European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu DOI: 10.46827/ejes.v8i7.3810 Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEYi Fatih Kaya1, Ramazan Özkul2, Metin Kirbaç3ii 1İnönü University, Faculty of Education, Turkey 2Ministry of National Education, R&D Unit, Turkey 3İnönü University, Faculty of Education, Turkey Abstract: İn the last century we live in, technological developments are advancing faster than ever, and the world is changing irresistibly. With the Covid-19 epidemic, this change has moved to a very different dimension. Especially today, the pandemic conditions of the whole world have increased the importance of distance education by directing education to the digital field. The aim of this study is to examine the views of education faculty students towards distance education. This research, which aims to examine the views of education faculty students on distance education, is a quantitative method and causal comparison model research. The study population of the research consists of İnönü University Faculty of Education students. The sample of the study consisted of 584 participants determined by the random stratified sampling method from the population. While determining the stratum, the gender variable was taken as a basis. The data of the research were collected with the “Distance Education Evaluation Scale”. The obtained data were subjected to independent groups t-test, one-way ANOVA and descriptive statistics tests. According to the research findings, students preferred distance education to face-to-face education. In addition, in terms of the efficiency of the distance education process, it is important to use computers and students to have their own rooms. Keywords: faculty of education, student, distance education i EĞİTİM FAKÜLTESİ ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN UZAKTAN EĞİTİME YÖNELİK GÖRÜŞLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ: İNÖNÜ ÜNİVERSİTESİ ÖRNEĞİ ii Correspondence: email [email protected], [email protected] Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. 131 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY Özet: İçinde bulunduğumuz son yüz yılda teknolojik gelişmeler her zamankinden daha hızlı ilerlemekte ve dünya karşı konulamaz bir biçimde değişime uğramaktadır. Covid-19 salgını ile birlikte bu değişim çok farklı bir boyuta taşınmıştır. Özellikle bugün, bütün dünyanın içinde bulunduğu pandemi koşulları, eğitimi tamamen dijital alana yönlendirerek uzaktan eğitimin önemini daha da arttırmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı eğitim fakültesi öğrencilerinin uzaktan eğitime yönelik görüşlerinin incelenmesidir. Eğitim fakültesi öğrencilerinin uzaktan eğitime ilişkin görüşlerini incelemeyi amaçlayan bu araştırma nicel yöntemli ve nedensel karşılaştırma modelli bir araştırmadır. Araştırmanın çalışma evrenini İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemi ise evrenden seçkisiz tabakalı örnekleme yöntemi ile belirlenen 584 katılımcı oluşturmuştur. Tabaka belirlenirken cinsiyet değişkeni kriter olarak alınmıştır. Araştırmanın verileri “Uzaktan Eğitim Değerlendirme Ölçeği” ile toplanmıştır. Elde edilen veriler, bağımsız gruplar t-testi, tek yönlü ANOVA ve betimsel istatistik testlerine tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırma bulgularına göre öğrenciler uzaktan eğitimi, yüz yüze eğitime tercih etmişlerdir. Ayrıca uzaktan eğitim sürecinin verimliliği açısından bilgisayar kullanımının ve öğrencilerin kendilerine ait odalarının olmasının önemli olduğu öne çıkan sonuçlardır. Anahtar kelimeler: eğitim fakültesi, öğrenci, uzaktan eğitim 1. Introduction The century we live in today is one of the remarkable periods in which great changes were experienced in many scientific, social, economic and cultural fields, and the greatest wars, transformations and developments in history took place. Especially the first twenty years of the current century witnessed a period in which technological progress experienced its golden age alongside all other developments. So much so that these developments have progressed in a dizzying way and the world has come under the influence of global technologies in a short period of about twenty years. This global impact has turned the world into a small town, not only in the field of technology, but also in education, art, culture, sports and economic fields, especially in global communication. The expansion of global communication networks with technological developments has undoubtedly shown its greatest impact in the field of education. As a matter of fact, the spread of communication networks between countries and individuals, in the field of education; It has created a global understanding of education by accelerating the circulation of information resources, ideas and products. Developments in the field of education have not been limited to the circulation of resources and ideas; There have been radical changes in many areas from traditional education methods to teacher-student relations, from the philosophical foundations of education to educational theories. At this point, one of the subjects in which the transformation in education has European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 132 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY been experienced together with the technological developments has been the educational environments, which are among