TEACHER CANDIDATES’ PERSPECTIVES ON CRITERIA TO CREATE A DEMOCRATIC ATMOSPHERE IN THE CLASSROOM

Democracy is a form of life. in order to adopt democratic values and accept democracy as a part of the culture, individuals need to take an active role in the process of democratization. in order to teach students democracy teachers should create a democratic atmosphere in the classroom. the purpose of the current study is to present perspectives of teacher candidates on adopting democracy and creating a democratic atmosphere in the class. according to research findings, many of the teacher candidates are open to creating such an atmosphere to teach their students democracy. however, some of the candidates stated that they face anti-democratic attitudes of the society and the society did not gain democratic consciousness fully yet.