TURKISH STUDENT TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF A MODEL TEACHER

ABSTRACT

This study intends to provide some insights regarding Turkish student teachers’ perception of a “Model Teacher” in terms of teaching methods, teacher personality, and teacher-student interaction in the classroom. These students are 26 graduate students who are doing their master’s degree in Teacher Education at Bilkent University in Turkey. These student teachers came to the United States with a Fulbright scholarship to do their internships at a high school for ten weeks. To find out their understanding of a “Model Teacher,” a survey was given to them. Analysis of the data revealed that students are aware of the importance of collaborative learning. Further analysis of questions related to technology use showed that the students do not see technology as a tool that needs to be integrated into all content areas. Findings related to other questions revealed that there is a statistically significant gender difference on four questions. The researchers suggest that the survey be given a large sample of students, so factor analysis can be conducted to find out the factors constituting an ideal teacher.

According to Fraser (1994), teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward classroom environment differ, and students’ perceptions usually are better in interpreting learning outcomes. As student teachers who will be teaching at schools in the near future, their understanding of a “model teacher” can have an important impact on other student teachers as well as on experienced teachers because they can see both sides of the coin. Understanding these student teachers’ views on how a model teacher should function in a classroom environment helps us understand what they think a model educational setting should be like. This study intends to provide some insights regarding Turkish student teachers’ perception of a “model teacher” in terms of teaching methods, teacher personality, and teacher-student classroom interactions.

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