Author(s): Hasan ÅEKER
The current study aimed to investigate the education and the classroom atmosphere in Turkey from the eye of the Dutch pre-service teachers visiting Turkey. The current study focused on two main questions. These are; How did the Dutch pre-service teachers view the Turkish education system in general before coming to Turkey? , How do they view the learning and teaching process in the class after their visit to Turkey? Before their visit, the Dutch pre-service teachers expressed opinions mostly about structural elements rather than the learning and teaching process in the class. Dutch pre-service teachers, the education system in Holland is student-centered while it is teacher-centered in Turkey. According to the Dutch pre-service teachers, the education system in Holland is student-centered while it is teachercentered in Turkey. The findings of the current study were discussed in relation to behaviors in individualistic and collectivist societies: The effects of cultural environment on the terms “teacher-centered” and “student-centered” frequently emphasized in the current study should not be ignored. Thus, one of the reasons why the emphasis put on approaches putting the individual into the center in the official curriculums cannot find reflection in practice should be sought in the habits of collectivist tradition and difficulties involved in the implementation of individualistic paradigms.
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