Child and Childhood: Preschool Teacher Candidates Reporting

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to understand the first-year preschool teacher education students’ perceptions of child and childhood and to examine their child and childhood beliefs and child perceptions from social and historical viewpoints. This was a phenomenological study of the qualitative research approaches conducted with 16 undergraduate students enrolled in the preschool teacher education program of a state university. All participants were first-year students. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews that included semi-structured questions and were analyzed in order by open coding, axial coding and selective coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Findings are presented under 5 major sub-headings; (1) Participants definitions of child and childhood regarding their own childhood, (2) adjectives with regard to childhood, (3) child adult dichotomy, (4) the concept of ideal child, and (5) their resources of perceptions of childhood. Findings are discussed within the context of childhood and education in light of the relevant social and historical literature.

Keywords

• Child,childhood,perception of child,perception of childhood,preschool,early childhood education

Çocuk ve Çocukluk: Okulöncesi Öğretmen Adayları Anlatıyor

Öz

Çalışmanın amacı, okulöncesi öğretmenliği birinci sınıf öğrencilerinin çocuk ve çocukluğa ilişkin düşüncelerini anlamak ve çocuk ve çocukluğa ilişkin inanışlarını ve çocuk algılarını sosyal ve tarihsel bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmektir. Çalışma nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından “fenomenolojik çalışma” yöntemi çerçevesinde ve bir devlet üniversitesinin okulöncesi öğretmenliği programına kayıtlı olan 16 lisans öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Katılımcıların tümü programın birinci yılında olan öğrencilerden oluşmuştur. Çalışmanın verileri yarı-yapılandırılmış sorular içeren derinlemesine mülakatlar aracılığıyla elde edilmiştir ve sırasıyla; açık kodlama, eksensel kodlama ve seçici kodlama tekniklerine (Strauss ve Corbin, 1998) göre analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmanın bulguları ana hatlarıyla 5 alt başlık altında sunulmaktadır: (1) Kendi çocukluklarına dair çocuk ve çocukluk tanımları, (2) çocukluğa ilişkin sıfatlar, (3) çocuk yetişkin farkı, (4) ideal çocuk kavramı ve (5) çocukluğa ilişkin düşüncelerin kaynakları. Bulgular çocukluk ve eğitim bağlamında ilgili sosyal ve tarihsel alan yazın ışığında tartışılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çocuk,çocukluk,çocuk algısı,çocukluk algısı,okulöncesi,okulöncesi öğretmen eğitimi

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