Examination of Primary School Teacher Candidates' Views on Distance Education: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

This study aimed to gather prospective primary school teachers' opinions on distance education and ascertain whether these opinions varied based on different variables. A mixed-methods approach was employed to obtain more reliable results, with the sequential explanatory design being utilized in the study. The research sample comprised 233 teacher candidates from Erciyes University's Ziya Eren Faculty of Education during the 2020-2021 academic year who participated in distance education amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Distance Education Students' Views of Distance Education Scale, developed by Yıldırım, Yıldırım, Çelik, and Karaman (2014), served as a quantitative data collection instrument. Qualitative data were gathered online via a structured interview form. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, frequencies, and arithmetic means were used to analyze the quantitative data. Since the data exhibited a normal distribution, t-tests and ANOVAs were conducted. The Qualitative data analysis involved using the descriptive analysis method for the semi-structured interview responses. The findings of the study revealed that the opinions of primary school teacher candidates regarding distance education did not significantly differ based on gender or home internet access. However, significant differences were identified in relation to class level and duration of internet usage. Based on these results, recommendations were provided, such as enhancing distance education infrastructure within universities.