The Investigation of the Attitudes of Preservice Pre-School Teachers Towards Distance Education

Abstract

This descriptive survey study was conducted to determine the attitudes of pre-service pre-school teachers towards distance education. 181 pre-service teachers studying at Sinop University and Nigde Omer Halisdemir University Preschool Education Program in the 2020-2021 academic year participated in the study. The Personal Information Form and the Attitudes Towards Distance Education Scale were used as the data collection tools. The pre-service teachers to be included in the study were selected using the convenience sampling method. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data on personal characteristics and pre-service pre-school teachers’ attitudes towards distance education. The t-test was used to determine whether the attitudes of the pre-service teachers towards distance education differ according to the university they study at, technological tool with which students follow the online lessons, and convenience of the environment in which students follow the online lessons; Mann Whitney U test to determine whether it differs according to gender and having internet connection at home; the ANOVA was used to determine whether it differs according to grade level. The results revealed that the attitudes of the pre-service pre-school teachers towards distance education were at a moderate level. As a result of the research, it was found that the technological tool with which students follow the online lessons, and the convenience of the environment in which students follow the online lessons showed a significant difference in the total attitude scores of the pre-service teachers towards distance education; ıt was found that the university they study at, gender, grade level and having an internet connection at home did not show a significant difference.