The Relationship Between the Elementary School Teachers’ Thinking Styles and the Teaching Methods They Use

Abstract

This study aims to determine the relationship between the elementary school teachers’ thinking styles and their teaching methods and investigate the teachers’ thinking styles in relation to their subject area, and gender. The study was carried out with 57 classroom teachers and 44 subject area teachers working in seven elementary schools located in Muğla city in 2009- 2010 school year. For the collection of data, thinking style inventory and teaching methods questionnaire were used. While the highest scores were obtained by the teachers for hierarchic, legistlative, executive thinking styles, the lowest scores were obtained for conservative, oligarchic, local thinking styles. Moreover, their thinking styles do not significantly vary depending on gender and subject area variables (p>.05). Except for legistlative, oligarchic and conservative styles, positive significant correlation was found between their styles and the scores they obtained from teaching methods questionnaire.