Abstract:

The aim of this study is to determine the digital competencies of pre-service special education teachers. A total of 192 pre-service special education teachers who are studying in special education teaching programs of universities affiliated to the Higher Education Institution in various provinces of Turkey participated in the study. 111 of the participants were female and 82 were male. In the study designed with a single survey model, data were collected with the Personal Information Form and the Basic Digital Competencies Scale for University Students. The data were collected through Microsoft Forms and analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnow (K-S) Test. It was determined that the digital competencies of pre-service special education teachers were at a medium level. While there was no significant difference between the participants' digital competencies and gender and age, it was found that there was a significant difference between grade level, graduated high school and the status of receiving a training to develop digital competencies. It was determined that 4th grade pre-service special education teachers who participated in the study had more digital competencies than 1st grade pre-service special education teachers. It was determined that those who had previously received a training to develop digital competencies had more digital competencies than those who had not. In order for pre-service special education teachers to catch up with the age, it is recommended that they attend seminars on the development of digital competencies and the use of digital resources, follow and participate in training opportunities such as distance education, web browsing, web seminars, etc.

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