students who studied at the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Sport Sciences during the 2017-2018 academic year at Sivas Cumhuriyet University. A total of 303 (60.6%) female and 197 (39.4%) male preservice teachers participated in the study. “Attitude Scale Towards School Experience Courses” developed by Kılınç and Salman (2007) was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics and One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were used to analyze the data. According to the findings, the total scores of the preservice teachers' attitudes towards the school experience scale were high, and the preservice teachers reported positive attitudes towards the school experience course. As a result, preservice teachers showed a positive attitude towards the school experience course, and the learning outcomes of the school experience course have been reached. In line with the findings obtained as a result of the study, suggestions were made to teachers and researchers.

Insights from virtual practicum observation tasks in turkey during covid-19

With the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic in March 2020, primary and secondary schools were closed abruptly, and pre-service teachers had to attend virtual practicum through online platforms. The present study investigates the implementation of emergency remote teaching in a practicum. The study aims at providing an insight into regular observation tasks submitted by pre-service teachers so as to explore the effects of the pandemic and virtual practicum on their professional growth. The study was conducted with 23 pre-service English language teachers taking virtual practicum at two state universities in Turkey. The study employs a qualitative content analysis on observation reports submitted by participants during the School Experience Course, conducted as the first part of the practicum in the fall semester of 2020. The findings indicate that the virtualisation of courses at schools and the practicum at faculties of education has brought about serious problems in equity and the intended learning goals. The digital divide poses a serious problem, especially for the economically disadvantaged. Although mentor teachers in practicum schools appear to improve on how to teach online, in-service training and governmental or institutional support about materials and learning management systems are still needed. Based on the findings of the study, the authors suggested that all stakeholders should make the best out of the emergency remote teaching experience and learn how to cope with it rather than view it as a temporary situation, as the COVID-19 pandemic might not be the last pandemic the world might encounter.

Development of Prospective Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Noticing Skills in School Experience Course

This study investigates the development of prospective secondary mathematics teachers' (PSMTs') noticing skills in a course conducted at the last year of their teacher education program. PSMTs watched and analysed different instructional videos, including an unknown teacher's, their mentor teacher's, and their own teaching videos. The data were collected from five PSMTs through reflection papers and group discussions about what and how they noticed in the videos. The results showed that the PSMTs had different levels of noticing at the beginning of the course and developed their noticing skills over time through the research. It was found that PSMTs' noticing skills differed across different video types. This study revealed the importance of experience in real classroom environment for the development of PSMTs' noticing skills. Based on the results reached in the research, some suggestions were included.

Exploring online mentoring with preservice teachers in a pandemic and the need to deliver quality education

PurposeSocial constructivism in teacher education highlights the importance of social interaction between preservice teachers (PTs) and their cooperating teachers (mentors) for effective mentoring. Mentoring relationship between PTs and mentors had to take a different path due to the pandemic when face-to-face education shifted to online education. The purpose of the present study was to explore online mentoring experience from the perspectives of PTs.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology was qualitative. 35 randomly selected PTs were interviewed after the completion of an eight-week online school experience course. Data obtained from focus group interviews were analyzed using pattern coding.FindingsOverall, the PTs mostly had a positive online mentoring experience. They reported receiving sufficient contextual and technological support when needed with limited professional support. However, they expected their mentors to allocate more time and their university supervisors (USs) to control practicum schools and to provide more online teaching samples and guidelines. They indicated that when they did not receive supports this was entirely due to the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis research could inform USs and mentors who coordinate mentoring programs at schools and universities so that they might take an urgent step to restructure mentorship training, putting emphasis on the online aspect. Given the number of the participants, this research is limited in scope.Originality/valueThis research contributes to a body of research that investigates how online mentoring may be more effective. To create positive online mentoring relationships, following suggestions are provided to mentors: providing ongoing online support to PTs to overcome online mentoring challenges, spending an extra hour with PTs for reflection and making use of multiple contexts for PTs' professional ownership.

Development of pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge through a PCK-based school experience course

The purpose of this study was to improve the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of pre-service chemistry teachers using a school experience course enriched with PCK development tools such as CoRe as a lesson planning form, observations of mentor teachers’ teaching by using an observation form prepared based on PCK components, discussion sessions on these observations, and reflections on their teaching. Some valuable results of the study indicated that pre-service teachers' science teaching orientations did not change during the study. However, all participants' knowledge of learners and knowledge of instructional strategies improved by the end of the study. Knowledge of curriculum and knowledge of assessment are the components of PCK in which some pre-service teachers showed no improvement.

