An investigation of social studies teachers' self-efficacy perceptions toward spatial technologies: A case study of Tokat province

In this study, a series of variables influencing social studies teachers' self-efficacy beliefs towards spatial technologies were examined. This research is a quantitative study conducted on 190 social studies teachers working in the province of Tokat. The purpose of the study is to measure teachers' self-efficacy perceptions towards spatial technologies. In the research, data regarding teachers' demographic information and their perceptions of spatial technologies were systematically collected using a survey model. Simple random sampling was used as a sampling method. With this method 190 teachers were chosen randomly and teachers' information such as graduation field, gender, professional seniority, age, marital status, parenthood status, working region, participation in geographic information systems (GIS) courses, participation in cartography courses, the amount of time spent on the computer per week for lesson preparation, their comfort in using spatial technologies, the frequency of using these technologies in the classroom, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of technologies in teaching were evaluated. The data collected after the survey were analysed using the SPSS statistical program, and findings regarding teachers' self-efficacy perceptions towards spatial technologies were obtained. When examining the research findings, it was observed that variables such as graduation field, years of seniority, marital status, and parenthood status did not have an effect on social studies teachers' self-efficacy beliefs towards spatial technologies. However, significant differences in self-efficacy beliefs among teachers were observed concerning variables such as gender, age, working region, participation in GIS courses, participation in cartography courses, and the amount of time spent on the computer for lesson preparation. It was observed that teachers working in urban areas had higher self-efficacy beliefs compared to teachers working in rural areas. Similarly, teachers who received Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training had higher self-efficacy beliefs compared to those who did not receive such training. When examining the variable of taking a course in cartography and mapping, it was found that teachers who took this course had higher self-efficacy beliefs compared to those who did not. To increase teachers' self-efficacy beliefs towards spatial technologies, it is recommended to organize training sessions and seminars, enhance technological resources, and establish mentorship and sharing platforms.