Designing quality educational materials for preschool children: Opinions and practices

Abstract

This study aims at revealing the views of pre-service teachers about the must course of "Material Development" carried out in the Early Childhood Education Program. A total of 60 thirdgrade students attending the Early Childhood Education Program at Education Faculty of Anadolu University participated in the study. To determine the participants' views, a survey including openended questions was applied. The data were analyzed through descriptive analysis technique. The research results demonstrated that all the pre-service teachers found this course necessary. Regarding the skills acquired by the teacher candidates in this course, it was seen that the teacher candidates developed themselves in terms of material choice and material usage and that they developed their self-confidence more by acquiring the skills that they did not have previously. In addition, it was revealed that the teacher candidates developed themselves in terms of choosing and preparing multi-purpose materials which support creativity and which are appropriate to the interests and needs of children and it was also revealed that they can easily construct these materials