Lifelong learning perceptions of the pre-school pre-service teachers

8/10/2019 Lifelong learning perceptions of the pre-school pre-service teachers

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Vol.9(19), pp. 780-785, 10 October, 2014DOI: 10.5897/ERR2014.1879Article Number: 92A781147635

ISSN 1990-3839Copyright 2014

Author(s) retain the c opyright of this articlehttp://www.academicjournals.org/ERR

Educational Research and Reviews

Full Length Research Paper

Lifelong learning perceptions of pre-school pre-serviceteachers

idem Kl

Faculty of Education, Department of Early Childhood Education, Abant zzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.

Received 10 July, 2014; Accepted 12 September, 2014

The purpose of this study is to determine the perception level of pre-school pre-service teachersconcerning lifelong learning and to verify if there is a meaningful relationship between lifelong learningperception and gender/grade levels of students. The study group of the research designed by scanningmodel is made up of Abant Izzet Baysal University Bolu Preschool Education Teaching programstudents (N= 217). The research data were obtained from the application of "Lifelong LearningPerception Scale". Mean, standard deviation and t- tests were used in data analysis. As a result of theresearch, it was concluded that pre-school pre-service teachers do believe in the necessity andimportance of life-long learning, but show no interest concerning lifelong learning activities in culturalterms aside of their profession. On the other hand, no significant correlation was found between the

students' perceptions of lifelong learning and the gender variable. In terms of grade variable, final gradestudents have presented more favorable opinion compared to lower grades.

Key words: Life long learning, adult education, pre-school education, pre-service teachers.

INTRODUCTION

Mankind starts learning while still in the womb and thisadventure continues till the end of his life. Learningprocess is a set of lifelong activity that is spread to thehumans entire life and that can not be limited with schooleducation. Basic concept of lifelong learning has first

been launched by a group of UNESCO experts, used andstrongly emphasized in the mid 90s and modified aslearning "from cradle to grave" (EC, 2003). According toUlutasdemir et al. (2011, 2226), learning can spread toevery single stage of life as from pre-school to post-retirement, from formal education in schools and/oruniversities to vocational training at work or from the

usage of various technologies that families grasp fromtheir children to learning during TV watching or evenmuseum visits.

People -at all stages of their lives- feel the necessity tolearn something due to the changing lifestyles or thei

increased responsibilities. It is not possible for schooeducation -covering the early stages of life- to serve fothe training needs all life long. Moreover, as a result orapid developments in science and technology todayinformation is outdated very quickly. According to Yilmaz(2000,34) the information taught in formal educationinstitutions can be outdated as soon as formal education

E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +90 506 234 43 64, +90 374 254 10 00 /1674. Fax: +90 374 253 46 41.

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ends or even merely before it ends. In such a case,person needs continually to educate, change, renewhimself.

On the other hand, European Union has built up its theeducation strategies on three main issues: shortage of

skilled labor, global competition and increasingly agingsociety. According to data on hand, within the next thirtyyears, one-third of European Union citizens will be aged60 and over. This situation highlights the importance ofthe required new educational policies in order to let theelder people be present in economic and social lives formany years. In other words, this has surfaced the needfor starting seminars, courses, hobby shops, cinema/theater clubs, holidays and sightseeing tours or creative,educational and social activities like computer andlanguage courses in order to meet the educational needsof elder people while appealing the training for life(Orlanova, 2012, 3-4). Currently, in Turkey, aging popu-

lation together with its inevitable economic and socialproblems is not a big issue when compared with EUcountries, but still is a pending item to be solvedconsidering the improved quality of life not only in Turkeybut also in many other countries of the world.

Life-long learning basically has three main functions: (i)lifelong learning for economic development; (ii) lifelonglearning for personal development and self-realization;(iii) lifelong learning for social inclusion and democraticunderstanding (Commission of theEuropean Communities,2006). Within the context of lifelong learning serving forthe realization of those three main functions, there areother variations like formal learning, non-formal learning,

vocational training, technical training, on-the-job and off-the-job trainings. Therefore, lifelong learning can beexpressed to be realized anywhereat home, at work, atschool or anywhere the individual is present. According toDinevski and Dinevski (2004), lifelong learning offersequal opportunities to individuals while removing therestrictions on concepts like place, time, age, socio-economic level, educational level (Gunuc et al., 2012,310).

