Coding practices in early childhood classrooms: A phenomenological study with ECE teachers in Turkey

Seçil Yüceliğit
TED University, Turkey

The aim of the research is to understand in-service and pre-service preschool teachers' perceptions of coding after their lived experiences to develop suggestions regarding incorporating coding practices into early childhood education. The study employed a phenomenological design with a total of 28 pre-service and in-service preschool teachers (19 pre-service and 9 in-service teachers). Data were collected through interviews, focus group meeting, and artefact analysis. Six hours of trainings with in-service and pre-service teachers, both conducted separately by the researcher, introduced the participants to the concept of coding in early childhood and how to apply it to their own educational programs. The perspectives of participants were examined using a thematic approach based on the interviews, focus group meeting, and artefacts (coding activity plans) they generated. The findings can be used as a needs analysis in order to create a framework for coding in early childhood education and to customise activity plans for preschool children that fit the needs of early childhood educators in incorporating coding into their educational programs.
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Authors: Dr Seçil Yüceliğit received her bachelor degree in mathematics from Hacettepe University Department of Mathematics and gained her PhD from Ankara University Child Development and Education Program. She has been conducting research on early childhood mathematics and science education; STEM approach in early childhood education; the integration of instructional technologies in early childhood education and early childhood teacher education. She has several international and national publications, book chapters, conference papers, and seminars on these subjects. She is a member of the Early Childhood Education Program, Faculty of Education, TED University, Turkey (Türkiye). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6886-5997 Email: secil.yucelyigit@tedu.edu.tr Please cite as: Yüceliğit, S. (2023). Coding practices in early childhood classrooms: A phenomenological study with ECE teachers in Turkey. Issues in Educational Research, 33(3), 1250-1270. http://www.iier.org.au/iier33/yucelyigit.pdf