Participatory Educational Research
Yazarlar: Ertuğrul ERGÜN, Meryem Fulya GÖRHAN
Konular:Eğitim, Bilimsel Disiplinler
Anahtar Kelimeler:Distance education,Choosing course,Choosing university,University entrance examination
Özet: In recent years with the developments in information technologies, use of distance education at higher education institutions has expanded. Learners can choose a specific higher education institution due to several reasons. Research states that such a preference is based on several factors, including status of the institution, geographical status of the university, recommendations by individuals (family members, teachers, peers, etc.), interest of learners, future job opportunities, success of university, social opportunities of the city and availability of evening education courses. The major factor in successful distance education is learners. More specifically, the demographical qualities, interests and attitudes of students play a major role in distance education. The views of the high school graduates preparing for university entrance examination about distance education have not been analysed. This study aims at uncovering the views of high school students preparing for university entrance examination about distance education and their motivations for choosing distance education institutions. The data of the study were collected through a survey consisting of 36 likert scale questions. It was administered to 223 high school students. The findings state that most of the students don’t want to choose a program in distance education. Nearly half of the participants reported that instead of choosing a distance education program in a high-quality institution, they might prefer the same program in an ordinary university. Another finding shows that only 22% of the participants planned to enrol for a two-year higher education. However, in Turkey distance education programs are vastly common in these institutions. Nearly half of the participants reported that major advantages of distance education (efficient time management, easy communication, low cost, courses by specialists, etc.) were not beneficial for them. Nearly 60% of the students reported that their choice over distance education would not be supported by guidance teachers, family members and friends. Therefore, these key -groups should be taken into consideration by distance education institutions in their promotional and advertising activities.