Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının Coğrafya Algılarının Çiz-Yaz-Anlat Tekniğiyle İncelenmesi

Abstract

This study aimed to introduce the geography perceptions of primary school teacher candidates. The working group of the study that adopted a qualitative research method consisted of 160 primary school teacher candidates from all grade levels studying at a university in northern Turkey during the 2021-2022 academic year. In the first stage of the study, completed in three steps, students were asked to draw items that came to their minds with the word geography, clarifying their perceptions of geography. In the second stage, they were instructed to elucidate the connection between their drawings and geography term in detail through writing. In the third stage, however, unstructured interviews were conducted with 13 participants voluntarily selected from the study group to comprehend their motivations for choosing the drawings. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The drawing results demonstrated that it is possible to classify the broad geography perceptions of the students into nine different themes. In their drawings, the participants identified the most political events and phenomena with geography and reflected their perspectives in this direction. The reasons underlying the geography perceptions of the participants were divided into six different categories, including political and economic aspects. The study outcomes revealed that participants’ geography perceptions took shape on the axis of modern-day political and economic issues, that geography is a critical power source at both local and global levels, and that it is a significative and determining factor for the future of living creatures.