Abstract:

This study aims to determine the positive and negative aspects of distance education, which is carried out urgently and necessarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. For this purpose, the views of school administrators and teachers about the distance education process were taken. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. The universe of the study consists of school administrators and teachers working in public schools in Bingöl province in the second term of the 2019-2020 academic year. 187 volunteer participants are working at different educational levels in the study group. Research data were collected through a semi-structured form. Descriptive and content analysis of research data collected online were done together. After the analysis, eight themes related to negative aspects and six themes related to positive aspects of distance education were formed. According to the research results, the most repetitive negative opinion regarding distance education conducted during the pandemic period is the problems related to internet access and technology. During this period, many teachers and students had difficulties in connecting to EBA. Many students cannot receive distance education because they do not have the technological devices required for distance education. In the distance education process, inequality of opportunity in education has increased. Especially, the lessons that require practice are inefficient. Participation in distance education lessons is low for students who experience a loss of motivation. However, factors such as contributing to the prevention of the pandemic by reducing the risk of virus transmission, not interrupting education, the widespread use of educational technologies, providing flexibility in terms of time, place, etc. are seen as positive aspects of compulsory distance education.

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