It will be more accurate to rephrase the lifelong learningas modern way of contemporary learning instead ofsubstituting lifelong learning alternatively with contem-porary learning which inevitably is differentiated by thepolitical and economic development of the people(Toprak and Erdogan, 2012, 73). In this context, fourfeatures of lifelong learning are coming forward whencompared with contemporary learning: providing asystemic learning view (covering whole learning stylesfrom structured to unstructured associated with life cycleand taking into account demand and supply in terms oflearning opportunities); putting the learner in the center(the diversity of the learners needs); motivation of thelearning (pointing at one's own tempo and learning basedon self-motivation); emphasis on multiple objectives ofthe education policy (economic, social and cultural

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achievements, personal development and citizenship(CERI, 2001; OECD Observer, 2004).

Strategies for lifelong learning respond to the con-vergence between the economic imperative dictated bythe needs of the knowledge society and the societal needto promote social cohesion by providing long-termbenefits for the individual, the enterprise, the economyand the society more generally. For the individual, lifelonglearning emphasises creativity, initiative and respon-siveness attributes which contribute to self-fulfillmenthigher earnings and employment, and to innovation andproductivity. The skills and competence of the workforceare a major factor in economic performance and successat the enterprise level. For the economy, there is apositive relationship between educational attainment andeconomic growth (OECD, 2007,10).Although having many positive features, the concept o

lifelong learning is seriously criticised by educators. The

main criticism towards lifelong learning is raised by thequestion of what purposes lifelong learning is serving

According to Miser (2011, 111-112), lifelong learning isperceived as a form of social control. Initially, within theconcept, the human development perspective was pre-ponderant as being more concerned about learning forenrichment and expansion of peoples lives via culturaand recreational pursuits; however in time, since 1996, itis asserted that lifelong learning is merely relevant folearning for business life. Therefore, due to the intensityof economic stress within the concept of lifelong learninglifelong learning should rather be restated as lifelongearning and learning for earning (Lifelong LEarning and

Learning to LEarn) which is sort of a manifest toeconomic perspective (Toprak and Erdogan, 2012, 73Miser, 2011, 113).

Despite the fact that a remarkable criticism is raisedbecause of changing socio-economic conditions, t iscrucial that the individuals completing the formaeducation should not stay away from educational acti-vities. Individuals should be guided to participate inlifelong learning activities starting from early ages. At thisstage, the most important task relies on the teache(Gencel, 2013, 242). Assuring that teachers and teachecandidates are qualified enough for lifelong learning, iwill effectively serve for the realization of the role of "beingintermediary in achieving social change" (UNESCO, 1996)In order to assure teachers are skillful enough for lifelonglearning, these qualifications are required to be revealedduring teacher education. Indeed, Fenwick (2001) mentions two tendencies in teacher education which areeffective since the 1990s. The first one is concerned withbroadening the professional development process oteachers by the concept of lifelong learning, while thesecond is concerned with extending the learning capabilitiesof teachers by actual practices in the society. SimilarlyDavis and Sumara (1997) have also pointed out theimportance of the fact that teachers are required to be


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qualified for lifelong learning as it directly affects thesociety.

In Turkey, researches focusing on teachers or pre-service teachers lifelong learning skills are very limited innumber. According to the results of studies carried out sofar in Turkey, teacher candidates -currently studying atuniversities- lifelong learning tendency is low (Cokunand Demirel, 2012). Teacher candidates take lifelonglearning as necessary and important; however, they havemisunderstanding of its meaning and scope (Kara andKrm, 2007). Additionally, teacher candidates considersupporting facilities in universities as insufficient (Koksal andmen, 2013). This study aiming to analyze lifelonglearning opinions of prospective teachers studying at pre-school teaching departments in Turkey, being adeveloping country- is assumed to contribute tointernational literature. While revealing the perspectivesof the university students on learning, it is important to

determine their perception concerning lifelong learning.Discovering the interests, attitudes, expectations andperceptions of pre-service teachers regarding lifelonglearning will serve for development of useful programsaccordingly.

