Mental Images and Method-Technique Approaches of Teacher Candidates of Preschool Teaching towards Science Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the mental images and adopted methods and techniques of the preschool teacher candidates towards science teaching and learning. A total of 44 teacher candidates from Preschool Teaching Department of Amasya University participated in the study. The data were collected through Draw-A-Science-Teacher-Test Checklist (DASTT-C) developed by Thomas, Pedersen and Finson (2001) and an application sheet which investigated the method-techniques. The obtained data were examined by document analysis. According to findings, candidate teachers have traditional approach. Candidate teachers who have traditional approach consider themselves sufficient on science teaching. However, there is no similarity between the adopted approach and the used teaching methods and techniques. A set of suggestions are presented based on the findings of the study.