Distance education learning environments during COVID-19 pandemic from student perspectives: A study in Turkish higher education

Soner Arık

doi:10.33902/jpr.2021269494

Abstract

This research aims to examine the opinions of Turkish higher education students who receive distance education compulsorily due to the COVID-19 pandemic about the distance education learning environments. The data were collected through Distance Education Learning Environments Scale-Turkish Version (DELES-TR) from 3,025 students in 75 different departments at 66 Turkish universities. The study is designed within descriptive survey method. The data were analyzed using independent t-test and one-way ANOVA tests. The results showed that students were indecisive about the distance education learning environments in general and its two sub-dimensions namely ‘Personal Relevance and Authentic Learning’ and ‘Student Interaction and Collaboration’ while they partially agreed on ‘Active learning and Student Autonomy’ and ‘Instructor Support’. The results also showed that student opinions about Student Interaction and Collaboration differed significantly in favor of those who received distance education in online learning environments. Students reported that they would prefer online learning environments if they were given the opportunity to choose between in-person and online education, and their opinions differed significantly in favor of those who had access to the distance education via a laptop computer. Further results are discussed within the related literature and several recommendations are made accordingly.

Highlights

Human history is full of contagious diseases of different content and effect levels
The findings regarding the views of Turkish higher education students, who have to continue their education in distance education environments compulsorily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, about distance education environments are included
The first research question of the study investigates the opinions of Turkish Higher Education students, who continue their education in distance education learning environments compulsorily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on distance education learning environments

Summary

Introduction

Human history is full of contagious diseases of different content and effect levels. Contagious diseases, which have affected infected individuals and the whole society from different perspectives (Parıldar, 2020), are classified as outbreak, epidemic and pandemic depending on their domains. An outbreak is defined as the clear higher incidence of an infectious disease than expected in a particular community, region or season (Hacımustafaoğlu & Önürmen, 2018). An epidemic, which is expressed as the spread of a disease to a vast number of people in a certain population rapidly, is called a pandemic when it spreads. Soner Arık, PhD, Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, School of Foreign Language, 51240, Niğde, Turkey. Distance education learning environments during COVID-19 pandemic from student perspectives: A study in Turkish higher education.

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