the basic elements of education. Since the early ages, education has continued in places where students and teachers physically share the same environment (school, classroom, home, library, etc.). However, with the unstoppable involvement of global communication in our lives, the perception of distance between people and countries has been broken to a large extent by means of communication tools (internet, TV, social media, etc.), and the perception of time and space has changed. Education planners, who could not remain unconcerned to this rapid change, created more modern, virtual education environments by integrating mass media into education environments in the process. Among the virtual education environments, the most popular one in today is the distance education applications, in which individuals in different places are involved in education at the same time by using technological devices. Distance education applications, which have an adventure of about half a century, are gaining more and more place in education activities day by day, depending on the development status and technological infrastructure of the countries. Especially today, the pandemic conditions of the whole world have increased the importance of distance education by directing education to the digital field. Distance education, which has a greater place in educational environments with the involvement of technology in our lives, especially with the participation of computers in education supply, distribution of teaching materials through both print and electronic media (Moore, 1990; Moore et al., 2010), or according to Moore and Kearsley (2011) can be described as teaching and planned teaching activities in which communication is provided through technological equipment, in addition to traditional educational activities, and teaching takes place in different environments. In general, distance education is education and training activities where there is a regulated educational plan, the student and the teacher are in different places, but carried out through face-to-face meetings when necessary (Gunawardena & McIsaac, 2001). Based on the definition expressed in this respect, it can be said that the most basic elements of distance education are the application of learning and teaching processes in different contexts (Yenilmez, Balbağ, & Turgut, 2017). In addition, when the literature on distance education is reviewed, it is seen that distance education is used together with or synonymously with concepts such as "web-based education, learning via the Internet, and e-learning" (Turgut & Yenilmez, 2011). When we look at the position of distance education from the past to the present, it is seen that distance education is generally considered as an alternative to face-to-face education and this understanding still continues. Therefore, it is thought that distance education has not developed enough (Yılmaz & Düğnci, 2010). On the other hand, although it is assumed that distance education is as effective as face-to-face education today, it is known that its efficiency in educational environments is not as effective as face-to-face education. However, it would be beneficial for experts to draw attention to this point in order to at least create a good alternative to face-to-face education in order to develop distance education applications, increase scientific studies on this subject, and European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 133 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY positively change the attitudes and behaviors of teachers and learners towards these trainings. The main purpose of the research is to examine the views of education faculty students on distance education. In this context, answers were sought to the following questions. Students' views on distance education; a) What level is it? b) Does it differ significantly according to the gender variable? c) Does it differ significantly according to the grade variable? d) Does it differ significantly according to the educational field variable? e) Does it differ significantly according to which means of participating in distance education? f) Does it differ significantly according to the variable of the number of people who continue distance education at home? g) Does it differ significantly according to the Internet access type variable? h) Does it differ significantly according to the study room variable? i) Does it differ significantly according to the settlement variable? j) Does it differ significantly according to the variable of preferring distance education or face-to-face education. 3. Method 3.1 Research Model This research, which aims to examine the views of education faculty students on distance education, is a quantitative method with causal comparison model. “Research with causal comparison model is research that aims to determine the causes and consequences of differences between human groups without any intervention on conditions and participants” (Büyüköztürk et al., 2015: 15-16). 