Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions of the European Union (EU): A Scale Development Study and Perceptions Levels

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a scale to determine teacher candidates’ perceptions of the European Union (EU). A descriptive survey method was used in the study, and the study group consisted of 908 teacher candidates attending the Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Education in the fall semester of 2021-2022 academic year. The participants were selected using a convenient sampling technique. The Perception Scale of the European Union comprised 20 items and three factors: anxiety, contribution, and culture was employed as the main research tool. The Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency coefficient was calculated for the said scale as .746, which indicated scale reliability. Data were analyzed using percentage, frequency, mean, and standard deviation techniques. Additionally, t-test and ANOVA were performed to identify the differences between samples. The study results showed that the teacher candidates' anxiety levels for the European Union were high, and their perceptions of the “contribution” and “culture” factors were moderate. The analysis of perceptions of the EU and political literacy skills of the participants revealed a significant difference in the “contribution” factor but no significant difference in the “anxiety” and “culture” factors. According to the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the EU and their cultural literacy skills, there was a significant difference in the “culture” factor but no significant difference appeared in the “anxiety” and “contribution” factors.