Abstract:

Experiences that candidate teachers gain during teaching practice as well as their observations concerning schools hold value in terms of evaluating education system and implications for the future. The main purpose of this study is to carry out a general assessment of Turkey's education system based on views about school administrators, teachers and schools of candidate teachers who practice teaching as part of Teaching Practice Lesson in the curriculum of Social Studies Teaching Program. The research was conducted as a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. Accordingly, a semi-structured form consisting of 5 open-ended questions was prepared by the researchers for interviews with candidate teachers. Sampled through benchmark sampling method, a purposeful sampling method, 18 candidate teachers participated in the survey. Data was analyzed using descriptive analysis method. The research findings indicate that teaching practice in school environment is seen very helpful by candidate teachers in such aspects as getting to know the profession, improving their capabilities in communication with students as well as in classroom management, and the skill to put their own theoretical knowledge into practice. The findings also show that candidate teachers have witnessed some physical deficiencies and equipment shortcomings in schools, observing lack of interest in classes and high-level exam anxiety among students.

Keywords: