An Examination of the Factors Affecting Prospective Teachers' Perceptions of Faculty Members Using Chaid Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to examine prospective teachers' perceptions of faculty members and the demographic variables affecting these perceptions. The population of the study consists of undergraduate students attending the Faculty of Education of Van Yuzuncu Yil University in the 2003-2010 academic year. A total. of 500 students in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year of university education. selected using stratified random sampling, made up the sample of the study For data collection, the Perception of Faculty Members Scale (PFMS) developed by the researchers was used. Considering that scores received by the participants from the scale may have a heterogeneous structure, indicating that the individuals in the sample may have come from different populations, the dependent variable was subjected to a two-step cluster analysis. Predictors that may affect students' perceptions' were modeled using Chaid analysis. The tree structure that emerged after the Chaid analysis of the Perception of Faculty Members Scale [PFMS] showed that the variables of whether the students perceive the university education they receive as adequate. whether they are attending the department of their choice, and gender were significant predictors of the dependent variable, in this order of significance.