Analyzing the child observation and assessment practices from the perspectives of preschool teacher candidates, preschool teachers and field experts

The aim of this study is to reach a holistic view in terms of the importance, the significancy of the child observation and assessment; the competency of those in the field and practices of child observation techniques, which is one of the main issues of the field, based on the experiences and suggestions of pre-school teacher candidates, preschool teachers, instructors and field experts. The study group of the research, which was carried out with the descriptive study design in its most general definition, consisted of 172 preschool teachers working in pre-school education institutions in Ankara, 142 pre-school candidates who have taken the child observation and assessment course at Ankara, Başkent, Gazi, Hacettepe, METU and TED universities, as well as six instructors and three field experts who are conducting the childobservation and assessment course at these universities. In the data collection process of the research, document analysis, observation, face-to-face interview and remote interview forms consisting of likert type and open-ended questions were used. As a result of the search, some of the findings are: there is a common understanding on the neceessity of the topic among all the participants, the theoretical knowledge given in the undergraduate course should be coordinated and supported with the practice studies, and the improvements in the preschool teacher education will be reflected in the practices of the inservice teachers. In order to fill the gaps in monitoring and evaluating the child development practices of preschool teachers, the importance of increasing their awareness on the issue was emphasized.