Evaluation of teaching practicum for pre-service English language teachers: A scale development study

The aim of this study is to develop a measurement tool that evaluates the teaching practicum to shed light on the expectations and attitudes of English teacher candidates in relation to teaching practicum. In this context, two measurement tools; expectation scale and reaction scale were prepared based on the amalgamation of Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation Theory (2000) and EPOSTL(2007). This study was conducted to have an overall critical analysis of the current practicum program applied in Turkey to determine the pre-service teachers’ views about the existing model and what could be done to make up for the deficits in the current implementation. Within the scope of the study, validity and reliability studies were conducted. For research validity; a pilot study was conducted at a state university with senior level ELT students at 2018-2019 spring academic year. As a result of the pilot study item writing and item pooling stages were completed. Expert opinion was received from three academicians from the field in order not to assess the face validity, content validity and construct validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted with 294 senior level ELT students who were taking the School Experience course at 2019-2020 fall term around various universities in Turkey. Working groups were determined based on maximum diversity sampling method. The expectation scale had 85 items at the beginning. According to the results of the structure validity of the research; the expectation scale had a) university supervisors, b) mentor teachers, c) school administrators, d) peer pre-service teachers, e) students, f) practicum school, g) teaching practicum and h) other stakeholders. Parts. The eight-factor structure scale consisted of 73 items. The reaction scale had 44 items at the beginning. As a result of the analysis, the reaction scale consisted of three-factor structure consisting of 39 items. These factors were determined as a) attitudes at the end of the practicum training as a teacher candidate, b) attitudes in relation to the teaching practicum and c) pre-service teachers reactions about teaching practicum. As a result of the CFA application, it has been observed that the scale shows good fit values in general. In line with the applications and analyzes, it can be said that the scales are valid, reliable and they have sufficient values in terms of psychometry.

Social Studies Student Teachers’ Views on “School Experience Course”

This study sought to determine the opinions of prospective teachers studying in the last year of the social studies undergraduate program about the school experience. More specifically, it was aimed to determine the views of social studies preservice teachers concerning the necessity of the school experience course, the contribution of the course to them, their experiences in the process of the course, and their views towards the stakeholders of the practice. For this purpose, a total of 56 student teachers, 19 females and 37 males in their 4th year of social studies education, who attended the education faculty of a public university in the 2019-2020 academic year participated in the research. The data were collected through interviews which were analyzed following a basic qualitative analysis method, using content analysis while evaluating its questions. In general, it has been observed that social studies student teachers have expectations regarding the following subjects. The study found out that the student and student teachers’ experiences regarding themselves were among the positive attributes of the internship. The positive/negative reflections of the student teachers regarding the duties and responsibilities of the stakeholders have also been mentioned in the study. Based on the acquired data, this study recommends that the student teachers of social studies receive the attention they deserve during their internships; the Ministry of Education must inform and regularly inspect training schools and also use internship guides prepared specifically for social studies teaching to improve the efficacy of the internship.

TÜRKİYE’DE 2018 YILINDA UYGULAMAYA KONULAN FEN BİLGİSİ ÖĞRETMENLİĞİ LİSANS PROGRAMININ 1997 ve 2006 LİSANS PROGRAMLARI İLE KARŞILAŞTIRILMASI

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Türkiye’de 2018 yılında uygulamaya konulan ve önceki programlara göre önemli değişiklikler içeren fen bilgisi öğretmenliği lisans programını, 1998 ve 2006 yıllarında uygulanmış olan programlar ile “Alan Eğitimi”, “Meslek Bilgisi”, “Genel Kültür” ve “Seçmeli Dersler” olarak 4 alt temada analiz etmektir. Böylece 2018 yılından itibaren uygulamaya konulan fen bilgisi öğretmenliği lisans programı, 1998 ve 2006 lisans programları ile farklı boyutlar açısından analiz edilmiş; benzerlikler ve farklılıklar ortaya konmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmada nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman incelemesi yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak 2018, 2006 ve 1998 yıllarında Yükseköğretim Kurulu tarafından hazırlanan fen bilgisi öğretmenliği lisans programları kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular betimsel analiz tekniği ile çözümlenmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda, 2018 lisans programı ile 1998 ve 2006 lisans programları arasında “Alan Eğitimi”, “Meslek Bilgisi”, “Genel Kültür” ve “Seçmeli Dersler”’in adı, saati, dönemleri ve sayıları kapsamında önemli farklılıklar taşıdığı belirlenmiştir. Güncel programda; alan eğitimine ait teorik ders saatlerinin azaltıldığı, uygulama ders saatlerinin değişmediği; meslek bilgisi teorik ders saatlerinin artırıldığı, uygulama ders saatlerinin ise azaltıldığı görülmüştür. Ders sayısı açısından en büyük değişiklik 1998’de 11; 2006’da 13; 2018 programında ise 22 farklı dersle meslek bilgisi alanında belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca güncel programda eklenerek diğer programlarda yer almayan dersler ile seçmeli ders oran ve ders çeşitliliğinde artış tespit edilmiştir. Güncel programda öğretmenlik uygulamasına bir basamak oluşturan Okul Deneyimi dersinin ise programdan kaldırıldığı görülmektedir. Diğer taraftan araştırma sonucunda programların karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmesiyle yeni programın olumlu ve olumsuz yönleri ortaya konarak öneriler sunulmuştur.

