Abstract:

This research aims to examine the perceptions of middle school students taken distance education due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The study group of the research consists of 116 students studying in Istanbul and Eyüp district in the 2020-2021 academic year. A basic interpretative qualitative design was used in the research and the data were analyzed by content analysis technique. The data on the metaphors such as “Distance education ...; because ... ” were obtained by completing the sentence. According to the findings of the study, the students made 97 valid metaphors regarding the concept of distance education. By examining these metaphors in terms of their common features, 10 different conceptual categories were created. These categories are named as requiring individual effort, inefficiency, savior, offering diversity, isolating, requiring to have a financial potential, non-interacting, easily accessible, entertaining, virtual. As a result of the study, it is seen that students perceive distance education as requiring individual effort at the highest level. On the other hand, female students perceive distance education as requiring more individual effort, non-interactive, savior, requiring to have a financial potential, and inefficiency; Male students perceive distance education as offering more diversity, easily accessible, virtual, and isolating. In addition, while students at lower grade level perceive distance education as more non-interactive, savior, entertaining, requiring to have a financial potential, providing diversity, and easily accessible; Older students perceive distance education as requiring more individual effort, inefficient, virtual, and isolated.

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