Investigation of the relationship between preschool teachers' innovative thinking skills and problem solving skills

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the 21st century. To examine the relationship between innovative thinking tendencies and problem-solving skills of preschool teachers, who are both teachers and learners. 21st century skills are defined as the skills needed for individuals to meet the expectations in social and business life in the century we live in. One of the areas emphasized in the classification of skills is problem solving skills. Assuming that innovative thinking and problem solving are linked, quantitative research method was preferred in order to examine the subject in more depth. This research, in which the relational scanning model was used, was conducted with 349 pre-school teachers working in Zeytinburnu, Güngören and Bakırköy districts of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, determined by the purposeful sampling method. The data collection tools used within the scope of the research consist of "Innovative Thinking Tendency Scale for Preschool Teachers", "Teacher Ability to Acquire Problem Solving Skills Scale" and "Personal Information Form". Frequency, percentage, independent samples t-test, Mann Whitney U test and correlation analysis were used in the analysis of the collected data. As a result of the research, it was seen that preschool teachers' innovative thinking tendencies and problem-solving skills levels were high, and there was a significant relationship between the two competencies. It was concluded that while professional seniority makes a difference in gaining innovative thinking tendency and problem skills, it does not show a significant difference compared to other demographic variables.