Turkish EFL preparatory class students’ attitudes towards distance education

Abstract

This study aimed to reveal Turkish EFL preparatory class students’ attitudes towards distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to some demographic variables. The participants were 300 students from an English preparatory class in Istanbul and the data were collected via a questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe’s Test. The findings demonstrated that the attitudes of students towards distance education were positive and there was a statistically significant difference between the students’ attitudes and gender, age, English proficiency level and computer possession. However, there was no statistically significant difference between their attitudes and Internet usage duration, previous distance education experience and graduated high school types. In light of the findings, it is suggested that new teaching and testing materials should be adapted and hybrid learning settings could be employed to increase the quality and effectiveness of distance foreign language education in the future.