An examination on the views of preschool teachers on the use of social media for professional development

Abstract

Social media creating a feeling of freedom in getting news, providing rapid access to information, and transforming its users into content producers in line with its usage purposes is a source of inspiration for many individuals from many professional fields. After the pandemic pandemic, teachers are among the user profiles that actively use social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the views of preschool teachers on the use of social media for professional development. The research was designed with the qualitative research method and case study. The sample of this study consists of twenty-five early childhood education teachers. The data were analyzed by descriptive analysis technique. As a result of the data analysis, it was found that preschool preschool teachers used social media platforms for professional development and benefited from these platforms effectively. Teachers emphasize that social media has an important contribution to their professional development, but they also state that one should be careful against disinformation. It is recommended that teachers be provided with media literacy training and that teachers should be conscious about acting in accordance with children's rights and ethical principles when using social media for professional purposes.