Research Article
Marina A. Zhukova, Sergei P. Zhdanov, Tatiana A. Baklashova, Natalya Y. Garnova, Olga V. Pashanova, Irina I. Kruse, Albina R. Shaidullina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 4, Article No: ep607
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable instrument that measures pre-service teachers’ readiness and attitudes towards online teaching practice. The sample of the study consisted of 411 pre-service teachers studying at a Russian university. 87.7% of the participants were female and 12.3% were male. When the age groups are analyzed, the 18-19 age group is 33.3%, the 20-21 age group is 32%, the 22-23 age group is 22.9% and the 24 and over age group is 11.8%. 83.2% of the participants had previous online teaching experience. During the scale development process, expert opinion was obtained and validity and reliability analyses were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the scale had a three-factor structure: online teaching self-efficacy (11 items), online professional support and collaboration (8 items), and attitude towards online teaching and perception of development (5 items). This three-factor structure explained 67.1% of the total variance. The reliability coefficients of the scale ranged between 0.841 and 0.956 for the sub-dimensions. As a result of the latent profile analysis, the participants were categorized into six different profiles: competent and enthusiastic group (37%), high performance group (20%), collaboration-focused group (1%), moderate adaptation group (29%), low motivation group (4%), and open to development group (10%). The findings show that the developed scale is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess pre-service teachers’ online teaching readiness and attitudes.
Keywords: online practicum, teacher education, scale development, readiness, attitudes, digital society
Research Article
Filomachi Spathopoulou, Konstantinos M. Pitychoutis, Stavros Papakonstantinidis
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 4, Article No: ep600
ABSTRACT
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education, impacting pedagogical practices, administrative processes, and faculty engagement with technology. While AI holds promise to enhance learning and streamlining operations, its adoption remains complex and debated. This study examines faculty perceptions of AI integration, focusing on factors such as teaching experience, institutional context, and disciplinary specialization. Using a quantitative survey, the research explores AI engagement across institutions and disciplines, analyzing how demographic factors influence adoption. Findings suggest that junior faculty and those in technology-driven environments demonstrate higher AI confidence and adoption, whereas senior faculty engage in AI leadership yet express skepticism about its pedagogical applications. Disciplinary differences reveal that faculty in content-based fields view AI as a teaching tool, while those in applied disciplines utilize it more strategically for administrative and leadership functions. The study also addresses ethical and institutional challenges, including concerns over data privacy, algorithmic bias, and institutional readiness. By identifying these barriers, the research highlights strategies for fostering AI literacy, professional development, and ethical implementation in higher education. This study contributes to the discourse on AI in academia by presenting an educator-centered perspective, bridging the gap between technological advancement and pedagogical practice. The findings provide academic leaders and policymakers with insights on creating AI-inclusive environments that align with faculty needs, uphold ethical standards, and enhance student learning outcomes.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, faculty perceptions, pedagogical practices, AI adoption, ethical challenges, institutional readiness
Research Article
Tsedevsuren Danzan, Uyanga Sambuu, Myagmargarmaa Chuluunbat, Turbat Avkhinsukh, Erkhbayar Sandag
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 3, Article No: ep586
ABSTRACT
Information and communication technology (ICT) can be effectively used in education and training to improve the quality of classroom learning, to encourage student creativity, to expand student collaboration and to introduce innovation to education rather than as a tool for delivering learning content. This document aims to determine and evaluate the ICT readiness of teachers at secondary education schools in Mongolia. One thousand nine hundred seventeen teachers from more than 150 secondary schools participated in the survey. This study aimed to evaluate five skills of teachers: (1) the assessment of teachers’ ICT application competence, (2) the review of ICT competencies in teaching and learning, (3) the duration of ICT usage in lessons, (4) classroom setup, and (5) the use of ICT to support the learning of children with disabilities. An online survey was conducted using the UNESCO ICT readiness survey questionnaire. In this questionnaire, subject matters such as the teacher’s general information; the use of ICT in education; the school’s ICT infrastructure; ICT at the level of education policy; teachers’ ICT skills; ICT used in teaching-learning; organization and management; and teachers’ professional skills were included. A total of 1,917 teachers attended the survey, about 7% of the total number of secondary school teachers in Mongolia. Of these, 32 percent (608 teachers) were aimag center schools, 0. 2 percent (5 teachers) were teachers, 42 percent (809 teachers) were the capital city and 26 percent (495 teachers) were soum teachers. The research shows that secondary school teachers are ready to use ICT daily. Teachers are interested in improving their technology, ICT-related pedagogical knowledge, and skills to effectively use ICT and digital technologies in their teaching and learning activities. Therefore, acquiring the knowledge and skills to implement ICT in the curriculum in teacher training and teacher professional development programs is necessary.