3.2 Population and Sample The study population of the research consists of İnönü University Faculty of Education students. Within the scope of the research, stratified random sampling, which is one of the random sampling methods, was taken as the basis. While determining the stratum, the gender variable was determined as a criterion, and the percentage distribution in the population was 36.79% for boys and 63.21% for girls, and in the sample taken, the values were close to the gender distribution in the population. In addition, several methods were applied together in the stage of deciding on the sample size. Sample sizes determined according to different confidence levels and deviation amounts in the literature were examined (Büyüköztürk, Kılıç Çakmak, Akgün, Karadeniz, & Demirel, 2015; Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2007). As a result of the examinations, it was determined that the sample size should be 370, based on the confidence interval of “.95” and the amount of deviation for an average population size of 10,000 people (Büyüköztürk et al., 2015). The European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 134 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY "power analysis" method, which is another sample size calculation method, was also used within the scope of the research. Although “power analysis” varies according to the type of analysis, it is used as one of the sample size calculation methods based on the .80 power level and the average effect size (Faul, Erdfelder, Lang, & Buchner, 2007). Within the scope of this research, one-way anova test and pearson correlation test, which is one of the relationship tests, and the independent group t test from causal comparison tests were used. In this context, as a result of the power analysis using the G*Power package program, it was seen that reaching a minimum sample number of 108 people would be sufficient for the analysis to be made. Table 1: Introductory information about the sample group is given in Descriptive Statistics on Sampling Variables Frequency (f) (%) Gender Female 379 64.9 Male 205 35.1 Grade 1st Grade 97 16.6 2nd Grade 358 61.3 3rd Grade 81 13.9 4th Grade 48 8.2 Educational Field Quantitative 62 10.6 Verbal 190 32.5 Equally-weighted 171 29.3 Gifted/Talented (art teaching-music 99 17.0 teaching- physical education and sports) Foreign language 44 7.5 How to Participate Computer 307 52.6 in Distance Education SmartPhone/Tablet Computer 277 47.4 Number of People 1 Person 180 30.8 Participating in 2 Person 168 28.8 Distance Education 3 Person 151 25.9 4 and More 85 14.6 Internet Access Type Fixed(Home) Internet 428 72.8 Mobile Internet 159 27.2 Study room Available 366 62.7 Not available 218 37.3 Residential area Center/ Central District 395 67.6 District 109 18.7 Rural 80 13.7 Prefer Face-to-face Education Face to face education 482 82.5 or Distance Education Distance Learning 102 17.5 In Table 1, the personal characteristics of the education faculty students participating in the research are given. Accordingly, while 64.9% of the sample consists of female students, 35.1% consists of male students. In terms of the class variable, it is seen that the largest group of the sample is the students in the 2nd grade with 61.3%, while the smallest group is the students in the 4th grade with 8.2%. In terms of the educational field variable, European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 135 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY it was stated that the largest group was the students studying in the field with verbal input with 32.5%, and the smallest group was the students studying in the field with foreign language input with 7.5%. 52.6% of the sample stated that they participated in distance education over the computer, and 47.4% via the phone. Considering the variable of the number of people participating in distance education at home, it is seen that the largest group is 1 person with 30.8%, and the smallest group is the group with 4 or more people with 14.6%. In terms of internet access type variable, 72.8% of the participants stated that they participated in distance education via fixed (home) internet and 27.2% via mobile internet. 62.7% of the education faculty students who participated in the research stated that they had a study room, and 37.3% stated that they did not have a study room. 67.6% of the participants live in the center or central district, 18.7% in the district and 13.7% in the village. Finally, 82.5% of the sample prefer face-to-face education and 17.5% prefer distance education. 3.3. Data Collection Tools The first part of the measurement tool used in the research consists of the demographic information of the participants, developed by the researchers. In the second part of the study, the “Distance Education Evaluation Scale” developed by Özkul, Kırnık, Dönük, Altunhan and Altunkaynak (2021) was used. 3.3.1 Distance Education Evaluation Scale The scale was developed by Özkul, Kırnık, Dönük, Altunhan, and Altunkaynak (2021). Opinions were received from 1 faculty member and 3 experts who are field experts during the item identification phase. A pre-application was made with an item pool consisting of 26 items. The scale items are in a 5-point Likert type and the degree of agreement of the participants with the items was classified. The specially developed distance education evaluation scale was applied to 600 teachers and school administrators. The construct validity, content validity, item-total correlation coefficient, Cronbach Alpha coefficient, test-retest correlation coefficient were determined. As a result of the analyzes made, the distance education evaluation scale consisted of 15 items and two dimensions. The item-total correlation coefficients of the dimensions