An investigation into pre-service teachers’ online learning climate perceptions

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 310 - 333, 31.05.2021

Ahmet Önal , Atilla Özdemir

https://doi.org/10.31681/jetol.927998

Cited By: 3

Abstract

Starting from the first half of 2020, educational institutions at all levels have had to switch to online education as an emergency solution for the global outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. However, it would hardly be justified to argue that teachers and students were well-prepared for such a swift change. Accordingly, this transformation has resulted in many difficulties for teachers and students along with educational institutions. One of the primary challenges teachers have experienced throughout the process is creating a positive online classroom climate. Thus, the main purpose of the present study is to reveal the online learning climate perceptions of pre-service teachers by adapting and using the Online Learning Climate Scale (OLCS) in Turkish context. In a similar vein, such variables as gender, department or grade level, which may have an influence on the perceptions of pre-service teachers, are also aimed to be disclosed within the study. The research has been conducted with a study group of 348 pre-service teachers. It has been observed that the pre-service teachers’ perceptions on online learning climate are at less than moderate level; therefore, far from satisfactory. Additionally, it has been noted that variables such as the department, grade level and level of digital literacy have an influence on the OLCS perceptions of the pre-service teachers. Finally, the overall results of the study suggest that the skill of creating a positive online learning climate needs to be improved for pre-service teachers via integrating courses into the curriculum of teacher training institutions and organizing subject-specific trainings.