Öğretmen Adaylarının Sınıf Yönetimi Yeterliğinin Belirlenmesi ve Geliştirilmesine Yönelik Öneriler

The purpose of this article is to identify pre-service teachers' classroom management competencies and reveal the perceptions of these teachers and the faculty members to develop the teachers' competencies in classroom management courses. In this regard, it aims at developing these teachers' classroom management competencies by making classroom management courses more functional. A mixed methods research was used to conduct this study. Explanatory sequential design, which is one of a mixed methods research, was employed. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, "Classroom Management Competency" scale was applied to the pre-service teachers to identify to what extent they see themselves competent in classroom management through the quantitative method. In the second phase, the interviews were conducted with them to thoroughly understand in which aspects of the classroom management they are competent in the qualitative research. In addition, the interviews were implemented with the faculty members, who are expert on classroom management issue, to identify what could be done in classroom management courses to increase pre-service teachers' classroom management competencies in the qualitative research. The study group of the research consisted of the pre-service teachers who study at the Faculty of Education of Kilis 7 Aralık University. Demographic information form, classroom management competency scale and semi-structured interview form for the pre-service teachers and the other semi-structured interview form for the faculty members were used to collect the data. The research data were collected in the fall and spring semesters of 2018-2019 academic year. The quantitative data were analyzed through SPSS 21.0 software program. Arithmetic mean was calculated to determine the pre-service teachers' classroom management with regard to the general competency and sub-dimension competency levels. Content analyses were used in the analysis of the qualitative data. As a result of the analysis of the research, it was found that the teachers' classroom management competency is at a moderate level. It was revealed that the highest means for classroom management competency are relationship management, physical layout management and time management, respectively and the lowest means are behavior management and instruction management. It was identified that the pre-service teachers experience some difficulties stemming from themselves and their students in the school experience course. Besides, the pre-service teachers realize that their students get bored during their instruction and they are not competent in the intervention methods. As a result of the study, it was suggested that more practice should be conducted in classroom management courses and instructions should be implemented with dramas, case studies, micro instruction methods in these courses and the class hours of these courses should be increased to ensure them more useful for pre-service teachers.

Evaluation of 2018 initial teacher training programs

The aim of this study is to evaluate the initial teacher training programs updated in 2018 in Turkey. In the study, the basic interpretive research design was used. Participants of the study were 32 faculty members from different programs in a faculty of education of a university in the western part of Turkey. Data were collected via face to face interviews using semi-structured interview form. Findings of the study generally revealed that 2018 initial teacher training programs were not prepared in line with curriculum development principles. The faculty members think that the changes in the programs cannot meet the needs of qualified teacher training. They recommended updating the teacher training programs in line with the curriculum development principles, increasing the weekly course hours, adding the implementation hours in the courses and adding the school experience course back to the programs.

Beyond Practicum: Interplay between Prospective EFL Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Field Experience and Teaching Career

Becoming a teacher of English language requires both knowledge of theory and practice. Teacher candidates at the faculties of education in BA programs in Turkey practice teaching through observing real classrooms and doing micro-teachings in real schools during their four-year teacher training. This study was conducted at a foundation university in Turkey, in which senior pre-service teachers, before they enter the teaching profession and become novice teachers, go and experience teaching to fulfill the requirements of the practicum (school experience course) in their last semester. This course requires them to observe three different levels of classroom in real schools, write reflective papers, prepare lesson plans and practice teaching. The transition from pre-service to novice teacher can be facilitated via successful practicum programs offered by the faculties of education in Turkey. The impact of practicum tends to result in either entry into teaching or teacher retention. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the effects of this program on students’ decisions on entry into the profession. The data were collected in two stages: Before and after the practicum. At the beginning of the last semester, before they go practicum, five pre-service EFL teachers were asked the reasons for choosing teacher education programs, and their concerns related to practicum and the profession through an in-depth semi-controlled interview. Those pre-service teachers were also interviewed on the same topics at the end of the semester, after practicum. Results indicated that practicum or school experience has contributed positively to their perceptions regarding their entry into teaching because almost all of them wanted to enter teaching at the end of the program, and they are in-service teachers now. These findings suggest that teacher education courses should aim to develop students’ practical knowledge, and the relationship among the mentor teacher, the supervisor, and the student teacher should be valued and supported more in teacher education programs.

