Investigation of the professional competencies of pre-school teachers and teacher candidates regarding inclusion/integration practices

The general purpose of this study is; The aim is to determine the professional competencies of preschool teachers and teacher candidates regarding inclusion/integration practices. The model of the research is the relational scanning model. The population of the research consists of pre-school teachers working in the central district of Edirne province in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year and the fall semester of 2021-2022 and teacher candidates studying at Trakya University Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education. The information obtained as a result of the research was analyzed with the help of SPSS package program. Descriptive statistics such as arithmetic mean, standard deviation, percentage and frequency were calculated to analyze the data. Pearson correlation coefficient statistical technique was used when analyzing the relationships between variables. To determine the factors affecting the perception of Professional Competence Development for Inclusion, t test, ANOVA, and LSD analyzes were performed to determine the source of the difference. As a result of the research, it was concluded that preschool teachers and pre-school teacher candidates who did not receive courses, courses, or in-service training in undergraduate education on inclusive education did not find themselves competent in inclusive education.