Investigation Of Teachers’ Perceptions Of “Communication Overload” Related To Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the level of “communication overload” perceived by teachers during Covid-19 pandemic. To this end, firstly, the measurement tool, originally called “Communication Overload Scale”, was adapted to Turkish in Covid-19 pandemic context to reveal teachers’ perceptions. The study employed single screening model and online data collection. The data was collected from three different groups. Data collected from the first study group (n=150) was used for exploratory factor analysis of the scale; the second study group (n=155) for confirmatory factor analysis and data from third study group (n=211) was used for the descriptive statistics. The findings of the current study are as follows: the measurement tool adapted to Turkish as the “Teachers’ Perceived Communication Overload Related to Covid-19 Pandemic” had adequate psychometric properties in which eight items loading on a single factor. Teachers “sometimes” perceived overload in organizational communication. The level of perceived communication overload did not show a statistically significant difference by gender, school level and teaching experience. It can be said that the findings have important implications for school administrators leading the communication of educational organizations. The scale which was used in this study can be exploited in further studies associating it with work performance, job satisfaction, psychological well-being, professional burnout, school effectiveness, etc.