Evaluating elementary teaching undergraduate program in terms of culturally responsive pedagogy

This research, it was aimed to evaluate undergraduate program of elementary teachers in terms of cultural responsive teaching. For this purpose, the knowledge, skills or awareness about cultural responsive teaching of the elementary school undergraduate program students and the opinions of the instructors in the elementary school degree program about the cultural responsive teaching were examined. Furthermore, it was tried to determine the contribution of elementary teacher education program to elementary teacher candidates who are cultural responsive teaching. In this context, a mixed method including both qualitative and quantitative techniques has been adopted. Exploratory sequential design is preferred for mixed research method designs. Accordingly, quantitative and qualitative data are collected from different participants representing the same universe and ordered (NIT→nic) (QUAL→ quan) in the context of parallel sequential sample association. In the 2016 - 2017 academic year, 22 students, 10 of whom are male and 12 of whom are female, in addition, a total of 23 students, 14 of whom were male and 9 of whom were women, were obtained from the teaching instructors in the elementary teacher education program. In the quantitative phase of the study data was collected from 1366 university students, 350 of them male and 1016 of them female, in 7 regions of Turkey from 26 educating in elementary teaching degree. In the qualitative data collection process of the study, the interview method was adopted from the qualitative research methods and the data was obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face individually with the elementary teacher candidates and instructors. In the quantitative phase of the study, data were collected with the Cultural Responsive Teaching Readiness Scale. Analysis of data obtained through interviews in the analysis of qualitative data; content analysis approach has been adopted. "Mean and standard deviation" from descriptive statistics techniques and "t-test for independent samples" from inferential statistics were performed based on the data obtained from the study group. In the light of the findings and conclusions obtained, it is seen that the processes and experiences are not applied at the level of acquiring the knowledge and skills related to the cultural responsive teaching education for the elementary teacher candidates. Furthermore, it has been determined that the subjects related to cultural responsive teaching are very limited in the content of the course, that they can not be carried out with a pedagogical sense cultural responsive teaching in the learning - teaching process and that the teaching instructors in the elementary teacher education program do not have professional formation knowledge and skills related to cultural value sensitive education. In quantitative findings, the undergraduate education program has resulted in the failure of classroom prospective candidates to provide vocational preparations that should be held at the point of cultural responsive teaching. However, it was concluded that the level of personal readiness of elementary teacher candidates was high, and that their gender, having a second language, and participation in exchange programs did not have any effect on cultural responsive teaching educational attainment. As a general result of the research, it has been concluded that the undergraduate program of elementary teacher education is insufficient in providing students with knowledge and skills related to cultural responsive teaching.