Multi-grade teaching has attracted much attention internationally including its potential benefits and limitations. The foci of research involded literacy and text analysis in primary school views on multi-grade teaching, the design of multi-grade teaching and enactment of multi-grade teaching (Aikman & Pridmore, 2001; Blease & Condy, 2014; Brown, 2010). Moreover, multi-grade teaching is commonly employed to address educational challenges and provide efficient education (Brunswic and Valerien 2004). Implementations and enhancement about multi grade teaching course and pre service primary school teachers were not included in these studies.

Considering a lack of research with pre-service primary school teachers, this research addresses a gap to better understand multi-grade teaching practices. Berry (2001) also argues that it is necessary to analyse what methods and strategies the multi-grade teachers employ in practice. In order to achieve this, this case study compared pre-service primary school teachers’ experiences with multi-grade teaching in the 2018-2019 academic year. It is included analysing students’ practices within the multi-grade teaching course offered as an elective course in the Initial Teacher Education programme.

This study is based on a social constructivist (Adams, 2007) epistemology. Pre service primary school teachers construct their understandings of multigrade teaching from their own experiences and perceptions. This study aims to highlight the pre-service primary school teachers’ practices to contribute the multi grade teaching course. This will be achieved by exploring pre-service teachers lesson plans, observations and learning proecess.

The research sought answers to the following research questions:

•   What kind of lesson plans do preservice teachers develop and execute within the scope of the course “Multi-Grade Teaching”?

•   What are preservice teachers’ observations of multi-grade teachers in schools?

•   What do multi-grade teachers think about multi-grade learning processes?

This qualitative research was designed as a case study as it is a purposefull method for studies seeking to find out the “what,” “how,” and “why” of a phenomenon (Yin 2018, p. 40). The sample consisted of 17 fourth-year students in primary education department (13 women and four men) and from 12 schools in a city in the eastern part of Turkey. Participants were recruited using criterion sampling. The main objective of criterion sampling is to elicit as much information as possible about a phenomenon in question (Patton 2014). The inclusion criteria for the pre-service teachers were as follows: (1) taking the multi-grade teaching course, (2) having prepared a lesson plan, and (3) having agreed to participate in the study. The preservice teachers observed voluntary multi-grade teachers in real-life classrooms (at least one). Data were collected from the preservice teachers’ lesson plans (for natural sciences, mathematics, Turkish, social studies, and life sciences lessons), observations, and views of their observations. Using more than one data collection tool improves credibility (Glesne 2014). Participants’ documents, field observations, and views were used to ensure data diversity. The preservice teachers’ observations and evaluations of the multi-grade teachers’ performance provided data diversity on multi-grade teaching.

Findings suggested that pre-service teachers’ lesson plans appealed to different grade levels of the same subject whereas they had some challenges when it came to teach different subjects at the same time. It occured that this challange raised due to a lack of competence in interdiscilpinary teaching approaches. For different grade levels, they attempted to make links between life sciences with social studies, social studies with natural sciences, mathematics with Turkish, and life sciences with math. They had activities for all groups in their “same subject-different grades” lesson plans, while they had activities for one grade level and homework assignments for the other in their “different subject-different grades” lesson plans. This reitarates that pre-service teachers didn’t feel competent in interdisciplinary approach and planning and designing when it comes to teaching different subjects for different grade levels at the same time. This might be related a lack of preparation and guidance provided through the Initial Teacher Education programmes. More specifically, “Multi-Grade Teaching” is a theoretical course that lacks activities that integrate different age groups and different disciplines. Hence, this research has implications to teacher education and suggests that the faculties of education should offer activities that encourage students to develop an interdisciplinary perspective and collaborate in multi-grade teaching. Moreover, The Ministry of Education and the faculties of education should collaborate to develop more practice based teacher education programmes. Although the study findings evaluating for Turkey, it could be consider on an international dimension. It might be an important enhancment for studies on differantiations in classrooms and Initial Teacher Education programme.

Adams, P. (2006). Exploring social constructivism: theories and practicalities. Education 3-13 International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 34(3), 243-257, DOI: 10.1080/03004270600898893 Aikman, S., & Pridmore, P. (2001). Multigrade schooling in ‘remote’ areas of Vietnam. International Journal of Educational Development, 21, 521–536. doi:10.1016/S0738-0593(01)00012-8 Berry, C. (2001). Achievement effects of multigrade and monograde primary schools in the Turks and Caicos Islands. International Journal of Educational Development, 21, 537–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0738-0593(01)00014-1 Blease, B., & Condy, J. (2014). What challenges do foundation phase teachers experience when teaching writing in rural multigrade classes?. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 4 (2), 36-56. doi:10.4102/SAJCE.V4I2.203 Brown, B. A. (2010). Teachers' accounts of the usefulness of multigrade teaching in promoting sustainable human-development related outcomes in rural south africa. Journal of Southern African Studies, 36(1), 189-207. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057071003607428 Brunswic, E., & Valerien, J. (2004). Multi-grade schools: Improving access in rural Africa?. Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000136280/PDF/136280eng.pdf.multi Glesne, C. (2014). Nitel araştırmaya giriş (Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction) (Trans. Eds. A. Ersoy & P. Yalçınoğlu). Ankara: Anı Yayıncılık. Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). USA: California.