Attitudes of Teacher Candidates Studying in Physical Education and Alternative Teacher Certification Programs towards Teaching Profession

Overview & Synopsis

The aim of this study was to examine attitudes of physical education and sport teacher candidates, studying in physical education teaching program and alternative teacher certification program in Turkey, towards teaching profession. The sample of this study consisted of 172 physical education teacher candidates in alternative teacher education certificate training in the Faculty of Education, and 179 physical education teacher candidates are continuing their education in the department of physical education and sports teacher education in four different universities in Turkey. "Attitude Scale towards Teaching" was used as data collection tool in this study. The data were examined by descriptive statistics and a two-way ANOVA test. The teacher education program has the main effect on attitudes toward teaching and teacher candidates in physical education department demonstrated significantly higher attitudes compared to alternative teacher education program p<0.05. There was an interaction effect of the education program and gender on attitudes, p<0.05. It is suggested that revising the time of the education process in alternative teaching programs and subsidize these programs by field experts may lead to better attitude development among physical education teacher candidates in alternative teaching education certificate.