Developing the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale in the Use of ICT at Home for Pre-school Distance Education During Covid-19

Distance education has added a different dimension to the change in the use of ICT (information and communication technologies) in the early childhood education paradigms in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes before and during the pandemic will also affect education in the post-pandemic period and this is why research in teachers’ ICT use, competencies, and self-efficacy has become a priority. The theoretical foundations of the scale developed to measure preschool teachers’ ICT self-efficacy in distance education were based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Accordingly, this study employed a survey method based on quantitative research. This study utilized two different study groups: the first was the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) study group (N = 270), and the second was the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) study group (N = 275). A total of 555 preschool teachers volunteered to participate in the study. Exploratory Factor Analysis of the data set showed that the scale comprised three factors: information, communication, and technology. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the scale’s factors according to the fit index values on a different sample. The reliability analysis of the scale showed all factors to be reliable. After scale development phases and statistical analyses, it was determined that the teacher self-efficacy scale for the use of ICT at home is a valid and reliable measurement tool. The structure and results of the scale that was developed were compared with the results of different studies and discussed.