The relatonship between pre-service classroom teachers' design self efficacy, design-focused thinking and personal variables

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the design skills and design-oriented thinking abilities of primary school teacher candidates and their personal variables. Relational screening method was used in the research. The sample of the study consists of primary school teacher candidates studying at Akdeniz University Faculty of Education in the 2022-2023 academic year. Data were collected using the "Design Self-Efficacy Scale", "Design Thinking Scale in Instruction" and the "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher. 169 classroom teacher candidates participated in the study. Data were analyzed by t-Test, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation analysis. According to the results of the analysis, it was found that the design self-efficacy levels of the primary school teacher candidates did not differ significantly according to their gender and age. It was determined that the design self-efficacy levels of the fourth-year candidates were significantly higher than the levels of the first-year candidates. The design self-efficacy levels of the candidates who frequently participated in artistic activities were found to be higher than those who did not participate at all. Design self-efficacy levels do not differ significantly according to other personal variables. Design thinking abilities of primary school teacher candidates do not differ significantly according to gender, age and grade level. While the design-oriented thinking abilities of the candidates do not differ in the process-individual sub-dimension according to the educational status of the parents, they show significant differences in the relationship sub-dimension. The design-oriented thinking abilities of the candidates with interests such as art, sports, technology, science, and general culture differ significantly. The size of the effect was calculated as small.The design-oriented thinking abilities of the classroom teacher candidates who frequently participate in artistic activities did not show a significant difference in the ethical sub-dimension, but there were significant differences in the relationship-process and individual sub-dimensions. The design-oriented thinking levels of the candidates who frequently participate in artistic activities are higher than the candidates who do not participate at all.