The Effects of COVID-19 Process on Time Management of Foreign Language Teacher Candidates

Abstract

In this study which was conducted to determine the effects of the COVID-19 process on time management of foreign language teacher candidates, qualitative design was used. The study group was formed by criterion sampling, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods. The criteria determined were for the participants to work, to have pedagogical formation training online, and to have previously had face-to-face training. Accordingly, 35 foreign language teacher candidates participated in the study. A semi-structured interview form consisting of five questions was used to collect the data. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data and themes were reached from the codes. From the data obtained, it was concluded that the plans made about education in the COVID-19 process could not be followed due to the inability to perceive time, the process negatively affected time management as it created psychological pressure and wasted time, this changed the perception of time by making the time to pass quickly, that there were motivation problems arising from the focus and lack of explanations about the lessons and family factors and that time traps related to excessive computer use, watching movies-series, and excessive communication were encountered. At the same time, it was determined that the COVID-19 process has positive effects on preventing wasting time due to the traffic problem, creating a chance for individuals to spend more time for themselves and providing a more flexible studying environment. Regarding the negative effects of the COVID-19 process on time management, it is recommended that teacher candidates, who assume a great responsibility especially in the field of education, receive training on stress coping, distance education and time management in order to avoid or be affected less by the negative effects such as pandemics without field limitation.