The Predictive Power of Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Community Service Activities in Terms of Predicting Their Service-Learning Levels
Abstract
Today's service-learning movement is expanding to include community-based participation, differentiating from traditional service interpretations. Service-learning in teacher education increases student teachers’ articulation of being teachers. In this context, the predictive role of the student teacher’s perceptions of community service activities in terms of predicting their service-learning levels was examined. The relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the research. The sample group determined through the purposeful sampling method consists of 170 student teachers studying in the Department of Primary Education. The “Service-Learning Involvement Scale”, which was originally developed by Olney and Grande (1995) and adapted to Turkish by Küçükoğlu and Ozan (2015), was used to determine the service-learning levels of the student teachers. The “Community Service Activities Scale” developed by Demir, Kaya and Taşdan (2014) was used to determine the student teachers’ perceptions about community service activities. In the analysis of the data obtained from the research, descriptive statistical analysis (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, minimum, maximum values) as well as simple linear regression analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used. When the results of the research are examined, it was determined that the student teachers' perceptions about community service activities were a variable that predicted their service-learning levels. In addition, it was seen that the sub-dimensions of the student teachers’ perceptions about community service activities were a significant predictor of the levels of realization, which is the sub-dimension of the service-learning process. Since the evaluation of the community service activities course through grading causes it to move away from the service-learning approach, the evaluation of the activities and projects conducted by student teachers with a service focus can be provided in higher education. In addition to this, the predictive power of the high level thinking skills, such as problem solving and reflective and empathic thinking, and social skills, such as taking responsibility and communication, of student teachers, who take the community service activities course, in terms of predicting their service-learning skills should be taken into account for future studies.
Keywords
Service-learning , Primary Education , Student Teachers , Community Service Activities , Regression Analysis , Teacher Training
Kaynakça
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