Abstract:

ABSTRACT: The present study was carried out to reveal biology preservice teachers’ views about the teaching profession. The study was conducted with 10 senior preservice teachers (five female, five male) attending the department of Biology Teaching at the education faculty of a university located in Marmara Region of Turkey in the Spring Term of the academic year of 2014-2015. The study group was determined using the convenient sampling method. In the study, the qualitative research method was applied. The research data were collected using “Semi-Structured Interview Form for Biology Preservice Teachers’ Views about the Teaching Profession” developed by the researcher. The semi-structured interviews lasted about 20 minutes. In the process of the development of the interview form, two academicians from the fields of Educational Sciences and Biology Teaching were asked for their views. For the analysis of the qualitative data, content analysis was conducted using the package software of ATLAS-ti 7.5. In relation to the content analysis, the data were coded separately by the researcher and by another academician. The similarity percentage calculated for the reliability of the coded data was found to be %89. The results revealed that most of the biology preservice teachers regarded the teaching profession as a holy job and perceived it as providing guidance for students. It was also found that interest in the profession of teaching, family and teachers were among the most common factors influential on the participants’ preferences of the teaching profession. The biology preservice teachers reported that teachers should be self-sacrificing, competent in self-expression and especially open to social communication. In addition, the biology preservice teachers pointed out that teachers should be knowledgeable about teaching and highly motivated for this profession. It was also revealed that the profession of teaching address most of their characteristics such as leadership, love of human and children, patience and idealism. In addition, the research results demonstrated that almost all the preservice teachers had positive feelings about the profession of teaching and that most of them thought they lacked the necessary knowledge and skills required by the teaching profession, though. Based on these results, in order to develop biology preservice teachers’ professional competencies and their positive attitudes towards the profession of teaching, the content of pedagogical courses given at education faculties could be reorganized in line with current expectations. Also, the trainings to be given to biology preservice teachers could focus on certain characteristics of preservice teachers such as communication skills, tolerance, self-sacrificing, being good-humored and self-expression. 

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