Teaching Approaches and Practices of Student Teachers in Early Childhood Education: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study

• Published in: Journal of education and training studies 2018-11, Vol.6 (11), p.234
• Main Authors: Veziroglu-Celik, Mefharet, Acar, Ibrahim Hakki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Constructivism (Learning); Conventional Instruction; Foreign Countries; Preschool Education; Preschool Teachers; Private Colleges; Reflective Teaching; Student Teacher Attitudes; Student Teachers; Teacher Education Programs; Teaching Methods; Video Technology
• ISSN: 2324-805X; 2324-8068
• DOI: 10.11114/jets.v6i11.3634

This study examined the teaching approaches and practices of student teachers in early childhood education using a convergent parallel mixed methods design. The participants were 112 student teachers for the quantitative strand and 29 randomly selected student teachers for the qualitative strand of the study. Participants reported on their teaching approaches in the quantitative strand, and video recordings of teaching practices of student teachers were used in the qualitative strand of the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using cluster analyses, and qualitative data were analyzed using an observational coding of behaviors, following that which the quantitative and qualitative results were merged. Cluster analyses showed that student teachers to be categorized into three groups (traditional, constructivist, and mixed) that reflect their teaching approaches. The qualitative analyses from the video recordings consistently showed that student teachers reflected their perceptions of teaching approaches in their practice. Findings from the current study highlight the importance of understanding student teachers’ teaching approaches and practices in early childhood.