Investigating the Effect of Preschool Teacher Candidates' Attitudes Towards Children's Rights on Their Pedagogical Views

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes and pedagogical conceptualizations of preschool teacher candidates towards children's rights. To achieve this aim, mixed methods research design was used. 72 preschool teacher candidates studying at a foundation university in Istanbul participated in the study. Of the participants selected according to criterion sampling, one of the purposeful sampling methods, 30 were third grade students and 42 were fourth grade students. During the data collection process, all participants were first administered the attitude scale towards children's rights. Low and high groups of five people were formed according to the level of the participants' scores from this scale. Then, three case scenarios about children's rights were directed to preschool teacher candidates in the low and high groups, which included questions on which they could reflect their pedagogical views. The groups first read each case scenario, then answered the questions about the relevant case scenario and discussed it. While the collected quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, the qualitative data were evaluated with the help of inductive content analysis. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that the attitudes of the preschool teacher candidates who participated in the study towards children's rights were at a high level. However, it has been revealed that the pedagogical views of preschool teacher candidates regarding children's rights are shaped around the developmental characteristics of the child, family-based processes, management-based barriers and the roles of the teacher. On the other hand, preschool teacher candidates with higher attitudes are more aware of children's rights in the UNCRC. Necessary suggestions were given as a result of discussing the results obtained within the scope of the study based on the existing literature.