Evaluation of the Electronic Applications Used in the Turkish Education System in the Context of School Administration
Author: Balikçi, Abdullah
Date: 2021-09-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education,School Administration,Management Development,Leadership Training,Administrators,Program Effectiveness,Technology Integration,Technological Literacy,Access to Computers,Principals,Assistant Principals,Public Schools,Time,Administrative Organization

Technology increases its impact in every aspect of life. Because technology is a multidimensional concept, it can be defined in different ways. Simsek &amp; Akin (2013) define the concept as the whole of the techniques that people use in their interaction with their environment. Technology has an impact on education as in other fields. Filho, Manolas &amp; Pace (2008) state that the use of technology in education is necessary for sustainable development. For the desired development in education, school administrators, who are responsible for managing the school, are expected to benefit from technology while performing their duties. School administrators can benefit from technology for various purposes. Among these purposes, administration works, education and training, that is, student-centered works, making plans and programs (Makewa, Meremo, Role &amp; Role, 2013; Page-Jones, 2008; Xiong &amp; Lim, 2015); providing opportunities for teachers to benefit from technological applications (Kiziltepe-Ayhan, 2017); development and evaluation, support, encouragement, planning and supervision, ethics and safety issues (Baykara, 2018; Gökoglu, 2014). When the literature on the subject is scanned, it is seen that technology is predominantly evaluated in the context of leadership and student success (Aktas, 2018; Baykara, 2018; Engür, 2014; Gökoglu, 2014; Gürkan, 2017; Güven, 2015; Kiziltepe-Ayhan, 2017; Scale, 2014; Prokopiadou, 2011; Ulukaya, 2018; Weng, Tang, 2014; Yilmaz, 2018). It is thought that the current research will contribute to the field by examining the technology-school management relationship in terms of various electronic applications. The aim of this research is to understand the effect of electronic applications on school management and administrators. The research was conducted in the qualitative research method and case study pattern. 15 school administrators participated in the research. Data were collected through interviews. In the research, it is seen that electronic applications, which have been used in the Turkish Education System especially after 2007, have contributed a lot to school administrators. Among these, it can be stated that it contributes to the faster and more comfortable work, saves time and documents, facilitates accessing and archiving information, and speeds up communication. It is understood that infrastructure such as the internet, computers, and the ability of managers to use technology are sufficient to achieve the specified benefits. Although electronic applications are used, it is understood that there are situations where previous applications should be used, albeit limited. However, there are also shortcomings of the applications such as not updating the trainings over time and having factors that reduce motivation. The interaction of electronic applications with the education system makes itself felt both formally and informally. It is understood that it has transformed the bureaucratic structure, which is identified with paperwork, workload and work intensity, in a way that will please the employees. In addition, it is among the positive reflections that it contributes to organizational memory by providing easy access to the desired information at all times. The provision of all these benefits is not only possible with electronic applications determined by the senior management. In addition, school administrators benefit from the applications they use in their daily lives while performing their duties. In this way, time and communication-based gains can be achieved. Based on the data, the following can be recommended for practitioners: Electronic applications can be updated. Based on the update, periodic trainings can be given to increase the ability of school administrators to use these applications and to increase their knowledge on how to use the system. For researchers, the following can be suggested: More comprehensive research can be conducted based on new applications that may arise due to the increasingly intense use of electronic applications. Research can be done to include teachers.