Milli Eğitim Bakanlığının katkıları ile 2013 yılında yenilenen Okul Öncesi Eğitim Programı, eğitim akışında kaynaştırma öğrencisine yönelik uyarlamalara önem vermektedir. Bununla beraber üniversitelerin okul öncesi öğretmeni yetiştiren programlarında özel eğitim derslerine yer verilmekte karşılaşabilecekleri kaynaştırma öğrencilerini diğer çocuklarla beraber etkinliklere nasıl dahil etmeleri ile ilgili eğitim verilmektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı okul öncesi öğretmen adaylarının özel eğitim ile ilgili bazı temel kavramlara yönelik görüşlerinin incelenmesidir. Nitel bir araştırma olan bu çalışmaya okul öncesi öğretmenliği bölümünde okuyan toplamda 100 kişi katılmış; katılımcılara özel eğitime yönelik kavramlarla ilgili görüşleri, özel gereksinimli çocuklarla çalışmaya yönelik görüşleri ve uygulama yaptıkları okullardaki kaynaştırma uygulamaları ile ilgili açık uçlu yarı yapılandırılmış sorular sorulmuştur. Yapılan betimsel analiz sonucunda katılımcıların kaynaştırma eğitimi, üstün yetenekli ve üstün zekalı kavramlarına yönelik büyük oranda doğru ve benzer bilgilere sahip olduğu; özel gereksinim kavramı ile ilgili olarak da yanlış bilgilere sahip oldukları bulunmuştur. Katılımcılara göre çalışılması en zor özel gereksinim grubu zihinsel yetersizliği olan çocuklar, en kolayı ise dikkat eksikliği ve hiperaktivitesi olan çocuklardır. Çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçlar programlarındaki özel eğitim derslerinin artırılması, üniversitelerde kaynaştırmaya yönelik uygulamalara yer verilmesi ve daha geniş kapsamlı araştırmalarla alanyazının desteklenmesi önerilmektedir

The Preschool Education Program renewed with the contributions of the Ministry of National Education in 2013 prioritizes participation of mainstreaming students in daily activities. Furthermore, universities’ teacher training programs include special education courses and provide education on how to include mainstreaming students in the activities along with other children. The purpose of this study is to determine preschool teacher candidates’ opinions on some concepts regarding special education. A hundred students who are studying preschool teaching participated in this qualitative study. Participants were asked questions about their opinions on some concepts regarding special education; working with children with special needs and about mainstreaming applications in their schools that they are practising teaching. Results show that the participants have right and similar knowledge of the concepts of mainstreaming, talented and gifted children, and wrong knowledge of the concept of special needs. For the participants, the most difficult special need group to work with is intellectually-disabled children and the easiest group is the children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In accordance with the results of this study it is recommended to increase the number of special education courses in the preschool teaching undergraduate programs, include application courses for mainstreaming in universities and contribute to the literature with more extensive studiesPeople are born with both the same and different specialties. They have common specialties caused by being human and differences caused by being individuals. Everybody has the right to receive proper education opportunities that will enable their existing potential to be used at the top level and that will meet their needs. Early childhood is the most important and the most critical stage when individuals learn the most basic skill in all the development fields. In this stage, all children need to receive a qualified preschool education regardless of the fact that they have special needs or not. Children who experience this type of education process will be luckier in terms of fitting into society, living a quality life and being successful. However, some children may be different from others, regarding innate qualities or other specialties that arise as a result of the situations they have encountered. Being gifted, talented, autism spectrum disorder, visual impairment, orthopedic impairment or similar differences may cause these children with aforementioned specialties to be perceived differently by children who make normal progress due to their special needs. As a result of their special needs that occur from their differences, these children need special education practices. It is important that individuals with special needs are supported in proper education environments by using proper methods and equipment in order to make full use of their existing capacity. Moreover, fulfilling the individuals’ expected roles, responsibilities and developmental tasks depend on benefiting from the most suitable education services that are provided for them. Preschool Education Program that was renewed in 2013 with the contributions of the Ministry of National Education brings forth the participation of the mainstream student in the daily activities. Special education courses and education for future teachers, who can encounter mainstream students in their Professional lives, on how to include these students in activities with the other students are also offered in the programs of universities that bring up preschool teachers. The purpose of this research is determining future preschool teachers’ views on some basic concepts. A total of 100 people, who study in preschool teaching department, joined this qualitative research and eight semi-structured questions were asked to the participants regarding their views on educational concepts, working with children with special needs and mainstreaming practices they use in their schools. The obtained information was analyzed with descriptive analysis method. As a conclusion of the analysis made, it was revealed that the participants generally have correct and similar information regarding mainstreaming education, definitions of gifted and talented children; and wrong information regarding the concept of special need. The majority of the participants’ views on mainstreaming education coincide on children with special needs and children with normal development to receive education together, which is an important quality of the mainstreaming education. The view that has the highest rate amongst the views on the concept of talented children is that these people have more talent than normal, they can do what other people can’t with these talents, they show high achievement in some subjects and that they have a high level of skills. Approximately the 77% of students that take the special education course and that don’t have similar views on this concept. 75% of the participants that take the special education course and 61% of that don’t have described the concept of giftedness as having an intelligence score that is more than normal and having a high IQ. According to the participants, the most difficult special needs group to work with is the children with mental retardation, and the easiest one is the children with attention deficiency and hyperactivity. Working with gifted and talented children was stated as easy by 13%. Students that take and that don’t take the special education course have stated that working with gifted and talented children is easy. It was revealed that those who do not take the special education course don’t find working with gifted or talented children difficult whatsoever. Finally, only eight of the participants have stated that they encountered mainstreaming students in their schools. In addition, they have remarked that the class teacher keeps the children with special needs outside of the activities and do not create proper opportunities for them to participate in these activities with their peers. A certain difference of opinion was deterred amongst students that take special education courses and that don’t, during their undergraduate education. Considering the results obtained from this study; increasing the special education courses in preschool teaching undergraduate program, including practices regarding mainstreaming in universities and supporting the body of literature with more comprehensive researches, is suggested.