Effects of Face To Face and E-Learning Trainings on Improving In-Service Teachers Educational Internet Use Self-Efficacy Beliefs

Abstract

The study aimed to find out the effects of face to face and e-learning trainings for improving teachers’ educational Internet use self-efficacy beliefs (EIUSEB) and determine the suitable approaches to be used in the future to improve teachers’ EIUSEB. The sample consisted of 16 teachers from various disciplines — 8 teaching face-to-face and 8 teaching online who voluntarily participated and working in high schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Turkey, Sakarya. This study had a pre-test-posttest matched control group quasi-experimental design within the subject limitation of the study. The “EIUSEB Scale for High School Teachers” developed by Akgün, Topal and Duman (2017) was used as the data collection instrument. Moreover, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the teachers participating in the experimental process. According to the results of the analysis, the both teaching approaches enhanced the self-efficacy beliefs of the participants to use the Internet in teaching and learning processes. However, the face-to-face training was found to be more preferable by the participants, to increase the participants’ EIUSEB gain scores more than the online training. During the interviews, the participants recommended that the professional development trainings should (1) be given in an informal structure, (2) be practice-oriented and (3) given during the school seminars, and that (4) the e-learning platform should be usable by mobile devices, and its content should be more video-based. It is also suggested that self-efficacy beliefs be seen as one of the indicators of quality in education for tapping into teachers’ Internet integration to teaching and learning processes.