Experiences of Turkish Student Teachers in Pedagogy and Educational Technology during an Internship Program in the US
Abstract
This quantitative research study was conducted to examine technological and pedagogical experiences of Turkish student teachers in a US Department of State sponsored international internship program. The internship program had a specific emphasis on student-centered teaching and technology integration. Turkish interns completed a 6-week teaching internship at rural Midwest high schools. The main objective of the internship program was to promote professional, cultural, and personal development of the Turkish pre-service teachers. The findings of the current study suggested that the Turkish student teachers had the opportunity to observe the professional and educational applications of computer technologies during their internship program.
Especially, those who reported to have student-centered teaching methodology, expertise in computer use, and a high level of technology integration in their teaching expressed more positive attitudes toward using computer applications for instructional purposes. Also, these student teachers reported to have observed instructional computer use by the mentor teacher, effective student learning, and a variety of teaching strategies more frequently.