General Introduction

The Primary Teacher Education Undergraduate Program, offered within the Faculty of Education at Süleyman Demirel University, is a four-year undergraduate program that aims to equip prospective teachers who will serve at the first stage of primary education (grades 1–4) with robust subject matter knowledge, pedagogical formation, research skills, and digital competencies. The program integrates theoretical knowledge and school-based practice in a balanced manner. It began its educational activities in the 2014–2015 academic year, and its current structure has been aligned with the Turkish Higher Education Qualifications Framework (TYYÇ) Level 6 undergraduate qualifications, the Twelfth Development Plan, the Strategic Plan of Süleyman Demirel University, the Ministry of National Education (MEB) General Competencies for the Teaching Profession, and the current MEB curricula.

The primary objective of the program is to train primary school teachers who are committed to the principles and reforms of Atatürk, have internalized national, spiritual, and universal values, possess strong subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, can design effective instruction in both classroom and digital learning environments, think critically and creatively, are open to collaboration, and adopt lifelong learning as a guiding principle. Within this framework, students are provided with a strong academic and professional foundation in areas such as child development and learning psychology, principles and methods of instruction, measurement and evaluation, classroom management, instructional technologies and material design, primary school curricula, and discipline-specific subject teaching (Turkish, mathematics, science, life studies, social studies, religious culture and ethics, foreign language, arts, and play/physical activities). Furthermore, through the courses of school experience and teaching practice, this knowledge base is reinforced in real classroom settings.