METHOD
Population and Sample
The study included 180 Turkish college students, all majoring in early
childhood education. The scope of this study is limited to only three
universities (Hacettepe University, Gazi University and Ortadogu Teknik
University), located in Ankara. These institutions were selected for this study,
due to: (a) convenience of their locations for the researcher, (b) adequacy of
their student populations in the numbers and the demographic cross-sectional
of the students, and, (c) positive reactions and supportive attitudes of the
contact persons in these universities whose approval and cooperation were
crucial for the study. Furthermore, these three universities are considered to be
deeply rooted and esteemed educational institutions in Turkey, especially in
comparison to the more recently established institutions.