Science teachers' perceptions of competence towards the use of information and communication technologies in the COVID-19 process and their views on distance education

In the study, it was aimed to determine the perceptions of proficiency in the use of information and communication technologies and their views on distance education of science teachers who gave distance education during the covid-19 process. The sample group of this research, in which mixed research method was used, consists of 128 science teachers who conducted distance education in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. "Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Sufficiency Perception Scale" developed by Şad and Nalçacı (2015) and a semi-structured interview form developed by Bakioğlu and Çevik (2020) were used as data collection tools in the research. The scale of perception of ICT competence consists of a 30-item five-point Likert-type questionnaire. The semi-structured interview form, on the other hand, consists of 4 sections with open-ended and multiple choice questions. The Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale used in the study was found to be 0,96. The analysis of the quantitative data was made using the SPSS 23 package program and the qualitative data were made using content analysis techniques. According to the findings obtained from the research, the proficiency perceptions of the science teachers towards using ICT were determined as "adequate". In the comparison made according to gender, school type, location of schools, years of seniority, in-service training and age variables, there is a significant difference in terms of age, while proficiency in using ICT in terms of gender, school type, location of schools, years of seniority and in-service training variables. There was no significant difference between their perceptions. When the views of the teachers on distance education were examined, it was revealed that the teachers mostly had problems with technological tools and communication in the process. In addition, teachers conducted their lessons mostly from home in this process and stated that they used many new teaching materials in their lessons compared to traditional teaching methods. However, they stated that not being able to reach the students and lack of communication caused them anxiety. Science teachers stated that distance education affects their professional development positively and their professional satisfaction is negatively affected. Especially since they discovered educational technologies in this process, they expressed distance education as the positive side of the process in this respect. This statement also supports the adequate level of perceptions towards the use of ICT. It was concluded that their attitudes towards their profession were positively affected by this process. Finally, the science teachers stated that they would work with students on psychological support, group activities and make-up training when the pandemic is over. Keywords: Distance Education, science teachers, ınformation and communication technologies.