Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The study aimed to examine preschool teachers' views on child-centered teaching. The research was designed using a case study design based on a qualitative research model. The study group consisted of 19 preschool teachers working in preschool institutions in the city center of Sivas. Convenience sampling, a purposive sampling method, was used in the study, and participants were selected on a voluntary basis. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers in accordance with the purpose and scope of the study was used as the data collection tool. Content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained in the study. Participant statements were supported with direct quotations and the findings are presented. According to the findings, all participants defined themselves as child-centered teachers. The vast majority of teachers viewed the child's right to participation as enabling the child to express their ideas, participate freely in activities, and be accepted as an individual. A significant portion of the participants, who discussed the contributions of child-centered teaching to the educational process from the perspective of the program, the teacher, and the child, stated that providing content richness for the program, developing communication skills with children for the teacher, and supporting personality and social development for the child were important contributions. A majority of participants believed that child-centered teachers should have safe, friendly, caring, and approachable relationships with children. Participants also considered child-centered learning environments as both physical and social-psychological environments. While they emphasized classroom organization and materials in the physical environment, they also emphasized the learning climate in the social-psychological learning environment. Several recommendations for teachers were offered based on the findings of the study.
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7124433331