CLASSROOM TEACHERS' VIEWS ON THE PURPOSES OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of classroom teachers regarding the aims of preschool education. The research was carried out with a mixed method, in which qualitative and quantitative research approaches were used together. Participants of the study consist of 60 classroom teachers, 30 in private schools and 30 in public schools, working in the central districts of Diyarbakır province (Bağlar, Kayapınar, Sur and Yenişehir) in the 2019-2020 academic year. The data of the research were collected with a questionnaire developed by the researcher. The questionnaire items were prepared within the framework of the objectives set by the Ministry of National Education for pre-school education. There are a total of 10 items in the questionnaire, 9 of which are closed-ended and 1 is openended. As a result of the quantitative data obtained in the study, when the opinions of classroom teachers about the purposes of preschool education are examined, it is seen that teachers mostly agree with the statement "pre-school education prepares children for primary school". As a result of the qualitative data obtained from the study, it is seen that among the positive attitudes of the classroom teachers working in public schools regarding the aims of preschool education, they expressed their opinions on the category of "preparing children for primary school". It was determined that the classroom teachers stated that the areas that need to be improved in the pre-school period students should be "speaking Turkish effectively and properly" and "the habit of holding the pencil correctly". It is seen that among the positive attitudes of classroom teachers working in private schools, they expressed their opinions on the categories of "improving students' mental and self-care skills". It was concluded that the classroom teachers expressed their opinions about the areas that should be developed in the pre-school period as “preparation studies for reading and writing” and “the habit of holding the pencil correctly”.