Exploring The Practicum Experiences of Preservice Preschool Teachers

Abstract

Establishing a strong connection between the theory and practice that prospective teachers acquire during their education is one of the most important issues in teacher education. The teaching practice course in teacher education undergraduate programs serves this purpose. It is known that the experiences of pre-service teachers during the practicum process affect them positively or negatively both emotionally and cognitively. This situation plays a role in the quality of teaching and these effects can also be seen when teachers commit to the profession. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of emotional and cognitive experiences of pre-service preschool teachers during their teaching practice on their professional development. The study was conducted with 16 pre-service preschool teachers who were practicing within the scope of Teaching Practice I course. The data collected using a semi-structured interview form were analyzed by content analysis method. The data obtained showed that while the pre-service teachers had intense stress caused by uncertainty at the beginning of the practice, as their experience increased, their planning skills and communication with children improved, but the most common concern in the process was classroom management skills.

Keywords

• preservice teacher
• practicum experiences
• early childhood education

Okul Öncesi Öğretmen Adaylarının Okul Uygulamalarına İlişkin Görüşlerinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Öğretmen adaylarının eğitimleri sürecinde edindikleri teori ve uygulama arasında güçlü bir bağlantı kurmak, öğretmen eğitiminin en önemli konularından biridir. Öğretmen yetiştirme lisans programlarında yer alan öğretmenlik uygulaması dersi ise bu amaca hizmet etmektedir. Öğretmen adaylarının uygulama sürecinde yaşadıkları deneyimlerin, öğretmen adaylarını hem duygusal hem de bilişsel olarak olumlu ya da olumsuz şekilde etkilediği bilinmektedir. Bu durum ise öğretimin kalitesi üzerinde rol oynamakta ve bu etkiler öğretmenler mesleğe bağladıklarında da görülebilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının öğretmenlik uygulamaları sırasında yaşadıkları duygusal ve bilişsel deneyimlerin, mesleki gelişimleri üzerindeki etkisini incelemektir. Araştırma, Öğretmenlik Uygulaması I dersi kapsamında uygulama yapan 16 okul öncesi öğretmen adayı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak toplanan veriler içerik analizi yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler, öğretmene adaylarının uygulamaya başlarken belirsizliğin yarattığı yoğun strese sahipken deneyimleri arttıkça plan hazırlama becerilerinin ve çocuklarla olan iletişimlerinin geliştiğini ancak süreçte en yaygın kaygının sınıf yönetimi becerileri olduğunu göstermiştir.

Keywords

• öğretmen adayı
• okul uygulamaları
• erken çocukluk eğitimi

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