The attitudes and opinions of Turkish teacher candidates towards reading scientific research

This study aimed to examine the attitudes and opinions of Turkish language teacher candidates towards scientific research at seven universities located in seven different regions of Turkey. A total of 351 Turkish language teacher candidates enrolled in the 2023-2024 academic year, participated in the study. The research employed a mixed-method design, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The quantitative data collection tool used was the "Attitude Scale towards Research of Teacher Candidates," developed by Çelik, Gazioğlu, and Pesen (2012), which underwent validity and reliability testing. Factor analysis applied to the data related to the scale revealed a significant KMO coefficient of 0,908 and Bartlett coefficient. The scale comprised five sub-factors named interest, importance, motivation, usefulness, and anxiety. All data collected from the study group, including personal information forms and the attitude scale towards research of teacher candidates, were analyzed using the statistical data analysis program IBM SPSS. Qualitative data were obtained from face-to-face interviews conducted online. Thirty-three teacher candidates participated in the qualitative research, selected randomly from those who completed the attitude scale through a purposive, voluntary-based sampling method. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using descriptive analysis methods. According to the results of the study, Turkish language teacher candidates demonstrated a high overall attitude towards scientific research (80,6%); however, the rate of following scientific research was found to be low (18,2%). Although most teacher candidates participating in the qualitative research acknowledged the usefulness and necessity of scientific research, only a few individuals (6 person) mentioned following such studies regularly. The study found no significant difference in attitudes based on the teacher candidates' class levels or whether they had taken courses in scientific research methods. Female teacher candidates were observed to exhibit more positive attitudes compared to male counterparts.