Supporting teachers’ professional development: Examining the opinions of pre-school teachers attending courses in an undergraduate program

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14527/pegegog.2020.026

Keywords:

In-service training, Professional development, Preschool teacher, Preschool education

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the opinions of preschool teachers about courses they attended in a preschool undergraduate program in order to support their professional development. The case study, one of the qualitative research designs, was adopted in the study. Two sampling strategies, snowball and criterion sampling, were used for the determination of participants. 26 teachers from 6 different preschools voluntarily participated in the research. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews carried out in two steps; before and after participating in the courses in the preschool undergraduate program. Descriptive analysis was employed in the analysis of the data. Results revealed that preschool teachers put into practice in-service program outputs tailored to their needs and in line with their professional development needs and made suggestions so that in-service training programs to be designed for their professional development can be more effective. In conclusion, the preschool teachers were found to need alternative in-service training programs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Akay, E., & Gürgür, H. (2018). Kaynaştırma uygulamalarında destek özel eğitim hizmeti sunan öğretmenin mesleki gelişimi: Mentörlük. Eğitimde Nitel Araştırmalar Dergisi - Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, 6(1), 9-36.

Aktan Kerem, E., & Cömert, D. (2005). Türkiye'de okul öncesi eğitimin sorunları ve çözüm önerileri. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), 21, 155-172

Akturan, U. (2013). Örnek olay çalışması. In: T. Baş and U. Akturan, eds. Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri. (2nd ed). Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık, 181-195.

Baskan, G. A., Aydın, A., & Madden, T. (2006). Türkiye’deki öğretmen yetiştirme sistemine karşılaştırmalı bir bakış. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 15(1), 35-42.

Bay, D. N., & Alisinanoğlu, F., (2012). Ana sınıfı öğretmenlerinin okuma yazmaya hazırlık çalışmalarına ilişkin yeterlilik algılarının belirlenmesi. Karadeniz Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 4(6), 1-14.

Bayrakcı, M. (2009). In-service teacher training in Japan and Turkey: A comparative analysis of institutions and practices. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 10-22.

Borko, H. (2004). Professional development and teacher learning: Mapping the terrain. Educational Researcher, 33(8), 3-15.

Bruder, M. B., Mogro-Wilson, C., Stayton, V. D., & Dietrich, S. L. (2009). The national status of in-service professional development systems for early intervention and early childhood special education practitioners. Infants & Young Children, 22(1), 13-20.

Burchinal, M. R., Cryer, D., Clifford, R. M., & Howes, C. (2002). Caregiver training and classroom quality in child care centers. Applied Developmental Science, 6(1), 2-11.

Bümen, N. T., Ateş, A., Çakar, E., Ural, G., & Acar, V. (2012). Türkiye bağlamında öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimi: Sorunlar ve öneriler. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 42(194), 31-50.

Bygdeson‐Larsson, K. (2006). Educational process reflection (EPR): An evaluation of a model for professional development concerning social interaction and educational climate in the Swedish preschool. Journal of In-Service Education, 32(1), 13-31.

Cain, T., & Milovic, S. (2010). Action research as a tool of professional development of advisers and teachers in Croatia. European Journal of Teacher Education, 33(1), 19-30.

Creswell, J.W. (2013). Nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Ankara: Siyasal Kitabevi.

Çakıroğlu, E., & Çakıroğlu, J. (2003). Reflections on Teacher Education in Turkey. Euro¬pean Journal of Teacher Education, 26(2), 253–279.

Demirel, Ö., & Budak, Y. (2003). Öğretmenlerin hizmetiçi eğitim ihtiyacı. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Yönetimi, 33(33), 62-81.

Deretarla Gül, E. (2008). Meşrutiyet’ten günümüze okul öncesi eğitim. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 17(1), 269-278.

Diamond, K. E., & Powell, D. R. (2011). An iterative approach to the development of a professional development intervention for Head Start teachers. Journal of EarlyIİntervention, 33(1), 75-93.

Dunst, C. J. (2015). Improving the design and implementation of in-service professional development in early childhood intervention. Infants & young children, 28(3), 210-219.

