A Mixed-Method Study on the Distance Education Process Experienced in the Faculties of Education

Abstract

Based on the experiences of preservice Turkish teachers (PTTs) along with the transition to distance education, the objective of this study was to evaluate their views on this process in terms of various variables and determine the problems they experienced during the distance education process. One hundred eighty PTTs constituted the sample of the present mixed-method study. Afterward, 40 PTTs were selected from the sample by the criterion sampling method, and their responses to open-ended questions constituted the qualitative data. The data were collected online using the “Interview Form for Distance Education” developed through Google Forms. Descriptive statistical (percentage and frequency distributions) techniques, the chi-square technique for a single sample and two variables were used to analyze quantitative data, and the qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis. The study showed that most PTTs regarded the attainments obtained through distance education as not equivalent to face-to-face education, and there was no significant relationship between these views and gender, grade level, and grade point average. However, there was a significant relationship between PTTs’ problems in distance education, their places of residence, and connection speed. Furthermore, while quite few PTTs thought that distance education was beneficial to developing higher-order thinking and language skills and enriching interaction, most preservice teachers found distance education useful in terms of providing an opportunity to repeat the course content and ensuring space and time flexibility.