Examination of exam anxiety levels of science teacher candidates in the public personnel selection exam

Prospective teachers who have pedagogical formation in their own field take three exams to begin their professional careers in educational institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. These exams include the General Aptitude-General Culture, Educational Sciences, and Teaching Area Knowledge Tests. These exams, which thousands of teacher candidates take every year for their appointments, cause candidates to experience anxiety about the Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS) throughout the appointment process. The purpose of this research is to examine the levels of anxiety in the KPSS among prospective Science Teachers from various perspectives. For this purpose, a cross-sectional survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, has been used. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 73 (60 female, 13 male) prospective science teachers enrolled in the first, second, third, and fourth grades of the Faculty of Education at a state university. In the research, data was collected using the "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher and also the "Public Personnel Selection Exam Anxiety Scale" developed by Karaçanta (2009). The scale consists of 19 items and is rated on a five-point Likert-type scale. For the entire scale consisting of four subscales, the Cronbach's alpha value was calculated as .80. In the initial stage of analyzing the research data, descriptive statistics were calculated to determine the levels of anxiety among prospective science teachers for the Public Personnel Selection Exam (KPSS). These descriptive statistics included mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum value. The candidates' anxiety levels for the KPSS were found to be at a moderate level. In order to understand whether there is a difference in the anxiety levels of prospective science teachers towards the KPSS based on the variables of gender and desire for placement in the educational program, independent samples t-tests were conducted. The study concluded that there was a significant difference in the anxiety levels of candidates for KPSS based on their gender. Subsequently, the study examined whether there were differences in the anxiety levels of prospective science teachers for KPSS based on variables such as class level, type of high school graduated from, preference order for placement in the educational program, alignment of the education received in the program with the content of the KPSS, family income level, the intention to work in a private institution after graduation, and housing situation. Therefore, in cases where the assumption of homogeneity of variances is met, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and LSD analysis were condected to determine significant differences between groups. Additionally, in cases where the assumption of homogeneity of variances is not met, the Brown-Forsythe test was conducted, and Games-Howell analysis was performed to determine significant differences between groups as well. It has been concluded that, in the KPSS, the anxiety levels of prospective science teachers vary significantly based on the type of high school they graduated from. Based on the findings obtained, it is possible to conduct studies that will reduce the anxiety levels of teacher candidates in the KPSS. Furthermore, it may be recommended to make adjustments to the appointment process for teacher candidates eagerly awaiting their appointments. In the study, it has been found that there is a significant difference in the anxiety levels of prospective science teachers in terms of gender variable, with female teacher candidates showing higher levels of anxiety. Additionally, it was concluded that there is a significant differentiation between Anatolian High School and Imam Hatip High School graduates, as well as between Anatolian High School and graduates of other types of high schools, based on the variable of type of high school attended. This study has revealed that the KPSS is significant for prospective science teachers and serves as a process that increases their anxiety levels. Therefore, the research conducted to investigate these issues holds great significance. Based on the results obtained, guidance services can be provided to reduce the anxiety levels experienced by prospective science teachers towards the KPSS. Moreover, the content of the courses offered in the education faculty can be aligned with the content of the KPSS in order to ensure compatibility. Due to the limited distribution of vacancies by subject area, steps can be taken to increase the number of appointments so as to alleviate the anxiety experienced by prospective science teachers who eagerly await their appointments. Additionally, measures can be proposed to alleviate the uncertainty caused by the delayed announcement of the appointment schedule. For instance, scheduling the appointment calendar before the examination can help mitigate the anxiety associated with the KPSS.