In this context, the study was generated under threecategories:

1. How is the perception of preschool pre-serviceteachers regarding lifelong learning?2. Is there any relationship between the gender ofpreschool pre-service teachers and their perceptionsregarding lifelong learning?

3. Is there any relationship between the grade levels ofpreschool pre-service teachers and their perceptionsregarding lifelong learning?

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Research method

Descriptive method useful for current status screening was appliedin this study. Descriptive method is a research approach aiming topicture a past/present condition or event as it is (Karasar, 2005:77).

Sample

The study group is made up of Abant Izzet Baysal UniversityPreschool Education Program students. While determining the workgroup, it was intended to reach all target population. 217participants out of 256 have answered the questionnaire. In thisdescriptive results, 29% of pre-service teachers who participated(n=62) is first grade; 24% (n=51) second grade, 23% (n=50); thirdgrade, 24% (n=53); fourth grade students. 93% of respondents(n=202) were females and 7% (n=15) were males.

Data collection

The "Lifelong Learning Perception Scale" u sed in the study was

developed by the researcher as a quinary Likert scale rating from(5) strongly disagree to (1) strongly agree". Related literature andsample scales related to life long learning perceptions was rewievedbefore developing the scale, then a sample scale was given toadult education experts for having some criticisms and differenpoint of views. Finally, it was decided that the scale may have foudimensions such as positive attitude towards lifelong learningnegative attitude towards lifelong learning, life-long learning needand learning perseverance.

In order to determine the reliability of the measurement tool, atrial scale consisting of 36 items was applied to a preliminary groupof 30 students, and according to the results obtained, 6 items wereexcluded from the scale which tend to decrease the reliability. TheCronbach's alpha coefficient of final scale having 30 items wascalculated to be .81. The final scale consists of 30 items classifiedas positive attitude towards lifelong learning (8 items), negativeattitude towards lifelong learning (10 items), life-long learning need(6 items) and learning perseverance (6 items).

Data analysis

To analyze and interpret the data, percent, mean and t tests wereused to understand the differences between groups at p


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Table 1.The distribution of the opinions of the pre-school pre-service teachers concerning lifelong learning.

N Mean Std.Deviation

I am passionate about learning new things all the time 217 3.8387 .90101

A person can learn at any age 216 4.3704 .98446

I want to learn something new only when I need to. 213 2.4836 1.01682

I feel my education life is over as soon as I graduate from university 214 2.6168 1.26450

I think of attending all courses in order to progress in my profession. 217 3.6866 .87848

It is not necessary to attend any course since internet is offering all kinds ofinformation

217 3.8618 .85487

I have no curiosity in learning different subjects other than my profession 217 4.0046 .88453

I would like to study if there will be a tangible return; otherwise I'm not interestedin training activities

217 3.6498 .97035

If I might secure a financially comfortable life in the future, I do not want to furtherstruggle to improve myself

216 3.8333 1.06967

If there is anything thats stuck in my mind, I somehow find a way to learn it 217 3.9724 .73860

I think undergraduate education is necessary for my professional development 216 3.3796 1.03175

I think people should continue learning lifelong instead of only throughout theschool years 217 4.2857 .85061

People are required to have enough financial sources to continue lifelonglearning

215 3.0698 1.11480

I feel uncomfortable to learn new knowledge and skills 217 3.5115 1.06767

I trust myself to learn when faced with brand new information 214 3.9439 .75473

I think vocational education of teaching in college will be enough for my life long 215 2.5628 1.08279

Lifelong learning pushes people to work harder and compete more 217 3.4286 1.09532

learning new things become a must for them. Theyexpressed their willingness to learn new things in order toprogress in their own professions and their self-confi-dence and pleasure in learning new things, whileunderlying that expressions that the only basis forcontinuity of learning could be the expectation of tangibleoutcomes and instead of attending a course for a brandnew issue, searching in the web would be much easierand practical.

On the other hand, students gave uncertain feedbacksconcerning the statements such as I think graduateeducation is necessary for my professional development,People are required to have enough financial sources tocontinue lifelong learning, Lifelong learning pushespeople to work harder and compete more. Accordingly, itwas concluded that the students did hesitate about

having graduate study in terms of professional progress,and rather they believed they could improve themselveswith alternative educational activities. Concerning the restof the uncertain feedbacks, students preferred not toexpress any opinion about the cost of lifelong learningprobably because they had lack of information regardingthe social and economic consequences of lifelonglearning.

