PROSPECTIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ USE AND PERCEPTİONS OF TEACHİNG STYLES IN RELATION TO THEIR TEACHING CHARACTERISTICS

Gunay Yildizer1, Caner Ozboke1, Arikan Ektirici1

1 Anadolu University, Turkey

INTRODUCTION

Teaching characteristics were defined as a set of attitudes and actions that mediate student learning formally or informally (Gregorc, 2002). Grasha (1994) specified several factors that affect teaching characteristics, such as nature of the course, size of class, subject mature, level of students etc. Eleven teaching methods, 5 in “presentation approach” and 6 in ”discovery approach” was demonstrated in the Teaching Spectrum which focus on teaching methods and approach in Physical Education (Mooston and Ashworth, 2002). In this study, prospective physical education teachers’ use of teaching styles and their value perceptions of teaching styles by sex, class level and teaching characteristics were examined.

METHOD

The participants of this study were 213 Physical Education Teacher Education Program students of 3 different universities in Turkey. The participants responded to 44 Likert-type questions pertaining to ‘teacher use’ and ‘perceived benefits to students’ of the 11 Spectrum teaching styles in order to find out use and value perceptions of each style. Secondly, Teaching Styles inventory 40 item, 7-point likert type scale were answered to detect participants teaching characteristics.

RESULTS

Participants presented higher value perceptions to styles that they were using (p<.05). There were no significant differences among the use of teaching styles and the value perceptions based on teaching characteristics according to the Mixed Design ANOVA results (p>.05). MANOVA results indicated no significant differences on the use of styles, and perceptions of styles by sex, class level and teaching characteristics (p>.05).

CONCLUSION

This was the first study investigating difference and similarities between teaching characteristics and teaching styles in Physical Education. These results indicate that prospective teachers attitudes and actions are not depends on their teaching characteristics. Prospective physical education teachers need to know and understand a variety of teaching styles and characteristics for the ongoing refinement and success of physical education.

REFERENCES

Grasha, A. (1994). A matter of style: Teacher expert, formal audotiry, personal model, facilitator, delegator. College Teaching, 42(4), 142-149.

Grasha, A. (2002). Teaching with Style: A Practical Guide to Enhancing Learning by Understanding Teaching and Learning Styles. Alliance Publishers, CA.

Mosston, M., & Ashworth, S. (2002). Teaching physical education (3th ed.). Columbus : Merrill Pub. Co.