EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS OF PRE – SERVICE TEACHERS TOWARD TECHNOLOGY COURSES IN THE TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions of pre-service teachers on the role of technology courses in their current teacher training program/curriculum, as well as the extent to which they feel prepared on their ability to integrate technology into their classrooms. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 8 pre-service senior students. In addition, an online questionnaire was sent to 40 pre-service senior students of Suleyman Demirel University. A 5 point Likert Scale questionnaire with 29 items was used. The analysis shows that (a) the pre-service senior teachers reported strong positive beliefs in technology and high confidence; (b) they were very proficient with basic technologies but were not familiar with more advanced technologies; (c) they lacked the experiences and expertise in using Web 2. 0 technologies with great potential for classroom application. It must be borne in mind that the study was conducted with a small sample group of participants in one particular university. Therefore, further research is needed with an extended size of the sample as well as to expand the field of study.