Abstract:

The aim of the present study is to investigate the science courses given within the framework of pre-school teacher training programs in terms of their number, content, variety and credit; hence, a descriptive study to determine the existing state was carried out. The findings were obtained by analyzing the courses included in pre-school teacher training programs of the universities reported by each country in their National Education System Descriptions reports. Information concerning the variables of Turkey and European Union Countries was collected from Agencies of the European Union, Eurydice-Network on Education Systems and Policies in Europe. Though there are some differences among the countries in relation to the number, content and time of the science courses given in pre-school teacher training programs, they are not very distinct. With the efforts made to implement accreditation system in the higher education institutions in Turkey within the framework of Bologna adaptation process, it has become compulsory to determine the differences between the programs in Turkey and their counterparts in European Universities. The findings of the present study are believed to make some contributions to the efforts made for the harmonization of Turkish pre-school teacher training programs with European Credit Transfer System.

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