The Attitude of Russian University Teachers Towards the Digital Educational Environment

The attitude of teachers towards the digital educational environment (DEE) and the use of information technologies in teaching largely determines the attitude of students towards the educational process, the effectiveness of learning and emotional involvement in learning. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to analyze the attitude of university teachers towards the DEE and distance learning opportunities, as well as to determine the psychological components of the acceptance of new information technologies. The survey involved 308 teachers (females - 71%) aged 23 to 77 (average age = 46 ± 11 years) from various universities of the Russian Federation. In addition to measuring the attitudes towards learning in the DEE (AUDEE Scale Questionnaire), the authors analyzed the personality traits (Big Five Inventory - 2), self-regulation resources and activity-related experiences in teaching (AREA). The results showed that the majority of the respondents were familiar with and use various elements of the DEE; 81% expressed a desire to move to blended learning as a combination of DEE resources and face-to-face classes. The main psychological prerequisites for the acceptance of the DEE are experiences in professional activity: the stronger the experience of meaning and the weaker the experiences of effort and void, the more positive attitude towards work in the digital environment a teacher has. Other key elements are various aspects of self-regulation (goal planning and independence) and personality traits such as openness to experience and agreeableness.