Examining the relationship between preeschool teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge self-efficacy and their occupational professionalism

The general aim of this study is to present the relationship between preschool teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge self-sufficiency and their professional competence. The population of the research consists of 10,414 preschool teachers working in schools/institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Istanbul during the 2022-2023 academic year. The sample of the research is comprised of 266 teachers randomly selected among preschool teachers working in public/private schools/institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education (MEB) in Istanbul during the 2022-2023 academic year. Snowball sampling method was preferred in the selection of these teachers. The selected data collection sources of this study are "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Scale" developed by Horzum, Akgün, and Öztürk (2014), the "Teachers' Professionalism Scale" developed by Yılmaz and Altınkurt (2014), and the "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher to determine the participants' demographic characteristics. In this study, the correlational survey model, which is one of the various research methods used to determine whether there is a relationship between two or more variables. (Karasar, 2007) is utilized. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the statistical analysis package program. The relationships between teachers' professional competence and technological pedagogical content knowledge were examined through correlational analysis. The results indicated that there were moderate positive relationships between preschool teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge self-sufficiency and sub-dimensions of professional competence. Additionally, independent samples' technological pedagogical content knowledge and professional competence sub-dimensions were examined in great detail via t-test and one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) methods with regards to participants' demographic characteristics. All results were discussed in light of findings in literature.