Egert, F., Fukkink, R. G., & Eckhardt, A. G. (2018). Impact of in-service professional development programs for early childhood teachers on quality ratings and child outcomes: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 88(3), 401-433.

Evans, L. (2002). What is teacher development?. Oxford Review of Education, 28(1), 123-137.

Fuligni, A. S., Howes, C., Lara-Cinisomo, S., & Karoly, L. (2009). Diverse pathways in early childhood professional development: An exploration of early educators in public preschools, private preschools, and family child care homes. Early Education and Development, 20(3), 507-526.

Gable, S., & Halliburton, A. (2003, June). Barriers to child care providers' professional development. Child and Youth Care Forum 32(3), 175-193.

Gianina-Ana, M. (2013). Kindergarten Teachers’ Perceptions on in-service Training and Impact on Classroom Practice. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 76, 481-485.

Gol‐Guven, M. (2009). Evaluation of the quality of early childhood classrooms in Turkey. Early Child Development and Care, 179(4), 437-451.

Gultekin, M. (2006). The attitudes of preschool teacher candidates studying through distance education approach towards teaching profession and their perception levels of teaching competency. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 7(3), 184-197.

Gultekin, M. (2009). Quality of distance education in turkey: preschool teacher training case. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(2), 1-24.

Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching, 8(3), 381-391.

Günel, M., &Tanrıverdi, K. (2014). Dünya'da ve Türkiye'de hizmetiçi eğitimler: Kurumsal ve akademik hafıza (kayıpları) mız. Eğitim ve Bilim, 39(175), 73-94.

Hadley, F., Waniganayake, M., & Shepherd, W. (2015). Contemporary practice in professional learning and development of early childhood educators in Australia: reflections on what works and why. Professional development in education, 41(2), 187-202.

Honig, A. S., & Hirallal, A. (1998). Which counts more for excellence in childcare staff—years in service, education level or ECE coursework?. Early Child Development and Care, 145(1), 31-46.

Jalongo, M. R., Isenberg, J. P., & Gerbracht, G. (1995). Teachers' stories: From personal narrative to professional insight. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Inc. Publishers

James, C. (1979). A programme for in‐service education for teachers in the early childhood education field. Journal of In-Service Education, 5(2), 42-44.

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2014). Eğitim araştırmaları: Nitel, nicel ve karma yaklaşımlar. Ankara: Eğiten Kitap.

Karasolak, K., Tanrıseven, I., & Konokman, G. Y. (2012). Öğretmenlerin hizmetiçi eğitim etkinliklerine ilişkin tutumlarinin belirlenmesi. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 21(3), 997-1010.

Kavak, Y., Aydın, A., & Akbaba-Altun, S. (2007). Öğretmen yetiştirme ve eğitim fakülteleri (1982-2007). Ankara: Yüksek Öğretim kurulu Yayınları No- 5.

Kosko, K.W., & Wilkins, J.L.M. (2009). General educators’ in-service training and their self- perceived ability to adapt instruction for students with IEP’s. The Professional Educator, 33(2), 1-10.

Kretlow, A. G., Cooke, N. L., & Wood, C. L. (2012). Using in-service and coaching to increase teachers’ accurate use of research-based strategies. Remedial and Special Education, 33(6), 348-361.

Little, J. W. (1993). Teachers’ professional development in a climate of educational reform. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 15(2), 129-151.

McMillan, D. J., Walsh, G., Gray, C., Hanna, K., Carville, S., & McCracken, O. (2012). Changing mindsets: the benefits of implementing a professional development model in early childhood settings in Ireland. Professional development in education, 38(3), 395-410.

Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (2016). Genişletilmiş bir kaynak kitap: Nitel veri analizi (Trans. Ed S. Akbaba Altun & A. Ersoy,) Ankara: Pegem Akademi.

Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı [MoNE]. 2017. General competencies for teaching profession [Online]. Retrived April 22, 2018, from http://oygm.meb.gov.tr/meb_iys_dosyalar/2018_06/29111119_TeachersGeneralCompetencies.pdf

Mitchell, L. C., & Hegde, A. V. (2007). Beliefs and practices of in-service preschool teachers in inclusive settings: Implications for personnel preparation. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 28(4), 353-366.

