Attitudes and interaction practices towards distance education during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected educational institutions deeply and globally. In the course of the pandemic, countries around the world have tried to fill the gap that has arisen in traditional face-to-face education with emergency web-based distance education systems. This study aims to evaluate the possibilities and limitations of emergency distance education conducted during the pandemic period, based on university students’ approach-avoidance attitudes towards distance education and their distance education experiences. This study, using a mixed method, was designed with explanatory sequential design. The research was conducted at a state university in Turkey. Quantitative data were collected through an online questionnaire (n = 684), and qualitative data were collected from 14 student participants through semi-structured online interviews. In the quantitative dimension, it was determined that students’ avoidance attitudes towards distance education were stronger than their approach attitudes, and there were significant differences between student attitudes and various variables. In the qualitative dimension, it has been revealed that the interactions between both student-student and student-lecturer weakened with distance education during the pandemic period, but these interactions gained some new qualities. It was concluded that the interest towards the lessons conducted only through lecture notes weakened, the contents became functional at the point of clarifying the boundaries of the lessons, and increased the education load at the point of concentration. It was revealed that distance education in home conditions includes both opportunities and limitations in terms of interactions.