Examination of the relationship between the attitudes of teacher candidates towards technology and their opinions of distance education

Abstract

The study aims to determine possible relationships between the opinions of teacher candidates regarding distance education, and their attitudes toward the technology used in distance education courses. A quantitative research approach structured in a descriptive and relational survey model was used in the research. 81 teacher candidates studying in three different departments participated in the study. Non-parametric statistics were used to analyze the data, and Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman-Brown correlation analysis were employed. The results revealed that there is a positive and moderately significant relationship between the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards technology and their opinions of the distance education process. It has also been determined that there is a positive and moderate relationship between the opinions of teacher candidates in regard to the sub-dimensions of the scale of the distance education process evaluation (levels of accessibility, usability, attitude, technological facilities, and self-efficacy) and their attitudes towards technology. These findings implicate that educators teaching online learners should consider the characteristics of their learners and make decisions regarding the teaching and learning process to create the optimal learning environment.

Keywords

• Distance education
• Teacher candidates
• Learning management system

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