Content Analysis of Theory-Based Graduate Theses Published in the Field of Distance Education in Turkey between 2008-2020

Sinem Karabey

doi:10.24106/kefdergi.782911

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the trends in theory-based graduate theses published between 2008-2020 in the field of distanceeducation in Turkey.Methodology: In this study, which aims to examine theory-based graduate theses published in the field of distance educationin Turkey between 2008-2020, systematic literature review was adopted and content analysis technique was used in theanalysis of data. 483 theses with access permission in the Council of Higher Education (YOK) national database were examinedand 150 theses that were suitable for the research criteria were included in the study. Theses were categorized using the"Thesis Review Form", which has different fields such as thesis type, thesis title, the year the thesis was published, the universitywhere the thesis was published, the variables used in the theses, the science fields of the theses, the theory / model used inthe theses, the sample level of the theses and the sample sizes. The data of 150 theses, which are theory-based, were analyzedwith the descriptive content analysis technique.Findings: When the theses included in the study are examined, it has been determined that one of every three theses publishedin the field of distance education are based on theory. Considering the theoretical basis of the theses, it has been seen that thetheories of Social Presence, ARCS Motivation and Interactional Distance were given the most place. While Anadolu Universityand Gazi University were the universities where the most theses were published, Computer Sciences emerged as the fieldwhere the most theses were published. It was seen that academic success and attitude were the most studied variables in thetheses. It was concluded that the sample group studied in the theses mostly consisted of students studying at undergraduateand primary education level, and 31-100 participants were preferred more as the sample size.Highlights: In the study, 150 graduate theses published between 2008-2020 in the field of distance education in Turkey andmeeting the research criteria were examined and it was determined that one of these three theses was theory-based. Sincethis number has been determined to be quite small, it is thought that the findings obtained from this study will be useful for adeeper understanding of the theses that have a theoretical basis in distance education, by providing suggestions for futureresearch, and to contribute to the thesis work or research planned to be done in the future on this subject.

Highlights

It was concluded that the sample group studied in the theses mostly consisted of students studying at undergraduate and primary education level, and 31-100 participants were preferred more as the sample size
Intensive studies are carried out on the integration of the facilities offered by technological developments into education (Arat & Bakan, 2011)
In this study, which aims to examine theory-based graduate theses published in the field of distance education in Turkey between 2008-2020, systematic literature review was adopted and content analysis technique was used in the analysis of data

Summary

Introduction

There have been great changes in technological and scientific developments in our country and in the world. One of the interdisciplinary applications of the integration of technology into education is distance education. Distance education is spreading rapidly in higher education institutions as well as in all fields with technological developments and offers new opportunities for learners. With the increasing importance and spread of distance education in different disciplines, studies in this field have started to increase. With this increase, distance education has been compared with face-to-face education and its effectiveness has been discussed, especially in studies (Gökmen et al, 2017; Uygun, 2019). It is stated that distance education, which is seen as a different aspect of the traditional classroom model, can be as effective as face-to-face applications when appropriate technology and methods are used (Bernard et al, 2004; Ward et al, 2010)

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