Keywords

classroom climate, online learning climate, distance education

References

• Allen, I. E. & Seaman, J. (2003). Sizing the opportunity: The quality and extent of online education in the United States, 2002 and 2003. Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium.
• Allen, T. H. (2006). Is the rush to provide on-line instruction setting our students up for failure?, Communication Education, 55, 122-126. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520500343418. Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In T. Anderson (Ed.), Theory and practice of online learning (2nd Ed.), 3-31.
• Altmann, A., Ebersberger, B., Mössenlechner, C. & Wieser, D. (2019). Introduction: The disruptive power of online education: Challenges, opportunities, responses. In Altmann, A., Ebersberger, B., Mössenlechner, C. & Wieser, D. (Editors). The disruptive power of online education: Challenges, opportunities, responses, 1-6. Emerald Publishing.
• Anderson, A., Hamilton, R. J. & Hattie, J. (2004). Classroom climate and motivated behaviour in secondary schools, Learning Environments Research, 7, 211-225.
• Barksdale, C., Peters, M. L. & Corrales, A. (2021). Middle school students’ perceptions of classroom climate and its relationship to achievement, Educational Studies, 47(1), 84-107. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2019.1664411.
• Barr, J. J. (2016). Developing a positive classroom climate, IDEA Paper, 61, 1-9.
• Başar, M., Arslan, S., Günsel, E. & Akpınar, M. (2019). Distance education perceptions of prospective teachers, Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Education, 3(2), 14-22.
• Bayrak, M., Aydemir, M. & Karaman, S. (2017). An investigation of the learning styles and the satisfaction levels of the distance education students, Çukurova Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 46(1), 231-263.
• Birişçi, S. (2013). Video konferans tabanlı uzaktan eğitime ilişkin öğrenci tutumları ve görüşleri, Journal of Instructional Technologies & Teacher Education, 1(2), 24-40.
• Boettcher, J.V. & Conrad, R.M. (2016). The online teaching survival guide (2nd ed.), John Wiley & Sons.
• Bozkurt, A. (2017). Türkiye’de uzaktan eğitimin dünü, bugünü ve yarını, AUAd, 3(2), 85-124.
• Burns, M. (2011). Distance education for teacher training: Modes, models, and methods, Education Development Center, Inc.
• Büyüköztürk, Y. (2002). Faktör analizi: Temel kavramlar ve ölçek geliştirmede kullanımı, Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Yönetimi, 32(32), 470-483.
• Catt, S., Miller, D. & Schallenkamp, K. (2007). You are the key: Communicate for learning effectiveness. Education, 127, 369-377.
• Crawford, M. & MacLeod, M. (1990). Gender in the college classroom: An assessment of the ‘chilly climate’ for women, Sex Roles, 23(3/4), 101-122.
• Devran, Y. & Elitaş, T. (2016). Uzaktan eğitim: fırsatlar ve tehditler, AJIT-e: Online Academic Journal of Information Technology, 8(27), 31-40.
• Dinçer, S. (2015). Effects of computer-assisted learning on students’ achievements in Turkey: A meta-analysis, Journal of Turkish Science Education, 12(1), 3-4.
• Djigić, G. & Stojiljković, S. (2011). Classroom management styles, classroom climate, and school achievement, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 819-828. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.Sbspro.2011.11.310.
• Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies, OUP.
• Dwyer, K. K., Bingham, S. G., Carlson, R. E., Prisbell, M., Cruz, A. M. & Fus, D. A. (2004). Communication and connectedness in the classroom: Development of the connected classroom climate inventory, Communication Research Reports, 21(3), 264-272.
• Eygü, H. & Karaman, S. (2013). Uzaktan eğitim öğrencilerinin memnuniyet algıları üzerine bir araştırma, Kırıkkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 3(1), 36-59.
• Fan, X. Thompson, B. & Wang, L. (1999). Effects of sample size, estimation methods, and model specification on structural equation modeling fit indexes, Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 56-83.
• Francis, J. & White, L. (2002). Value across fulfillment-product categories of Internet shopping. Managing Service Quarterly, 14, 2/3, 2004, 226–234
• Frisby, B. N., & Martin, M. M. (2010). Instructor-student and student-student rapport in the classroom, Communication Education, 59(2), 146-164.
• Gezer, M. & Şahin, İ. F. (2017). Sınıf iklimi ölçeği kısa formunun Türkçe geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması, Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 17(2), 693-715.
• Ghaith, G. (2003). The relationship between forms of instruction, achievement and perceptions of classroom climate, Educational Research, 45(1), 83-93. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188032000086145
• Gündoğan, A. & Koçak, S. (2017). Öğretmen adaylarının okul iklimi algıları ile akademik öz-yeterlik inançları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi, Sakarya University Journal of Education, 7(3), 639-657. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.333266.
• Gürer, M. D., Tekinarslan, E. & Yavuzalp, N. (2016). Çevrimiçi ders veren öğretim elemanlarının uzaktan eğitim hakkındaki görüşleri, Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry (TOJQI), 7(1), 47-78.
• Hartnett, M. (2016). Motivation in online education, Springer.
• Hu, L. T. & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives, Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.
• Johnson, D. I. (2009). Connected classroom climate: A validity study, Communication Research Reports, 26(2), 146-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090902861622.
• Johnson, G. M. (2006). Perception of classroom climate, use of WebCT, and academic achievement, Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 17, 25-46.
• Jorgenson, J. (1992). Social approaches: Communication, rapport, and the interview: A social perspective. Communication Theory, 2, 148-156.
• Kaban, A. & Çakmak, E. K. (2016). Uzaktan eğitim kalite standartlarının belirlenmesi, Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 24(2), 719-736.
• Karasar, N. (2000). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi (10th Ed.), Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
• Karasu, G. & Sarı, Y. E. (2019). Uzaktan eğitim ve yabancı dil öğrenme özerkliği, Diyalog, 2019(2), 321-334.
