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. Overall, the findings revealed that pre-service teachers have a strong positive attitude toward technology and high confidence in their competency in using technology. 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.