Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to identify opinions of teachers working at a preschool who had and did not have children with special needs in their classrooms regarding a training program about IEP preparation and development. This study was planned as participatory research, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The participants are the main, six preschool teachers and children with special needs in the research conducted in a kindergarten in Ankara. The first step of the implementation included the examination of the IEPs of the children with special needs. IEP preparation and development education was carried out by the researcher as the second step of the implementation process. Semi-structured interview questions were prepared and opinions were taken to the school principal and the teachers on the effectiveness of the IEP training. In addition, IEPs prepared after training were checked. As a result of the research, it was observed that teachers developed and improved self-esteem as a result of IEP training. Finally, the teachers stated that they could have an appropriate purpose for children with special needs and had a positive effect on the social skills of the student. It is thought that the relevant undergraduate programs should be rearranged to educate teacher candidates. Teachers working in the elementary, middle, and high schools could be provided similar IEP trainingings.

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