• Kaufmann, E., Sellnow, D. D. & Frisby, B. N. (2016). The development and validation of the online learning climate scale (OLCS), Communication Education, 65(3), 307-321. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2015.1101778.
• Kavrat, B. & Türel, Y. K. (2013). Çevrimiçi uzaktan eğitimde öğretmen rollerini ve yeterliliklerini belirleme ölçeği geliştirme, The Journal of Instructional Technologies &Teacher Education, 1(3), 23-33.
• Kim, S. & Stoel, L. (2004) Apparel Retailers: Website Quality Dimensions and Satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Customer Services, 11, 87-109.
• Koç, E. (2020). An evaluation of distance learning in higher education through the eyes of course instructors, Akdeniz Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(1), 25-39.
• Lee, I. & Mak, P. (2018). Classroom atmosphere, The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching, 1-7, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0217.
• López, V., Torres-Vallejos, J., Ascorra, P., Villalobos-Parada, B., Bilbao, M. & Valdés, R. (2018). Construction and validation of a classroom climate scale: A mixed methods approach, Learning Environments Research, 21(3), 407-422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1098 4-018-9258-0.
• Lord, F. M., & Novick, M. R. (1968). Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
• MacLeod, J., Yang, H.H., Zhu, S. & Shi, Y. (2017). Technological factors and student-to-student connected classroom climate in cloud classrooms, Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(6), 826-847. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117733999.
• Marraccini, M. E. Fang, Y., Levine, S. P., Chin, A. J. & Pittleman, C. (2020). Measuring student perceptions of school climate: A systematic review and ecological content analysis, School Mental Health, 12, 195-221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09348-8.
• Marsh, H. W. & Hocevar, D. (1988). A new, more powerful approach to multitrait-multimethod analyses: Application of second-order confirmatory factor analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, 73(1), 107-117. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.73.1.107.
• Montebello, M. (2018). AI injected e-learning: the future of online education, Springer International Publishing.
• Moos, D. C. (2017). Emerging classroom technology. In Shunk, D. H. & Greene, J. A. (Editors). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd Ed.), 243-253, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
• Myers, S. A. (1995). Student perceptions of teacher affinity-seeking and classroom climate, Communication Research Reports, 12, 192-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824099509362056. Nunan, D. (1992). Research methods in language learning, Cambridge University Press.
• Özdemir, E., Çepni, S. & İncedere, L. (2020). Ön lisans öğrencilerinin okul iklimi algılarının belirlenmesi, Avrupa Bilim ve Teknoloji Dergisi, 19, 272-281.
• Rowe, E. W., Kim, S., Baker, J. A., Kamphaus, R. W. & Horne, A. M. (2010). Student personal perception of classroom climate: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 70(5), 858-879. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164410378085.
• Schenke, K. C., Ruzek, E. A., Lam, A. S., Karabenick, S. & Eccles, J. (2017). Heterogeneity of student perceptions of the classroom climate: A latent profile approach, Learning Environments Research, 20, 289-306, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9235-z.
• Shewark, E. A., Zinsser, K. M. & Denham, S. A. (2018). Teachers’ perspectives on the consequences of managing classroom climate, Child & Youth Care Forum, 47(6), 787-802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-018-9461-2.
• Simonson, M., Smaldino, S. & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (6th ed.), Charlotte, NC: IAP.
• Stuart, W. D. & Rosenfeld, L. B. (1994). Student perceptions of teacher humor and classroom climate, Communication Research Reports, 11(1), 87-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824099409359944.
• Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidel, L. S. (2014). Using multivariate statistics (6th Ed.), Pearson Education Limited.
• Uşun, S. (2006). Uzaktan eğitim, Nobel Yayın Dağıtım,
• Van der Sijde, P. C. & Tomic, W. (1992). The influence of a teacher training program on student perception of classroom climate, Journal of Education for Teaching, 18(3), 287-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260747920180306.
• Van Petegem, K., Aelterman, A., Van Keer, H. & Rosseel, Y. (2008). The influence of student characteristics and interpersonal teacher behaviour in the classroom on student’s wellbeing, Social Indicators Research, 85, 279-291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-007-9093-7.
• Wang, M. T., Degol, J. L., Amemiya, J., Parr, A. & Guo, J. (2020). Classroom climate and children’s academic and psychological wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Developmental Review, 57 (2020), 100912, 1-21.
• Wieser, D. & Seeler, J.-M. (2019). Online, not distance education: The merits of collaborative learning in online education. In Altmann, A., Ebersberger, B., Mössenlechner, C. & Wieser, D. (Editors). The disruptive power of online education: Challenges, opportunities, responses, 125-146, Emerald Publishing.
• Wilcox, R. (2012). Comparing two independent groups via a quantile generalization of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test, Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 11, 296-302. https://doi.org/10.22237/jmasm/1351742460.
• Winston, R. B., Vahala, M. E., Nichols, E. C., Gillis, M. E. & Rome, K. D. (1994). A measure of college classroom climate: The college classroom environment scales, Journal of College Student Development, 35, 11-18.
• Wolters, C. A. & Won, S. (2017). Validity and the use of self-report questionnaires to assess self-regulated learning. In Shunk, D. H. & Greene, J. A. (Editors). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd Ed.), 307-322, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
• Zedan, R. (2010). New dimensions in the classroom climate, Learning Environments Research, 13, 75-88, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-009-9068-5.