Examining the effect of physical education and sports teachers' attitudes towards information and communication technologies on the teaching profession

Aim: This study aims to determine the attitudes of Physical Education and Sports teachers toward Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and to examine the relationship between their ICT attitudes and professional attitudes toward the teaching profession. Material and Method: The research was conducted using a relational survey design. Two data collection tools were used: the Attitude Scale Toward the Teaching Profession and the Turkish-adapted Attitude Scale Toward Information and Communication Technologies. The study population consisted of Physical Education and Sports teachers (n = 4216) working on both the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. The sample included 376 teachers selected through random sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22. Normality was examined through the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test and skewness–kurtosis values. Parametric tests were applied to normally distributed groups, while non-parametric tests were used for comparisons involving multiple groups. The significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05. Correlation analyses were conducted between the scales. Findings: The findings revealed a low but positive correlation between ICT attitude scores and the sub-dimensions of the teaching profession attitude scale, including value, professional burnout, and indifference. A moderate positive correlation was identified between ICT attitudes and openness to professional development (r = 0.388, p<0.01). Conclusion: ICT attitudes significantly predicted teachers' professional attitude scores (p <0.05). Overall, positive and meaningful relationships were observed between teachers' ICT attitudes and their professional attitudes. Keywords: Sports, Sports Technologies, Physical Education and Sports, Teaching Profession