Ozer, B. (2004). In-service training of teachers in Turkey at the beginning of the 2000s. Journal of in-service Education, 30(1), 89-100.

Önen, F., Mertoğlu, H., Saka, M., & Gürdal, A. (2009). Hizmet içi eğitimin öğretmenlerin öğretim yöntem ve tekniklerine ilişkin bilgilerine etkisi: Öpyep örneği. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 10(3), 9-23.

Özaydın, L., & Çolak, A. (2011). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin kaynaştırma eğitimine ve “okul öncesi eğitimde kaynaştırma eğitimi hizmet içi eğitim programı”na ilişkin görüşleri. Kalem Eğitim ve İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi, 1(1), 189-226.

Öztürk, T., Öztürk, F. Z., & Kaya, N. (2016). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin hizmet öncesi eğitimlerine ilişkin görüşleri ve hizmet içi eğitim durumları. Erzincan Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 18(1), 92-114.

Roberts, P., & Priest, H. (2006).Qualitative research in social sciences. Nursing Standard, 20, 41-45.

Rudd, L. C., Lambert, M. C., Satterwhite, M., & Smith, C. H. (2009). Professional development+ coaching= enhanced teaching: Increasing usage of math mediated language in preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(1), 63-69.

Saylan, N. (2013). Sürekli değiştirilen öğretmen yetiştirme sistemi. International Journal of Curriculum and Instructional Studies, 3(6), 10-19.

Scarinci, N., Rose, T., Pee, J., & Webb, K. (2015). Impacts of an in-service education program on promoting language development in young children: A pilot study with early childhood educators. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 31(1), 37-51.

Seçer, Z. (2010). An analysis of the effects of in‐service teacher training on Turkish preschool teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion. International Journal of Early Years Education, 18(1), 43-53.

Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Loreman, T. (2008). Impact of training on pre‐service teachers' attitudes and concerns about inclusive education and sentiments about persons with disabilities. Disability and Society, 23(7), 773-785.

Şen, B. (2011). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin mesleki doyumları ve hizmet içi eğitim ihtiyaçları üzerine bir araştırma (Uşak ili örneği) Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Konya.

Şişman, M. (2009). Öğretmen yeterlilikleri: Modern bir söylem ve retorik. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 10(3), 63-82.

Toran, M. (2012). Early childhood education in Turkey: A critical overview. In K. Inal and G. Akkaymak (Eds.), Neoliberal transformation of education in Turkey. (pp.191–204), New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Toran, M. (2019). Does sense of efficacy predict classroom management skills? An analysis of the pre-school teacher’s professional competency. Early Child Development and Care, 189(8), 1271-1283.

Uşun, S., & Cömert, D. (2003). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin hizmet içi eğitim gereksinimlerinin belirlenmesi. Gazi Üniversitesi Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 23(2), 125-138.

Uysal, H., Altun, S. A., & Akgün, E. (2010). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin çocukların istenmeyen davranışları karşısında uyguladıkları stratejiler. İlköğretim Online, 9(3). 971-979.

Vu, J. A., Han, M., & Buell, M. J. (2015). The effects of in-service training on teachers’ beliefs and practices in children's play. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 23(4), 444-460.

Williams, J. (2010). Constructing a new professional identity: Career change into teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 639-647.

Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2013). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. (10th ed.) Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.

Yükseköğretim Kurulu [YÖK], 2018. Okul öncesi öğretmenliği lisans programı [Online]. Retrived June 13, 2019 from http://www.yok.gov.tr/documents/10279/49665/okul_oncesi.pdf/7df366cd-74f9-4e5c-b3af-96482405f8bd

Downloads

Published

2020-07-23

How to Cite

Toran, M., & Yağan Güder, S. (2020). Supporting teachers’ professional development: Examining the opinions of pre-school teachers attending courses in an undergraduate program. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 10(3), 809–868. https://doi.org/10.14527/pegegog.2020.026