The aim of this study is to determine the opinions of pre-service classroom teachers about academic controversy, from the cooperative learning methods, implemented in social studies teaching course. Using the action research pattern from the qualitative research approaches, the study group for the research comprised 42 preservice teachers in third year attending the primary education department in a state university. Research data were collected from preservice teachers with an interview form asking open-ended questions Responses of preservice teachers to the questions included opinions about the positive and negative aspects of the academic controversy method; whether they would apply this method in future classes and why; and about the contribution of the method to social and individual development of students. Opinions of preservice teachers after implementing the method in the class environment were that the academic controversy method was fun and beneficial for peer teaching; increased in-class interaction, retention of knowledge and self-confidence; ensured effective participation in class, active learning and conflict management; provided democracy education, directed research, taught respect for differences, provided a multidimensional perspective, and reduced the need for authority; and that it developed self-control, self-expression, decision-making and problem-solving skills. Additionally, criticisms mentioned by preservice teachers included causing noise in the classroom, not being appropriate for all class levels, lessons or topics, being difficult to implement in crowded classrooms and that the duration was not sufficient for the implementation.

The aim of this study is to determine pre-service primary teachers’ opinions regarding the implementation of teams-games-tournaments (TGT). For this purpose, the action research method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was employed. The study group in the research consisted of 30 students who attended Artvin Çoruh University College of Education Elementary Education Department Primary School Teaching Program. Qualitative data was collected by interview forms with open-ended questions. With the answers the participants gave to the interview questions, they shared their opinions about advantages and disadvantages of the method and their suggestions about using the method in their future classes. Participants found positive interdependence and learning in heterogeneous groups, which are among the common features of cooperative learning, useful and necessary. Participants also stated the features of causing noise, making classroom management more difficult, sharing responsibility and rewards unfairly, and difficulty of implementing the method in crowded classes as disadvantages of the method.

Epistemological beliefs are an individual’s personal beliefs about what knowledge, knowing, and learning are. These beliefs are important for pre-service teachers since they may affect their teaching styles in the classrooms. This study aims to determine if the pre-service teachers’ undergraduate education affects their epistemological beliefs comparing the epistemological beliefs of the first and the fourth grade students at the Department of Social Studies Education in a state university in terms of their epistemological beliefs. The data were analyzed using independent groups t-test to compare the scores of pre-service social studies teachers in the sub-dimensions of the epistemological beliefs questionnaire (belief that learning depends on effort, belief that learning depends on skills, and belief in a single truth) in terms of their gender and grade level. The results of the study show that, except for the third dimension of the questionnaire, the fourth graders have more sophisticated beliefs than the first graders. There is no statistically significant difference between male and female pre-service teachers regarding their epistemological beliefs.

This study examined the epistemological beliefs of preservice teachers, from naïve to sophisticated, from five different departments of the faculty of education in a Turkish university. By using the adapted form of the Schommer Epistemological Questionnaire, social studies, science, Turkish, mathematics, and classroom preservice teachers were surveyed and their epistemological belief levels were determined in terms of department and gender variables. Epistemological beliefs were examined in three dimensions: beliefs that pertain to learning depending on effort, beliefs that pertain to learning depending on ability, and beliefs that pertain to there being only one unchanging truth. The analysis indicated that generally all in departments, preservice teachers have sophisticated beliefs regarding the first two dimensions of the questionnaire. For the third dimension, they seem be at medium level. The results show that for the second dimension females have more sophisticated beliefs than males. For the other two dimensions there was no significant difference between females and males. A significant difference was found only for the first dimension and only between mathematics and classroom preservice teachers.

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