This study was conducted to investigate entry level early childhood teacher education students' beliefs about ideal teachers, children, and parents. In addition, this study compared entry level students with exit level students and inservice kindergar...
This study was conducted to investigate entry level early childhood teacher education students' beliefs about ideal teachers, children, and parents. In addition, this study compared entry level students with exit level students and inservice kindergarten teachers in their beliefs.
The subjects were 30 entry level and 28 exit level early childhood teacher education students and 44 inservice kindergarten teachers. Questionnaires were used to collect data about beliefs of teacher education students and inservice teachers.
The major findings of this study were as follows :
1. Both teacher education students and inservice teachers emphasized affective/ interpersonal dimensions as well as cognitive/academic dimensions in selecting the important characteristics of ideal teachers.
2. Only entry level students chose 'willingness to give extra time and effort' as an important characteristic for ideal teachers while both exit level students and inservice teachers did not.
3. Both teacher education students and inservice teachers emphasized that the ideal child would respect others and themselves, be interested and actively involved in activities.
In addition, entry level students and inservice teachers emphasized 'expressing themselves very well' as an improtant characteristic for ideal children while exit level students did not.
4. Both teacher education students and inservice veachers selected 'love and warmth', 'respect for their children'. and 'consistent discipline with clear explanation' as improtant characteristics for ideal parents. Entry level students also chose communication with children' as an improtant characteristic for ideal parents while exit level students chose 'encouraging and supproting children'.