Views, Knowledge, and Self-Reported Practices of Early Childhood Educators: Sociocultural Theory’s Practicability

Year 2024, Volume: 37 Issue: 2, 653 - 675, 29.08.2024

Canan Peker , Esra Akcabağ , Funda Eda Tonga Çabuk

https://doi.org/10.19171/uefad.1431937

Abstract

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory is a well-known theory that focuses on the cognitive development by combining it with a social perspective. In the literature, Sociocultural Theory is seen as an alternative to the traditional theories of cognitive development in early childhood education. Teachers' perceptions of the theory may be important in the children's learning process. The current study aims to investigate the views, knowledge, and self-reported practices of early childhood educators regarding the practicability of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory. Phenomenological research design, as a qualitative research method, is applied. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators who worked in private kindergartens in Ankara, and convenience sampling is used to reach the participants. Two researchers analyzed the data with the thematic analysis method. The findings show that although participants used some of the implications of the theory, they do not have explicit information about the implications, especially about the scaffolding and peer learning. It is recommended that more support and training regarding the theory, especially peer learning and scaffolding, should be offered to the in-service teachers.

Keywords

Sociocultural Theory, Early Childhood Educators, Practicability, Views, Beliefs, Self-Reported Practices

Erken Çocukluk Eğitimcilerinin Sosyo-kültürel Teori’nin Uygulanabilirliğine İlişkin Görüş, Bilgi ve Öz-Raporlu Uygulamaları

Abstract

Vygotsky’nin sosyo-kültürel teorisi, çocukların bilişsel gelişimlerine ve toplumu önemli bir bileşen alarak öğrenme sürecine odaklanan önemli bir teoridir. Alan yazında, sosyo-kültürel teorinin, erken çocukluk eğitiminde eleştirilen geleneksel bilişsel teorilere bir alternatif sunduğu belirtilmektedir. Öğrenme sürecinde öğretmenin teoriyi algılama biçimi önem taşımaktadır. Çalışma, erken çocukluk eğitimcilerinin Vygotsky'nin sosyo-kültürel teorisine ilişkin görüşlerini, bilgilerini ve öz raporlu uygulamaları araştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomonolojik araştırma türünü benimseyen bu araştırmada, kolay ulaşılabilir durum örneklemesi yöntemi ile Ankara’da özel anaokullarında görev alan okul öncesi öğretmenlerinden yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme ile veriler toplanmıştır. Veriler, iki araştırmacı tarafından tematik analiz kurallarına uygun olarak kodlanmıştır. Bulgulara göre, öğretmenlerin teorinin bazı uygulamalarını gerçekleştirmelerine rağmen, çoğunun uygulamaların içeriği, özellikle de iskele kurma ve akran öğrenmesi hakkında açık bilgiye sahip olmadıklarını ortaya koymuştur. Bulgular ışığında, öğretmenlere akran öğrenmesi ve iskele kurma konusunda daha fazla destek sunulabileceği önerilmiştir.

Keywords

Anahtar Kelimeler: Sosyokültürel Teori, Erken Çocukluk Eğitimcileri, Uygulanabilirlik, Görüş, Bilgi ve Öz-Raporlu Uygulamalar

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