EFL Students’ Views about Distance Education at Higher Education in Turkey

Year 2024, Volume: 15 Issue: 2, 121 - 137, 31.05.2024

Mehmet Aslan

https://doi.org/10.5824/ajite.2024.02.001.x

Abstract

This study was carried out to look into the preferences and opinions of English preparatory students about distance education. These students, after completing their first semester of instruction in person, had their second semester of instruction online as a result of the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 which struck Kahramanmaraş in Türkiye in 2023. A Google Form questionnaire with both open-ended and closed-ended questions was administered to 55 students in the preparatory class. According to the study, the advantages of distance learning for EFL students are that it is a convenient and affordable form of education, while the disadvantages involve technical issues, a lack of interaction between teachers and students, a lack of a conducive environment for instruction, and health issues brought on by distance learning. The study also reveals that while 72% of the preparatory students preferred face-to-face instruction, 28% favoured the distance education model. The study's final finding is that 58% of the participants, EFL preparatory students, believe that 30-minute is the right length for a distance learning course. These important results will contribute to a better understanding of the distance education model, which is frequently offered as a substitute for in-person instruction.

Keywords

Distance Education, Online Education, Virtual Learning

EFL Öğrencilerinin Türkiye’de Yükseköğretimde Uzaktan Eğitime İlişkin Görüşleri

Abstract

Bu çalışma İngilizce hazırlık öğrencilerinin Uzaktan Eğitime ilişkin tercihlerini ve görüşlerini incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu öğrenciler, 2023 yılında Türkiye'de Maraş'ta meydana gelen 7,7 ve 7,6 büyüklüğündeki iki deprem sonucunda, ilk dönem eğitimlerini yüz yüze tamamladıktan sonra ikinci dönem eğitimlerini online olarak gerçekleştirmişlerdir. Hazırlık sınıfında okuyan 55 öğrenciye hem açık hem de kapalı uçlu soruların yer aldığı Google Form anketi uygulandı. Araştırmaya göre, uzaktan eğitimin yabancı dil öğrencileri için faydaları arasında rahat ve makul fiyatlı bir eğitim şekli olması yer alırken, dezavantajları arasında teknik sorunlar, öğretmenler ve öğrenciler arasındaki etkileşim eksikliği, eğitim için elverişli bir ortamın olmaması, ve uzaktan eğitimin getirdiği sağlık sorunları yer almaktadır. Araştırmada ayrıca hazırlık öğrencilerinin % 72'sinin yüz yüze eğitimi tercih ederken, %28'inin uzaktan eğitim modelini desteklediği ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu araştırmanın son bulgusu ise katılımcıların, İngilizce hazırlık öğrencilerinin, %58’inin uzaktan eğitim ile verilen bir dersin ideal uzunluğunun 30 dakika olduğunu desteklemesi olduğunu ortaya çıkarmasıdır. Bu önemli sonuçlar, her fırsatta yüz yüze eğitimin bir alternatifi olarak devreye sokulan uzaktan eğitim modelinin daha iyi anlaşılmasına katkı sağlayacaktır.

Keywords

Uzaktan Eğitim, Çevrimiçi Eğitim, Sanal Eğitim

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