Increasing Digital Awareness of Pre-service Teachers (An Experimental Research)

Abstract

The skills expected from people have changed in the 21st century. These changing expectations have also influenced the concept of the ideal human profile. Creative thinking, critical thinking, and digital skills are among the skills expected from an ideal person during this period. This transformation is evident in many areas. There is no doubt that education systems that can adapt to digital transformation, especially in the field of education, will be the education systems of the future. Increasing teachers' awareness of digital transformation is essential in this process. Therefore, this study aimed to increase pre-service teachers' awareness of digital transformation. The research utilized a single-group pretest-posttest model from experimental designs. In this context, 30 randomly selected 3rd and 4th grade pre-service teachers studying in the Department of Primary Education were included in the sample. Within the scope of the research, the awareness scale for digital transformation in education developed by Yurdakal (2023b) was used. The scale, consisting of 50 items and 3 dimensions, has an alpha value of 0.957. Within the scope of the research, an 8-week curriculum was prepared. The curriculum was implemented for 8 weeks, with 4 weeks online and 4 weeks face-to-face. Pre-test and post-test data were collected before and after the implementation. During the process, diaries were distributed to the participants, and they were asked to write their thoughts about the entire process. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS 22, and dependent groups were analyzed with the T-test. The qualitative data obtained within the scope of the research were analyzed by content analysis, and codes were obtained and themes were identified by grouping the related codes. The themes were presented with supporting quotations. Looking at the results of the research, it was determined that the participants' post-test awareness of digital transformation (134.96) scores were significantly higher than the pre-test (99.56) scores. In this context, the training process on digital transformation awareness was successful.