Relationship between candidates' technopedagogical field knowledge levels and their commitment to the curriculum

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the levels of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) of final-year students studying in education faculties and their commitment to the curriculum, in terms of variables such as gender, department, university, duration of technology use, and technology use skills. A correlational survey model was used in the study. The population consists of final-year students enrolled in the education faculties of Siirt, Muş Alparslan, and İnönü Universities, located in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions. The sample, determined using the convenience sampling method, consists of a total of 525 teacher candidates. The data collection tool used was the 51-item 5-point Likert-type "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPAB) Scale" developed by Horzum, Akgün, and Öztürk (2014) and the 20-item 5-point Likert-type "Commitment to the Curriculum Scale" developed by Yaşaroğlu and Manav (2015) were used as data collection tools. The obtained data were analyzed using independent groups t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson Moment Correlation analysis through the SPSS program. According to the results of the analyses, a significant relationship was observed between the levels of technological pedagogical content knowledge and commitment to the curriculum of teacher candidates according to various variables. The findings revealed that female students had significantly higher levels of content knowledge and commitment to the curriculum than male students. When evaluated in terms of departments, significant differences were observed in the dimensions of field knowledge, technology field knowledge, pedagogical field knowledge, and commitment to the curriculum. In terms of the university they attended, it was found that students from Muş Alparslan University had higher averages than other students. It was observed that students who were inclined to use technology had a positive attitude toward the curriculum. The relationship between technopedagogical subject knowledge and commitment to the curriculum showed significant differences in all dimensions and had a positive correlation with other sub-dimensions. Based on the findings obtained from the analyses, various recommendations have been developed for final-year education faculty students. Conducting studies involving more than one department and working with different sample groups in different fields will be beneficial in reaching more general conclusions. When implementing teaching programs, utilizing technology and increasing the likelihood of benefiting from courses can be enhanced by supporting them with TPAB.