Adaptation of the Approaches to Teaching Inventory into Turkish and Analysis of Turkish Academics’ Approaches to Their Own Teaching

Abstract

The aim of this research is to adapt the Approaches to Teaching Inventory into Turkish culture and analyze the teaching approaches of academics working at education faculties in terms of various variables. In the light of this aim, two subsequent sub studies were conducted. In the first phase of the study, the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) was adapted to Turkish culture. During the adaptation phase, language equivalence was analyzed both through interviews conducted with foreign language experts and through the correlation scores between the original and the Turkish forms. Results of the confirmatory factor analysis which was conducted on data gathered from 140 academics working at 35 different education faculties in Turkey confirmed the two-factor model of ATI as student centered and teacher centered. Reliability studies of ATI were carried out through Cronbach α, and McDonald ω coefficients and results revealed that ATI has the appropriate psychometric properties to be used in Turkish studies. In the second phase of the study, 185 academics working at 31 different education faculties were reached and their teaching approaches were analyzed based on the level of the course, number of students in their classes, their academic titles, and seniority variables. As a result of the analysis, it was found that academics adopted a more teacher-focused approach to teaching at undergraduate level courses whereas they adopted a more student-focused approach to teaching at graduate level courses. It was also found in terms of class size that academics adopted a more teacher-focused approach to teaching when the class size exceeded 20 students. In addition, in terms of academic titles, associate professors adopted a more student focused teaching approach compared to lecturer doctors and research assistant doctors. Moreover, a negative and weak relationship was found between seniority and teacher focused approach to teaching.