| Abstrakt: |
This study aims to identify the training needs of teacher candidates in social-emotional competencies. The study has a convergent parallel design in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed during the same phase, and the two sets of results were subsequently merged into an overall interpretation. The qualitative data were obtained through unstructured interviews with 15 academicians selected using convenient sampling, and these data were analyzed through descriptive analysis. The quantitative data were analyzed using the mean scores of the responses to the scenariobased questionnaire administered to 161 teacher candidates selected using convenient sampling. According to the qualitative data analysis, the academicians stated that the social-emotional competencies teacher candidates should own are communication, empathy, selfawareness, and problem-solving competencies, followed by selfmanagement, taking responsibility, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, cooperation, and decision-making competencies. Quantitative data on the mean scores obtained from the answers of the teacher candidates to the scenarios showed low self-knowledge and responsible decisionmaking competencies and high relationship skills, self-management, and social awareness competencies. When the qualitative data from the interviews and the quantitative data from the scenario-based questionnaire results were interpreted together, it was found that the social-emotional competencies identified by the academics were similar to the needs of teacher candidates in terms of socialemotional competencies. It is recommended that social-emotional competencies be supported by integrating lessons on these competencies in teacher training programs, extra-curricular activities, or curriculum development studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
