Prospective Teachers' Cognitive Constructs Concerning Ideal Teacher Qualifications: a Phenomenological Analysis Based on Repertory Grid Technique

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify cognitive constructs of prospective teachers about ideal teacher qualifications. This study was designed as phenomenological pattern which is one of the qualitative research designs. The study was conducted with 36 prospective teachers selected from Yuzuncu Yil University, Faculty of Education. The study group was determined by using criterion sampling method as one of the purposive sampling methods. As a structured interview technique, ' repertory grid' was used for data collection. As a result of the study, 356 cognitive constructs were produced by prospective teachers about teacher qualifications and these cognitive constructs were grouped under ten categories namely communication skills, student centeredness, innovativeness, sensitivity, humaneness/joviality, teaching pedagogical skills, leadership/guidance, professional content knowledge, personal values and professional values by taking functions and similarities into consideration. Dominant categories of prospective teachers' cognitive constructs are teaching pedagogical skills, humaneness/joviality, personal and professional values. Their cognitive constructs play an important role in developing conceptual models of ideal teaching.