The effect of attitudes towards distance education of academicians working in the field of sport sciences on psychological comfort levels

Globalization and its resulting transformation have moved many fields of work into the digital realm. Certainly, education is not exempt from being affected by this process. In this context, traditional teaching methods have given way to online education preferences. However, the global pandemic that has enveloped the world and the essential lifestyle changes it has brought about have transformed online education from a preference to a necessity. This research has been designed within the framework of the relational survey model, which is a quantitative research method. The study investigates the impact of the attitudes of academics working in the field of Sports Sciences on their psychological comfort levels regarding distance education. The population of the research consists of 2382 academics serving in the faculties of sports sciences at universities, while the sample is comprised of 410 academics selected randomly. The data collection instrument used in the research consists of three sections. In the first section, a researcher-prepared personal information form was employed, while the second section utilized the "Attitude Scale towards Distance Education," and the third section involved the use of the "Psychological Comfort Scale." Percentage and frequency values of the data were determined, and statistical analyses such as Independent Sample T-test for binary groups, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for multiple groups, and the Tukey test for identifying intergroup differences were conducted. Pearson correlation test was employed to examine the relationship between the two scales, and linear regression tests were utilized to explore the impact between the scales. When academic scholars in the field of sports sciences are associated with the process of distance education, it is observed that their psychological comfort levels exhibit a positive but relatively modest impact, with this effect being at a rate of 3.6%. Accordingly, as the attitudes of academics toward distance education increase, an observable increase in their psychological comfort levels has been noted. The limited impact on psychological comfort levels may be explained by academics experiencing the distance education process as a new phenomenon. It is anticipated that the psychological comfort of academics may increase proportionally with the widespread adoption of the distance education process, transforming it into a habitual behavior.