Online learning of English language skills: A study with preparatory school students and lecturers

Distance Education is a system of education in which learning and teaching activities are conducted in an environment where students and teachers are physically separated. The type of distance education in which education is applied in different places via online courses is called online distance education. The purpose of this study is to develop an insight into the opinions of students and lecturers at preparatory unit on online learning of English language skills (teaching four skills reading, writing, listening, speaking). In this qualitative study case study design was adopted. The participants of this research comprise of students and lecturers at preparatory unit of a foundation university in Turkey in 2020-2021 academic year. The research data were collected through data triangulation; semi-structured interviews applied on focus groups, observations and reflections. The obtained data were analyzed utilizing the steps in Miles and Huberman data analysis and findings were interpreted. The results were summarized as below: 1. It was found that students and lecturers have some positive and negative views on online learning of English language skills for each skill. 2. It was found that students' views on online learning are generally negative while lecturers' views on online learning are generally positive. 3. It was found that for students, the strong skill is writing and the weak skill is speaking while for lecturers, the strong skill is reading and the weak skill is speaking.