are between “.55” and “.87”, and the internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha) coefficient is between “.96” and “.89”. It was stated that as the scores obtained from the scale increased, distance education was perceived positively, and as it decreased, it was perceived negatively. Within the scope of this research, the internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha) coefficient was determined as .93. Demographic Information Questionnaire: The demographic information questionnaire, in which the participants' information such as "gender, class, area, the means by which they participated in distance education, the number of people who participated in distance education at home, the type of internet access, study room, residence, preferring distance education or face-to-face education" were collected and developed by the researchers. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 136 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY 3.4 Data Analysis The normality distribution of the data obtained in the study was examined and it was seen that there was no wrong or incompletely filled scale. Analyzes were made on 584 scales. The obtained data were subjected to independent groups T, One Way ANOVA and descriptive statistics tests. The analyzes of the data collected within the scope of the research were made using the SPSS 24.0 package program. 4. Results The first sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is "What is the level of students' views on distance education?" expressed as. The descriptive statistics results obtained for this purpose are given in Table 2. Table 2: Level of Students' Views on Distance Education Dimensions N M SD Level Distance Learning 584 2.69 .817 Moderately Agree Looking at Table 2, it is seen that the average score of the participants is 2.69, and this score is at the level of "Moderate Agree" on the scale. 4.1 Findings regarding the gender variable The second sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the gender variable?” expressed as. For this purpose, T-Test was conducted on Independent Groups. The results are in Table 3. Table 3: T-Test Results Regarding Whether Students' Opinions on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to Gender Variable Gender N M SD df t p Female 379 40.80 12.14 Distance Learning 582 .988 .323 Male 205 39.75 12.49 Looking at the values in Table 3; students' views on distance education do not differ statistically significantly according to their gender (t= 0.988, p<.05). 4.2 Findings regarding the class variable The third sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the class variable?” expressed as. For this purpose, One-Way ANOVA Test was conducted. The results are in Table 4. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 137 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY Table 4: One-Way ANOVA Test Results on Whether Students' Views on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to Class Variable Grade N M SD Source of Sum of df Mean of F p Variance Squares Squares. 1. Grade 97 41.00 11.97 Intergroups 138.1 3 46.06 .305 .822 Distance 2. Grade 358 40.59 12.19 In Groups 87577.2 580 150.99 Education 3. Grade 81 39.46 12.74 Total 87715.3 583 4. Grade 48 39.77 12.87 Total 584 40.43 12.26 Looking at the values in Table 4; it is seen that students' views on distance education do not differ statistically significantly according to the class variable (F=0.305 and p<.05). 4.3 Findings regarding the educational field variable The fourth sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the educational field variable?” expressed as. For this purpose, One-Way ANOVA Test was conducted. The results are in Table 5. Table 5: One-Way ANOVA Test Results on Whether Students' Views on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to Educational Field Variable Edu.Field N M SD Source of Sum of sd Mean of F p Difference Eta Variance Squares Squares (Sidak) square (η2) Quantitative 80 41.20 11.12 Intergroups 3350.1 4 837.5 5.748 .000 1-4, .039 Verbal 190 42.15 12.58 In Groups 84365.8 579 145.7 2-4,3-4 Equally- 171 41.00 11.11 Total 87715.4 583 weighted Gifted/ 99 35.24 13.63 talented Foreign 44 41.07 11.31 language 584 40.34 12.27 Looking at the values in Table 5; it is seen that there is a statistically significant difference between students' views on distance education and the educational field variable (F=5.748 and p<.05). Considering the average scores, the evaluation level of distance education is the highest in the departments that take students with a verbal score with M=42.15, the second place is the department that takes students with a foreign language score with M= 41.07, and the lowest is the student with a gifted/talented (art teaching- music teaching- physical education and sports) score with M=35.24. seen in the students of the department. According to the Sidak test conducted to find the source of the difference, the difference between the departments that admit students with special talent points and departments that accept students with quantitative, verbal and equal weight scores, and the students of the department that accept students with gifted/talented points. It is seen that the effect size calculated as a result of the test (η2 =.039) is closer to the medium level. