Examination of Music Teacher Candidates’ Opinions Regarding Distance Teaching Practice Course during the Pandemic

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to determine the opinions of music teacher candidates in Turkey on distant “Teaching Practice” courses during the Covid-19 pandemic. The participants of the study consist of 27 music teacher candidates, 18 female and nine male, studying in the last year (4th grade) of the music teaching department in the 2020-2021 academic year. The experiences gained in the course, the advantages and disadvantages of the process, the problems encountered and solution suggestions were determined through a semi-structured interview form. The data were analysed by content analysis. Music teacher candidates stated that they learned how to create virtual course content and design material, learned distant classroom and time management, gained the ability to communicate remotely and gained self-confidence. While providing ease/comfort, financial savings, opportunity to repeat the course, ensuring the continuation of education, preventing virus spread, time/place flexibility, strengthening technological know-how, strengthening theoretical knowledge, reducing the excitement factor, and providing remote monitoring were considered as advantages of the distance education process by music teacher candidates, limited communication, unreliable assessment and evaluation, limited time and activities, Not being suitable for applied fields, leading to mental laziness, and lack of sense of reality were considered as disadvantages. Inability to provide classroom management and discipline, ineffective teaching, lack of communication, technical problems, lack of music lesson materials, students’ indifference, and not participating actively in the lesson are encountered in the distance teaching practice course. For the process to be carried out in a better way, music teacher candidates made suggestions such as compulsory attendance, reliable assessment and evaluation, creating micro-groups, diversifying music activities, designing fun activities, course content, and materials, troubleshooting technical problems, cooperation, assessment of students’ requests and attitudes, providing psychological support, and accelerating the transition to face-to-face education.