Examination of the literacy preparation studies of teachers working in preschool educational institutions

This research aims to examine the literacy preparation studies of teachers working in preschool educational institutions. In this context, it was examined how preschool teachers implement the literacy preparation activities they plan and at what level they include these activities in the studies. The implementation of pre-school literacy preparation activities provides children with the preliminary skills related to literacy and ensures that they are ready for primary school. A case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this study to determine how preschool teachers, who can best teach these skills to children, include literacy preparation activities, how long they apply them, and how often they prefer these activities. Within the scope of this research, six teachers working in the classroom of five age group students in 6 kindergartens, including three state schools and three private schools, affiliated to the MEB located in districts with different socioeconomic levels in Bursa province in the 2019-2020 academic year, were included in the research. As a data collection tool, a semi-structured observation form, a semi-structured interview form, and a document review were conducted. Between December 20, 2019 and March 12, 2020, seven activities implemented by teachers were observed and six teachers were interviewed one-on-one. According to the results of the research, it has been revealed that teachers working in public and private institutions have similar thoughts about the purpose and scope of literacy preparation studies. It has been concluded that the teachers do not plan but prefer ready-made plans and implement activities outside the plan. However, it has been concluded that while teachers in public schools implement integrated large and small group activities, teachers in private schools practice non-integrated and large group-desktop activities, and in these activities, children in private schools are taught how to read and write letters. Keywords: literacy preparation studies, preschool education, preschool teacher.