Social studies teachers’ conception of postgraduate education preferences and its contribution to their professions

摘要

In this research thought as qualitative study, the survey method was used. The aim of this research is first to determine the factors effective in social studies teachers’ deciding to continue their postgraduate education who completed their postgraduate education and on duty in primary education and then to consider the contribution of this postgraduate education to their professional performance from various aspects. For that purpose, why the social studies teachers’ prefer the postgraduate education, what they expect from that program, in what level their expectation is satisfied and the contribution of the education they took to their teaching professions are considered from various aspects motioned by their own words. In data collection, semi-structured interview form prepared with the help of the expert ideas and called “The Views of Social Studies Teachers on Postgraduate Education” was used. 15 social studies teachers who are on duty in different cities in the academic year 2010- 2011, who have different professional experiences from each other and who graduated from postgraduate programs of universities were taken into interview. Data were analyzed by using content analysis method. According to research results, the reasons why teachers prefer postgraduate education are, in general, “to maintain personal development, to make the professional seniority easier and to be in academic staff”. The research results show that the contributions of postgraduate education to professional performance are to make it possible to practice the developments in the field in both class and school, to view different point of views about the educational system, to discuss the practices of education with colleagues and to increase self-confidence in working life.