An examination of the opinions of preschool teachers about preschool learning settings in their schools

Problem Statement: Preschool educational institutions have important roles in terms of maximizing children's development and creativity potential. Preschool educational institutions should provide students with high-quality learning settings by taking into consideration factors such as age, development level, interests and needs. Current research shows that physical conditions, learning settings, equipment and curricula of preschool educational institutions have great impact on the quality of education given to children. To ensure the provision of a high-quality education by preschool educational institutions, learning settings should be regularly monitored to determine their condition and to immediately resolve any problems. This requires the implementation of studies on preschool educational institutions. Such an implementation was a starting point for this paper. Purpose of Study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the opinions of preschool teachers working in formal preschools in Turkey's Ankara Province under the Ministry of National Education about learning settings in their schools. Methods: A descriptive method was used for this study. The study universe was composed of teachers who worked in the official preschools in the Ankara Province of Turkey during the 2005-2006 academic year. The sample group consisted of 180 teachers randomly selected from the study universe. Two tools, the "Personal Information Form" and the "Preschool Learning Setting Check List," formed the data collection tools of the research. Findings and Results: Most of the teachers stated that the learning settings of the preschools where they worked were sufficient in terms of lighting, heating and ventilation systems; hand basins and WCs; height of tables and chairs; damp-free classrooms and healthy flooring. While the teachers found the size of the outside play area to be partially sufficient, they deemed the school garden insufficient in terms of play equipment. A majority of the teachers stated that science and nature, music, and puppet centers were partially sufficient but that the water and sand games and quiet centers were insufficient. Conclusions and Recommendations: Steps should be taken to improve the science and nature, and water and sand games centers. Organizations involved in the improvement of the physical conditions of the formal preschool classrooms should cooperate with each other to speed up improvements. Formal preschools should be allocated a garden used only by preschool students.