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 138 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY 4.4 Findings on the variable of participating in distance education with which tool The fifth sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the method of participating in distance education?” expressed as. For this purpose, Independent Groups T-Test was conducted. The results are in Table 6. Table 6: Independent Group T-Test Results on Whether Students' Opinions on Distance Education Differ According to the Variable of Participating in Distance Education Tool N M SD sdf t p Cohen’s d Computer 307 43.30 11.61 Distance Education 582 6.144 .000 .51 Smart Phone 277 37.25 12.21 Looking at the values in Table 6; it is seen that students' views on distance education differ statistically according to the means by which they participate in distance education (t=-6.144, p<.05). When the average scores are examined, it is seen that the average scores of those who participate in distance education by computer (M=43.30) are higher than the average scores of those who participate by phone (M=37.25). Considering the effect size (d=.51), it can be said that this difference is at a moderate level. 4.5 Findings on the variable of the number of people continuing distance education at home The sixth sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is "Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the variable of the number of people participating in distance education at home?" expressed as. For this purpose, One-Way ANOVA Test was conducted. The results are in Table 7. Table 7: One-Way ANOVA Test Results on Whether Students' Views on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to the Variable of the Number of People Attending Distance Education at Home Person N M SD Source of Sum of df Mean of F p Difference Eta Variance Squares Squares. (Sidak) square (η2) 1 Per. 180 41.87 12.67 Intergroups 1327.1 3 442.3 2.970 .031 1-4 .015 2 Per. 168 39.83 11.59 In groups 86388.3 580 148.9 Distance 3 Per. 151 41.15 12.13 Total 87715.3 583 Learning 4 and 85 37.33 12.49 more Total 584 40.43 12.26 Looking at the values in Table 7; It is seen that there is a statistically significant difference between the students' views on distance education and the variable of the number of people participating in distance education at home (F=2.970 and p<.05). Considering the average scores, the evaluation level of distance education is the highest with M=41.87 points, the number of people participating in distance education at home is one, the second is with M= 41.15 points, the number of people participating in distance education at home is two, and the lowest is with M=37.33 points. It is seen that there are students with four or more people participating in distance education at home. According to the European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 139 Fatih Kaya, Ramazan Özkul, Metin Kirbaç INVESTIGATION OF EDUCATION FACULTY STUDENTS' VIEWS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INONU UNIVERSITY, TURKEY Sidak test performed to find the source of the difference, the difference emerged between the group with one and four or more participants in distance education at home, and in favor of the group with one. It is seen that the effect size calculated as a result of the test (η2 =.015) is small. 4.6 Findings on the type of internet access variable The seventh sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the variable of internet access type?” expressed as. For this purpose, Independent Groups T-Test was conducted. The results are in Table 8. Table 8: Independent Group T-Test Results on Whether Students' Views on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to Internet Access Type Variable Internet Type N M SD df t p Cohen’s d Fixed (home) 425 42.50 11.42 Distance Learning 582 6.907 .000 .64 Mobile 159 34.91 12.76 Looking at the values in Table 8; It is seen that students' views on distance education differ statistically according to the internet access type variable (t=-6.907, p<.05). Considering the average scores, it is seen that the average scores of those who participate in distance education with fixed (home) internet (M=42.50) are higher than the average scores of those who participate with mobile internet (M=34.91). Considering the effect size (d=.64), it can be said that this difference is between medium level and large level. 4.7 Findings on the study room variable The eighth sub-title of the first sub-problem of the research is “Do students' views on distance education differ significantly according to the study room variable?” expressed as. For this purpose, Independent Groups T-Test was conducted. The results are in Table 9. Table 9: Independent Group T-Test Results on Whether Students' Views on Distance Education Differ Significantly According to the Study Room Variable Study room N M SD df t p Cohen’s d Available 366 42.62 11.41 Distance Learning 582 5.734 .000 0.49 Unavailable 218 36.76 12.79 Looking at the values in Table 9; students' views on distance education differ statistically significantly according to the study room variable (t=-5.734, p<.05). Considering the average scores, it is seen that the average scores of those who have their own study room (M=42.62) are higher than those who do not (X olmayan=36.76). Considering the effect size (d=.49), it can be said that this difference is moderate. European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 8 │ Issue 7 │ 2021 140