Respondent pre-service teachers did not agree with thestatements, "I want to learn something new only when Ineed to, I prefer my education life is over as soon as I

graduate from the university, I think undergraduateeducation is enough for my professional developmentThey expressed the willingness to learn new thingsalthough they might not need at that moment, to attendcourses even after undergraduate study rationalizing thavocational education during undergraduate study wouldnot be sufficient during their whole professional lives.

The relationship between the gender variable of thepre-school pre-service teachers and their perceptionsconcerning lifelong learning was calculated to bestatistically insignificant at p


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Table 2.The distribution of the grade levels of the pre-school pre-service teachers and their perceptions concerning lifelonglearning.

Mean t df Sig. (2-tail)Std.errordifference

Everyone should have the chance to be educatedduring his own life

1.grade 4.1774 1.043 113 .041 .173544.grade 4.3585

I have no curiosity in learning different subjects otherthan my

1.grade 4.0484

.492 113 .022 .17491

profession 4.grade 3.9623

If I might secure a financially comfortable life in thefuture, I do not want not to further struggle to improvemyself

1.grade 3.6290-1.296 113 0.000 .21337

4.grade 3.9057

I would like to study if there will be a tangible returnme; otherwise I'm not interested in training activities

1.grade 3.5000-.890 113 .041 .20146

4.grade 3.6792

I trust myself to learn when faced with brand newinformation

1.grade 4.0976 -.090 66 .050 .14335

profession requiring not only vocational education butalso liberal education. However, on the other hand, 4thgrades do not want struggle more in the future unlessthey secure a financially comfortable life. So, given thefact that students are assumed to be financially secured,the learning perseverance decreases towards graduation.It can be alternatively stated as, 4th grades do link thelifelong learning effort more with financial satisfaction. Itcan be concluded that 1st grades do not have financialexpectation on lifelong learning activities; however, 4thgrades do impose more financial outcomes on any extra

educational activity while getting closer to graduation andearning his/her own living. Lastly, 4th grade students aremore self-confident in learning new things when com-pared with 1st grades proving that self-confidenceconcerning learning skills proportionally increases as theeducational experience accumulates.

Conclusion

According to the results of the study, pre-school pre-service teachers do believe in the need and theimportance of lifelong learning, however, they do not feelcomfortable about the fact that lifelong learning adventureis becoming a burden. Learning for adults, due to itsnature, should be asked and realized on voluntary basis.So, it is quite meaningful that during their entire lives,teachers do voluntarily want to learn something, insteadof being forced to.

Furthermore, it is concluded that pre-school pre-serviceteachers have grasped the fact that professional develop-ment needs to be maintained throughout their lives evenbefore actually starting their professional lives. It ispromising that candidates of teachingprofession requiringsophisticated professional and personal development are

thinking in the above stated way. On the other handanother noteworthy finding is that although the preservice teachers have positive approach concerninglifelong learning, they showed no interest in learning newsubjects other than their profession that will haveeventually a tangible return. This indicates that one of thecriticism factors of lifelong learning which is (Learning to"L" Earn) understanding does also affect preschool pre-service teachers.According to the survey results, 4th grade pre-service

teachers were observed to express extra favorable

opinions concerning lifelong learning in comparison to 1stgrades as a result of their undergraduate study. Anotherpositive finding of the study is that although there is nocourse in the undergraduate program of Abant IzzetBaysal University, Department of Pre-School Educationthat can be associated with the lifelong learning, theundergraduate program has somehow created the needand awareness for the concept in students mindsHowever, considering the fact that only awareness wilnot be enough to emphasize the importance of lifelonglearning, a necessity to develop teacher educationprograms will arise by adding lifelong courses in theprogram. Through this course, lifelong learning can bediscussed in multi-dimensional perspective such asimportance, necessity, positive and negative sides etc

Conflict of Interests

The author has not declared any conflict of interests.

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Lifelong learning perceptions of the pre-school pre-service teachers