Determining the smart phone use competencies of teacher candidates

The aim of this research is to examine the smartphone competency levels of teacher candidates. In addition, in this study, it was also aimed to examine the differentiation of teacher candidates' smartphone competency according to gender, department of education, class level and smartphone usage year. In the research, general survey method and scale adaptation method, which are one of the quantitative research methods, were used. The sample of the study consisted of 629 teacher candidates studying at Sakarya University and Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Faculty of Education in the 2021-2022 academic year. The data of the study were collected using the Personal Information Form and the scale, originally called The SmartPhone Competency Scale (SPCS), which was adapted into Turkish in this study. SPSS 20.0 package program and AMOS 24.0 program were used while performing the analysis on the research data. In order to determine the normal distribution of the data collected from the participants, the kurtosis and skewness values were examined. As a result of this examination, it was seen that the data had a normal distribution. Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance, Tukey HSD test were performed with the research data. As a result of the analyzes made, it was seen that the SRMR value, one of the model fit values, within the scope of Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the scale, which was adapted into Turkish, had a perfect fit, while the others had an acceptable fit. The Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was found to be α=.893. In other words, it was found that the adapted scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool. When the other findings of the study were examined, it was seen that the smartphone competency of the teacher candidates and all sub-factors were moderate. In addition, it was determined that the smartphone competency of the teacher candidates did not differ significantly according to the gender and the department of education, but differed significantly according to the class level and the year of use of the smartphone.