The Views of Prospective Teachers about School Experience Course in the Department of Science Education and Other Departments

The aim of this study is to determine the views of the prospective teachers in the Department of Science Education and Other Departments about the removal of the School Experience course for the new students who are newly accepted in the undergraduate programs which are updated by the Higher Education Council (HEC) in the 2018-2019 academic year and how the course reflects the teaching profession. The research was carried out with a total of 122 prospective teachers who were selected from the volunteers of the fourth year students of Mathematics and Science Education and Basic Education Departments at the education faculty of a public university in Turkey in the fall semester of 2018- 2019 academic year. In the study, the homogeneous sampling selection was chosen because there were prospective teachers with similar characteristics chosen from the universe and going to the same application school. Interview questions developed by the researchers are used as the main data collection tool and content analysis was done. In the study, the answers obtained from the interview form were themed and interpretations were made based on the results.Keywords: school experience, prospective teachers, teaching profession

Effect of practicum courses on pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards chemistry teaching: a year-long case study

In this study, we examined the effect of School Experience (SE) and Practice Teaching (PT) courses on pre-service chemistry teachers’ beliefs towards chemistry teaching over a one-year period. To reach this purpose, participants’ beliefs and experiences towards chemistry teaching were monitored closely throughout the varied phases of the two practicum courses. Two pre-service chemistry teachers participated in the study. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews, observation notes, CoRes and reflection papers. Semi-structured interviews focusing on the pre-service teachers’ beliefs regarding chemistry teaching were conducted three times while participating in the SE and PT courses. During the PT course before their teaching experiences the participants prepared CoRes, and after their experiences they critiqued their own performances. Moreover, the participants were observed during their student-teaching experiences to identify how they transfer their beliefs into their teaching. Data were analyzed via inductive analyses. Results indicated that both pre-service teachers had stable core beliefs derived from their own experiences as students that remained constant during these courses and guided their practical instruction. Although both participants attended the same courses during the teacher education program, their attitudes while taking the educational courses were different. Factors that shaped pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards teaching were presented as the practicum courses enriched with CoRes and reflection papers, observing their mentors, experiences gained from microteaching sessions, and pedagogical and methods courses taken during the pre-service teacher education program. Implications for the formation of pre-service teachers’ beliefs towards teaching throughout pre-service teacher education programs were provided.

Evaluation of Teacher and Student Misbehaviours in Primary Schools from Prospective Teachers' Point of View

The aim of this study was to evaluate teacher and student misbehaviours and the methods teachers use with regard tostudent misbehaviours in primary schools from prospective classroom teachers' point of view. The study usedphenomenological method, a qualitative research design, since thorough data collection was performed based onpersonal experiences. The study group consisted of junior (3rd grade) students registered for the 2017-2018 academicyear in the classroom teaching programme provided by a state university in the Central Anatolia region. 52prospective classroom teachers participated in the study, on a voluntary basis. While forming the study group, it wasintentionally preferred that prospective classroom teachers took the School Experience course. To collect data, asemi-structured interview form was prepared by the researcher. The form included 4 questions on demographiccharacteristics and 3 questions on the research topic. Data obtained from the study was analyzed by using descriptiveanalysis, which is widely used in qualitative studies. Certain conclusions were made based on the results obtainedfrom the research. Some of these conclusions can be stated as follows: 1. Some of the most common studentmisbehaviours in primary schools, according to prospective classroom teachers, are quarrelling with friends, talkingwithout taking permission, complaining, chatting among themselves, and wandering around the classroom. 2. Someof the most common teacher misbehaviours in primary schools, according to prospective classroom teachers, areextreme yelling, constant use of a particular method, discriminating students over one another, and cancelling playand physical activity lesson.

The Evaluation of a Pre-Service Mathematics Teacher’s TPACK: A Case of 3D Shapes with GeoGebra

This paper describes a pre-service mathematics teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) during her school experience. This study focuses on how the participant taught different views of three-dimensional objects in a private middle school. It is a descriptive case study in which the data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, lesson plans and corresponding GeoGebra files. The data analysis showed that there is an increase in the technological pedagogical content knowledge of the participant during the practicum. In other words, the findings of the study reveal that there was an observable development in the participant’s skills in teaching with technology during the school experience course which helped the improvement of her TPACK. It is proposed that the school experience helped her develop her knowledge of teaching in dynamic geometry-integrated mathematics classrooms. This claim and resulting implications for practice are unpacked in further detail.