EXAMINING PRESERVICE PRESCHOOL TEACHERS’ PROCESSES OF DESIGNING OPEN-ENDED MATERIALS

Abstract

This study examined how preservice preschool teachers developed open-ended materials from initial ideas to final products under shared time and material constraints. A qualitative case study design was used with 16 fourth-year preservice preschool teachers at a public university in eastern Türkiye. Participants individually designed a material for children aged 4–6 within 45 minutes using a common pool of recyclable and complementary materials. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, researcher notes, and photographs of the final products and analyzed through content analysis. Findings showed that design ideas were mainly shaped by pedagogical and developmental needs, play and active participation, reinterpretation of familiar designs, and transformation of available materials. During the process, participants added new functions, revised product structures, changed initial ideas, and improved mechanical features. The main difficulties concerned cutting and joining materials, ensuring durability and balance, and operating moving parts; participants responded through reinforcement, alternative materials, measurement, alignment, and trial and error. Although the materials were viewed as multifunctional and creative, the findings also indicated that multifunctionality did not always ensure child-led open-endedness. The study highlights the value of process-oriented material design experiences in preschool teacher education.