Examining Preservice Teachers’ Decision-Making Processes

This study presents an examination of situations that drive preservice teachers to make new decisions in the teaching practice process and the criteria they use in evaluating the decisions they make. In the study, a basic qualitative research model was adopted, and the criterion sampling method was used to determine the study group. Ten preservice teachers studying in the final year of the classroom teaching programme constitute the participants of the study. A reflective evaluation form and semi-structured interview form were used in the data collection process of the study. The preservice teachers filled in the reflective evaluation form after each implementation process they carried out over a period of ten weeks. In addition, the semi-structured interviews based on the reflective evaluation forms were conducted with the participants in pairs every week. The research showed that there were 57 different situations that drove the candidates to make new decisions in the classroom. It was seen that the candidates used 14 criteria in evaluating their decisions. When these criteria were examined closely, it was observed that the participants evaluated their decisions mainly on the basis of teacher-oriented and teaching-oriented criteria. In teacher education, specialised situations that require prospective teachers to make decisions in the classroom environment should be focused on. Moreover, by creating opportunities for preservice teachers to evaluate their decisions, candidates should be directed towards being student-oriented and learning-oriented in evaluating their decisions.