Keywords: information and communication technology, ICT readiness, use of ICT in training, ICT knowledge and skills of teachers, Mongolia
Research Article
Gulten Genc, Muhammed Nazif Kutlu, Ozge Kirmizibayrak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep501
ABSTRACT
In recent years, the widespread use of online learning environments and tools, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought students’ readiness for online learning and their ability to manage their own learning processes to the fore. This study aims to investigate the online learning readiness (OLR) and self-directed learning skills of English language learners at a state university in Turkey. For this purpose, a cross-sectional, descriptive study methodology was employed. The study group consisted of 202 randomly selected first-year volunteer students. An information form and two scales were used to collect data. Additionally, the effects of some demographic factors on EFL students’ OLR and self-directed learning skills were also investigated. The results of the study revealed that university students have a moderate level of self-directed learning and readiness to learn in the online environment. As another result of the study, it was determined that various independent variables had an impact on the participants’ OLR levels. In parallel with the findings of the study, some pedagogical strategies were discussed and suggested.
Keywords: readiness for online learning, self-directed learning, English as a foreign language, higher education, technology in education
Research Article
Amka Amka, Juhriyansyah Dalle
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep334
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 had a disastrous impact on the education sector resulting in a boom of online learning systems. This shift has severely impacted the underprivileged students with special needs due to the sudden implementation of prolonged distance learning. Thus, it creates an immense need to analyze distance learning media’s effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic for students with special needs. The E-learning readiness and satisfaction of special needs students are scarcely investigated areas in education and e-learning literature. Established on the community of inquiry (COI) model, this study aims to determine the factors that underpin students’ satisfaction with their e-learning experience through the mediated mechanism of students online learning readiness. Surveying 178 special needs students from various Indonesian universities revealed that teaching presence, cognitive and social presence, and content quality, directly and indirectly, influence e-learning satisfaction. This extended and more comprehensive model would help educators better understand e-learning’s use as an effective pedagogical platform, especially in the context of special needs students. Key policy implications and directions for future research are suggested.
Keywords: community of inquiry model, content quality, online learning readiness, students’ cognitive presence, social presence, students’ satisfaction with e-learning experience, teaching presence
Research Article
Kasim Karatas, Ibrahim Arpaci
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep300
ABSTRACT
This study investigated role of the self-directed learning skills, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences in predicting readiness for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 21st Century Skills and Competences Scale, Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and Readiness for Online Learning Scale were used to collect data from 834 prospective teachers. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicated that self-directed learning skills, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences positively predict prospective teachers’ readiness for online learning. These findings suggested that enhancing prospective teachers’ self-directed learning, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences may promote their readiness for online learning.
Keywords: self-directed learning, metacognitive awareness, 21st century skills, readiness for online learning, teacher education
Research Article
Emanuel Fokides
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 190-205
ABSTRACT
When coming to school for the first time, children might face a number of adjustment problems. The study presents the results of a project which used digital storytelling for helping first-grade primary school students during this transitional period. It was examined whether, through the development of the digital stories, students could understand how the school functions and whether this process helped them to change their attitudes and behaviors, thus achieving a smoother adaptation to the school environment. Students’ active participation and behavioral modeling to enhance positive behaviors provided the theoretical basis. Due to the students' young age, their teachers functioned as their "hands", executing their instructions when developing the stories. At the same time, however, they indirectly guided them to certain key-points that had to be highlighted, without openly lecturing them. Observations and interviews with the classes' teachers and with the students that presented significant adaptation problems were used for data collection purposes. The results are considered satisfactory. Adaptation issues ceased to pose a significant problem and the overall classes' climate was improved. Finally, due to the project's short duration, it can be applied relatively easily, without altering the school’s timetable.
Keywords: Digital storytelling, School readiness, School adjustment, Modeling, Constructivism