Abstract:

Background: This research was performed to find out the experiences of nursing students who continued their studies with the distance education system that has been applied necessarily and for the first time in Turkey during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Methods: This study was phenomenological qualitative research. Data were gathered by using an introductory features question form and a structured question form with nursing students studying at a state university between the dates of July 1-30, 2020. The research data were gathered, and the prepared questionnaires were transferred to the web environment, sent to the participants, and collected from 72 participants in total. The obtained answers were evaluated by researchers using content analyses. Results: The mean age of the participants was 21.56 ± 1.79 years. Of the participants, 65.3% were women and 44.4% were third class students. Of the participants, 69.4% stated that they were not satisfied with the distance education process, and 88.8% stated that they had problems in the distance education process. As a result of content analyses performed for the evaluation of qualitative data, four categories were identified, including effects of distance education, factors that cause problems during the process of distance education, coping with experienced difficulties, and suggestions to improve distance education. Under these categories, 14 themes and 18 subthemes in total were identified. Conclusion: To minimize the risk of contamination, face-to-face education has been converted to distance education rapidly in all of the world and our country. This situation has caught the universities, teaching staff, and students off guard. In line with the results of this study, it is necessary to organize the distance education system for the development of both theoretical and practical skills of the students, to support it in terms of technological and other infrastructure resources to increase access to distance education, and to provide virtual lessons that ensure mutual interaction. At the same time, lecturers need to develop new approaches to strengthen their technological skills, create alternative channels that will ensure interaction with students, and evaluate students’ performances equally and fairly. Kaya Y, Akın Işık R. The Contribution and Challenges of the Implemented Compulsory Distance Education System to Nursing Education in the First Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study. J Educ Res Nurs. J Educ Res Nurs.  2021;18(Supp. 1): 76-84.

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