Examination of University Students' Attitudes towards E-learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic Process and the Relationship of Digital Citizenship

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people's social interaction and has brought changes on education, environment and economy. COVID-19, which affects every aspect of life, has produced results that require re-evaluating the perspective on education. Distance learning, digital learning, e-learning has reshaped education in many ways. There can be a chance of the pandemic in the digital age to turn into an advantage for the education sector. In this period, it can be said that those who have high interest in technology move more easily in distance education and e-learning processes. In this context, expressing the best skills in the digital age, it was thought that the concept of digital citizenship would have positive effects on e-learning. This study is a relational survey and tested by establishing a relationship between digital citizenship and e-learning. The study was conducted among higher education students. It has been observed that there is a positive relationship between digital citizenship behaviors and e-learning attitudes. In addition, it has been observed that the negative anxiety of students due to the pandemic is reflected in their e-learning processes. However, overall results show that digital citizenship behavior digital learning process could be a positive response to COVID-19 closure period.

EU27 Higher Education Institutions and COVID-19, Year 2020

“…The focus of most articles is distance learning or the change from face-to-face to distance learning. There are several perspectives, like mobile learning methodology [34] and gamification [35], for a specific subject [36,37]; for a specific group of students, such as international mobility students [38] or first-year students [39]; concerned with the quality of educational process on online platforms [40], the level of communication of social responsibility by higher education institutions [41] or technical conditions of distance learning [42]; adaptation of the learning process [43], concern about connecting to the digital world [44][45][46]; the influence of some factors on students' acceptance of shifting education to distance learning [47], Evaluation of the Emotional and Cognitive Regulation [48], comparison of face-to-face classes with distance learning [49] by the student's perspective [50,51], teacher's perspective [43,52], organization [53], or various actors [54].…”

“…the sample size varies widely: from 100 or less [38,39,51], 250 or less [37,40,45,46,49,50,55], less than 1000 students [42,44,54], or more than 1000 [47,48]. Two studies use the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) [39,47], one study uses the Digital Citizenship Behavior Scale (DCB) [45] and another uses the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) [48]. One of the studies uses three surveys: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the semester [35], while another compares student surveys in the semester prior to the pandemic with the surveys of students who participated in the course during the pandemic [49].…”

“…Problems with personal relationships and communication, self-regulated learning, and technical problems are shown [42]. The negative anxiety of students due to the pandemic is reflected in their e-learning processes [45]. A negative correlation was also reported between the impact of the pandemic on the academic path and the attitudes of Portuguese students in higher education concerning the mandatory nature of the digital university and distance learning [55].…”

A Study on the Level of Comprehension and Satisfaction With Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In addition, it has been observed that the negative anxiety of students due to the pandemic is reflected in their e-learning processes. However, overall results show that digital citizenship behavior digital learning process could be a positive response to COVID-19 closure period (Akcil & Bastas, 2021).…”

How Primary School Children Perceive Tolerance by Technology Supported Instruction in Digital Transformation During Covid 19

“…Due to the Covid-19 epidemic, there is a compulsory transition of schools to distance education throughout the world, and it is stated that the participation in the lessons is quite high as a result of the virtual adaptation of technology in the higher education institution in Bangalore and as a result of the students enjoying these experiences (Shenoy et al, 2020 ). In their work, Akcil and Bastas ( 2020 ) point out the importance of digital citizenship, with the transition from face-to-face education to online education during the Covid-19 pandemic process. In their studies with university students, they concluded that the relationship between digital citizenship behaviors and e-learning attitudes, which are effective in learning willingness in positive way.…”