PROBLEMS THAT PRESCHOOL TEACHERS FACE IN THE CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
EMINE ERDEN *
Indiana University at Bloomington, USA
CENNET ENGIN DEMİR
Middle East Technical University, Turkey
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This cross-sectional survey study aimed at finding the challenges faced by preschool teachers during curriculum implementation and if these challenges differed with respect to teachers’ background characteristics. Possible reasons behind the problems that were highly ranked by the participating preschool teachers in curriculum implementation were also investigated through interviews after the results of the quantitative data were revealed. Interviews were made with volunteered teachers to support the quantitative results. The quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire from 223 preschool teachers teaching in public and private preschools in Ankara, Turkey. The highly ranked problem areas by these teachers were related to evaluation, physical facilities, planning science and math activities, organizing field trips, provision of parent participation and inclusion of children with disabilities.
Keywords: Early childhood curriculum, curriculum implementation, problems of preschool teachers, inclusive practices