Analysis of Preschool Teachers’ Opinions on Turkish Language Activities

It is of utmost importance to what extent teachers include the Turkish language activities -as determined in the curriculum- in the classroom setting, what method they follow throughout this process, what kind of practices they apply, and how they track and evaluate children’s language development. The aim of this research is thus to examine the opinions of preschool teachers about Turkish language activities. The research was conducted with the case study analysis, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The study group of the research consisted of 28 preschool teachers. Preschool teachers, who participated in the research, are working in the independent kindergartens affiliated to the Ministry of National Education within the borders of Antalya province. In the research, a semi-structured interview form was used to obtain the opinions of the teachers about Turkish language activities. For the analysis of the data, first, the records of the interviews with the participants were transcribed. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data obtained from the interviews. The research findings showed that the teachers, in general, gave positive opinions about Turkish language activities. In addition, when the data on teachers’ in-class Turkish language activities were examined, it was found that the time they allocate to these activities was usually between 10-30 minutes. Moreover, practices the teachers apply for Turkish language activities, the resources and equipment they use while preparing these activities, their routines, and their views on family participation were dwelled upon. In the research, it was also aimed to determine the methods and techniques employed by teachers as well as the measurement-assessment methods they apply. Besides, the teachers’ reasons for choosing particular children’s books, and their most preferred text types were determined, and the difficulties they experience during these activities as well as their competencies for Turkish language activities were revealed. Finally, the opinions and suggestions of the teachers about Turkish language activities were presented in the research.

Keywords

Preschool education, Preschool education curriculum, Turkish language activity, Teachers