An investigation into pre-service teachers’ online learning climate perceptions

Abstract

Starting from the first half of 2020, educational institutions at all levels have had to switch to online education as an emergency solution for the global outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. However, it would hardly be justified to argue that teachers and students were well-prepared for such a swift change. Accordingly, this transformation has resulted in many difficulties for teachers and students along with educational institutions. One of the primary challenges teachers have experienced throughout the process is creating a positive online classroom climate. Thus, the main purpose of the present study is to reveal the online learning climate perceptions of pre-service teachers by adapting and using the Online Learning Climate Scale (OLCS) in Turkish context. In a similar vein, such variables as gender, department or grade level, which may have an influence on the perceptions of pre-service teachers, are also aimed to be disclosed within the study. The research has been conducted with a study group of 348 pre-service teachers. It has been observed that the pre-service teachers’ perceptions on online learning climate are at less than moderate level; therefore, far from satisfactory. Additionally, it has been noted that variables such as the department, grade level and level of digital literacy have an influence on the OLCS perceptions of the pre-service teachers. Finally, the overall results of the study suggest that the skill of creating a positive online learning climate needs to be improved for pre-service teachers via integrating courses into the curriculum of teacher training institutions and organizing subject-specific trainings.