Evaluation of extracurricular activities provided by science teachers with regards to various variables

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the gender, years of seniority and age factors on the self-efficacy perceptions among science teachers with regards to Extracurricular Activities (ECA). The study was performed by using the Survey Method. In this context, quantitative data was collected using a seven-item questionnaire consisting five closed-ended and two open-ended questions, and a one-dimensional perception of self-efficay scale developed by the researcher by using sources from the literature. This developed scale was determined to have a Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.83. The study was performed during the spring semester of 2014-2015 with the participation of 120 science teachers working in secondary schools located in different provinces of Turkey. Data analysis was performed using arithmetic mean, standard deviation, the independent t-test, the one way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Post-Hoc analysis, and Tukey HSD analysis. The results of the study demonstrated that the participating teachers exhibited a high perception on their self-efficacy. It was also observed that the teachers' self-efficacy perceptions varied significantly according to the factors age and seniority, while the gender factor did not result in a significant difference in that manner. In addition, it was observed that the main problems encountered by science teachers within the context of ECAs was the "examination system" and "the negative attitude of parents towards ECAs." To solve these problems, the teachers recommended actions such as "changing the examination system in ECAs" and "better informing parents about ECAs."