Prospective Classroom Teachers’ Views on Out-of-School Learning Activities Before and During the Covid-19 Outbreak

Abstract

In the study, the aim was to examine the views of prospective classroom teachers regarding their activities in out-of-school learning environments in face-to-face education before the Covid-19 outbreak and in distance education during the outbreak. The research was carried out in a phenomenological design with 26 prospective classroom teachers. The data were collected with the “Out of School Learning Environments Interview Form”. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The opinions of the prospective teachers were examined under the themes of “teaching process”, “teacher activities” and “application”. Based on the findings obtained within the scope of the research, while the prospective teachers emphasized experiential learning in pre-pandemic practices, they drew attention to the variety of environments in activities during the pandemic. Participants stated that they assume the roles of guiding and transmitting information in learning environments. In planning the activities, they attach importance to the compatibility of the environment with the subject/objectives. In addition, the majority of prospective teachers stated that the practices carried out before the pandemic were applicable. In the research, it is suggested to use out-of-school learning environments with a good planning in line with the aims and possibilities.