DISTANCE EDUCATION PROCESS EXPERIENCES AND PERCEIVED STRESS LEVELS OF HEALTH SCHOOL STUDENTS AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

It was aimed to investigate the distance education process experiences of health school students at the end of the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic and the relationship of these experiences with their perceived stress levels (PSLs). This descriptive study was conducted as an e-survey in March 2021 in Kırklareli (N=929). Those who had difficulty in concentrating on courses forgot the subjects taught quickly, and had difficulty in learning the programs used in the distance education system, those who had communication problems with the instructors, could not express their opinions freely, and did not find the distance education system as effective as face-to-face education, those who said that the uncertainty of the distance education process negatively affected their professional skills had higher perceived stress levels (p<0.001). Those who said that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the teaching processes, thought that distance education did not offer alternative options in the learning processes, did not find this system adequate in the teaching processes, and said that the teaching processes were affected negatively because of technical problems had higher perceived stress levels (p<0.001). At the end of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the PSL of the students was found to be moderate.

Keywords

• Distance education
• Distance education experience
• Perceived stress level
• Self-efficacy
• Health school students
• COVID-19 pandemic.

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