Pre-Service Teachers’ Views about Teacher Behaviours Observed in the Classroom

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to explore the opinions of third year pre-service teachers studying in the department of primary education about the teacher behaviours exhibited or observed in the classes or lessons when they were elementary, secondary and high school students. The research has adopted a descriptive approach with 61 third year pre-service teachers, 49 females and 12 males, attending the undergraduate program of primary education at a state university. The data of the study were collected via an interview form consisting of three open-ended questions. In addition, clinical interviews were carried out with five participants selected randomly among the pre-service teachers who volunteered and were available. The responses and explanations of participants written for each open-ended question were examined and they were grouped according to their content, similarities, and affinity. The categorized responses were tabulated in different columns considering the total number of the female and male pre-service teachers who wrote the answers and percentages of the categorized responses to the total responses. Considering the pre-service teachers’ opinions about the teacher behaviours which must not be exhibited in the classrooms, it can be determined that for students classrooms are the environments in which they are not treated respectfully. When the pre-service teachers’ memories related to what they witnessed or observed in the classrooms or lessons during their primary, secondary, and high school years -that is the third question of the study- were examined, there is some evidence supporting/verifying the answers written for the first and second questions. It is recommended in the study that the views stated by the participants should be considered and some of them should be used.