Attitudes of Vocational High School Students in the Field of Chemical Technology towards Production during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scale Development Study

With the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vocational and Technical Education Institutions affiliated to the Ministry of National Education played a very important role in the production of materials such as masks, gloves, visors, disinfectants, cleaning products, etc., which are the basic needs of the society during the pandemic process. It is thought that the productions made by making the most of the production potential of vocational and technical education institutions have an impact on the attitudes of the students studying in these educational institutions. In this study, it is aimed to develop the Attitude Towards Production Scale (ATPS) in order to determine the opinions of the students studying in the field of Chemical Technology at vocational high schools in our country during the Covid-19 pandemic process. The universe of the research consists of 24 Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School (MTAL) students who produce in the field of Chemical Technology affiliated to the Ministry of Education in the 2021-2022 academic year. The sample of the study consists of 297 students who studied at 14 MTALs, which were determined by using the random sampling method, which is one of the probabilistic sampling methods, and took part in production during the Covid-19 pandemic process. Content validity of the ATPS was provided by expert opinion, and construct validity was provided by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). For content validity, the 38-item draft scale was submitted to an expert group of 14 people. The construct validity of the ATPS was carried out with the data obtained from a sample of 297 people. EFA showed that ATPS consists of 5 sub-dimensions and 17 items. In the reliability analysis of the ATPS, the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was found to be 0.92. As a result of the study, 17 items whose validity and reliability were ensured in the ATPS were produced.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Mesleki Eğitim, Kimya Teknolojisi, Üretim, Kovid-19 Pandemisi, Tutum Ölçeği.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, the Vocational and Technical Education Institutions affiliated to the Ministry of National Education played a very important role in the production of materials such as masks, gloves, visors, disinfectants, cleaning products, etc., which are the basic needs of the society during the pandemic process. It is thought that the productions made by making the most of the production potential of vocational and technical education institutions have an impact on the attitudes of the students studying in these educational institutions. In this study, it is aimed to develop the Attitude Towards Production Scale (ATPS) in order to determine the opinions of the students studying in the field of Chemical Technology at vocational high schools in our country during the Covid-19 pandemic process. The universe of the research consists of 24 Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School (MTAL) students who produce in the field of Chemical Technology affiliated to the Ministry of Education in the 2021-2022 academic year. The sample of the study consists of 297 students who studied at 14 MTALs, which were determined by using the random sampling method, which is one of the probabilistic sampling methods, and took part in production during the Covid-19 pandemic process. Content validity of the ATPS was provided by expert opinion, and construct validity was provided by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). For content validity, the 38-item draft scale was submitted to an expert group of 14 people. The construct validity of the ATPS was carried out with the data obtained from a sample of 297 people. EFA showed that ATPS consists of 5 sub-dimensions and 17 items. In the reliability analysis of the ATPS, the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was found to be 0.92. As a result of the study, 17 items whose validity and reliability were ensured in the ATPS were produced.

Keywords: Vocational Education, Chemical Technology, Production, Covid-19 Pandemic, Attitude Scale.

Aydın Kocaeren, A. & Şen, E. (2023). Attitudes of Vocational High School Students in the Field of Chemical Technology towards Production during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scale Development Study. Journal of Current Researches on Educational Studies, 13 (2), 151-180.