Investigation of the relationship between the perceptions of distance education and attitudes of teacher candidates who experienced the distance education process during the pandemic period

This research was carried out to examine the relationship between the perceptions of distance education and their attitudes towards distance education of the 3rd grade teacher candidates in different branches who experienced the distance education process during the pandemic period. Within the scope of the research, three scales were applied to the teacher candidates in the branches. The study group of the research consists of 283 3rd grade teacher candidates from different branches who are still studying at Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Education in the 2021-2022 academic year. The research is in the nature of descriptive research. In the research, the scanning model was used since it was aimed to see whether the perceptions and attitudes of teacher candidates about distance education differ in terms of concepts such as age, department, and gender. As a data collection tool in the research; "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher by taking expert opinion to obtain information about the demographic characteristics of teacher candidates, "Attitude Scale towards Distance Education" developed by (Ağır, F., 2007) to examine prospective teachers' attitudes towards distance education. The "Distance Education Perception" scale developed by (Gündüz, Y., 2013) was applied by the researcher to determine education perceptions. As a result of the research; When the relationship between the perceptions and attitudes of the students participating in distance education was evaluated, it was observed that there was a highly positive and significant linear relationship between the perception score and the attitude score (r=0.774; p<0.001). In line with the data obtained, the distance education process carried out in our country can be re-evaluated and educational activities can be directed.