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

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 15 Sayı: 2, 121 - 137, 31.05.2024

Mehmet Aslan

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Distance Education, Online Education, Virtual Learning

EFL Öğrencilerinin Türkiye’de Yükseköğretimde Uzaktan Eğitime İlişkin Görüşleri

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Uzaktan Eğitim, Çevrimiçi Eğitim, Sanal Eğitim

Kaynakça

• Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2007). Making the grade: Online education in the United States, 2006. Sloan Consortium. PO Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950.
• Al-Nofaie, H. (2020). Saudi university students' perceptions towards virtual education during COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of language learning via blackboard. Arab World English Journal, 11(3), 4-20. https://doi.org/10.24093/ awej/vol11no3.1
• Aslan, M. (2023). The views of EFL preparatory students on the use of mobile devices in language learning. Euroasia Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 10(31), 66-82.
• Beccaria, L., Rogers, C., Burton, L., & Beccaria, G. (2016). Role of health-promoting behaviours for on-campus and distance education students. Distance Education, 37(1), 22-40.
• Chaney, E., Chaney, J., Eddy, J., & Stellefson, M. (2008). Making the case for distance education in the health education and health promotion profession. International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 11(1), 5-18.
• Coe, J. R. & Gandy, J. T. (1998). Perspectives from consumers (students) in a distance education program. 2nd Annual Technology Conference for Social Work Education and Practice, Conference Proceedings (pp. 91-98). Columbus: University of South Carolina College of Social Work.
• Doyle, W. (1986). Classroom organization and manage-ment. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching: A project of the American educational research association (pp. 392–431).
• Ersin, P., Atay, D., & Mede, E. (2020). Boosting pre-service teachers' competence and online teaching readiness through e-practicum during the COVID-19 outbreak. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(2), 112-124. https://doi.org/10.46451/ ijts.2020.09.0
• Evisen, N., Akyilmaz, O. & Torun, Y. (2020). A case study of university efl preparatory class students’ attitudes towards online learning during covid-19 in Turkey. Gaziantep University Journal of Educational Sciences, 4(1), 73-93. 
• Ferdous, A. U., & Shifat, N. F. (2020). Dealing with mental health in online learning: A retrospect on ELT teachers and EFL learners during COVID-19 pandemic. REiLA: Journal of Research and Innovation in Language, 2(3), 101–107. https:// doi.org/10.31849/reila.v2i3.5217
• Gorbunovs, A., Kapenieks, A., & Cakula, S. (2016). Self-discipline as a key indicator to improve learning outcomes in e-learning environment. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 231, 256-262.
• Gunawardena, C. N., & McIsaac, M. S. (2013). Distance education. In Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 361-401). Routledge.
• Illarionova L. P., Karzhanova N. V., Ishmuradova A. M., Nazarenko S. V., Korzhuev A. V., Ryazanova E. L. (2021). Student attitude to distance education: Pros and cons. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science, 16(3), 1319-1327. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v16i3.5857
• Ivankova, N. V., & Creswell, J. W. (2009). Mixed methods. Qualitative research in applied linguistics: A practical introduction, 23, 135-161.
• Karadag, E., Su, A., & Ergin-Kocaturk, H. (2021). Multi-level analyses of distance education cap-acity, faculty members’ adaptation, and indicators of student satisfaction in higher education during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 1–20.
• Kentnor, H. (2015). Distance education and the evolution of online learning in the United States. Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue, 17(1-2), 21–34.
• Krashen, S. (1992). The input hypothesis: An update. Linguistics and language pedagogy: The state of the art, 409-431.
• Octaberlina, L. R., & Muslimin, A. I. (2020). EFL students' perspective towards online learning barriers and alternatives using moodle/google classroom during covid19 pandemic. International Journal of Higher Education, 9(6), 1-9. https:// doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v9n6p1
• Okyar, H. (2023). University-level EFL students’ views on learning English online: a qualitative study. Education and Information Technologies, 28(1), 81-107.
• Oxford Learner’s Dictionary. (2023). Definition of “discipline”. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/discipline_1
• Sevy-Biloon, J. (2021). Virtual or face to face classes: Ecuadorian university students’ perceptions during the pandemic. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 4(1), 15-24. doi.org/10.12928/eltej.v4i1.3935
• Simonson, M., Schlosser, C., & Orellana, A. (2011). Distance education research: A review of literature. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 23(2), 124–142 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-011-9045-8
• Su, F., & Zou, D. (2022). Technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1754-1788.
• Sun, P., & Yuan, R. (2018). Understanding collaborative language learning in novice-level foreign language classrooms: Perceptions of teachers and students. Interactive Learning Environments, 26(2), 189–205.
• Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Sage Publications.
• Vygotsky, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.
• Winstead, S. (2022). How Long Should an Online Course Be? What You Should Know. https://myelearningworld.com/whats-the-optimal-length-of-an-e-learning-course/, Retrieved on 05.09.2023.
• Yavuz, M., & Kaplan, Y. Ü. (2024). Investigation of EFL Students' Readiness and Metaphorical Perceptions for Emergency Remote Teaching. Batı Anadolu Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 15(1), 116-150.