Lifelong Learning Tendencies of Prospective Teachers

Abstract

Stunning developments in this era have brought different meanings in both educational conditions and time and space in education. Developing technologies have made education applicable everywhere. In other words, education has been taken outside of the known space (classic school walls). Individuals’ constant innovation has caused the development of the concept of “lifelong learning”, which is among the primary concepts in today’s educational studies. However, teachers play a key role in accepting and accurately perceiving this approach. Because approaches and tendencies of teachers concerning this subject will be effective upon forming a relevant perception in their environment. Education received by teachers in the preservice period plays an important role in the formation of a positive or a negative tendency. Thus, the determination of lifelong learning tendencies of prospective teachers is very important in terms of educational strategies to be developed in this direction. The objective of this study is to determine lifelong learning tendencies of prospective teachers according to different variables. Target population of the study consisted of students studying in different grades of Gazi University Gazi Faculty of Education. As the group where the study data would be collected was very intense; no sample was selected to represent the population. In this context, 350 students studying in different grades were included in the sample. In the study, the data were collected via a scale that was developed by Coskun Diker (2009). The collected data were analyzed and tabulated via the SPSS package software. Examining the data; it was observed that lifelong learning tendencies of prospective teachers differed according to gender, academic achievement, grade and the state of participating in a personal development course.

Keywords: Lifelong Learning, Lifelong Learning Tendency, Prospective Teacher, Teacher Training, Continuing Education