An Analysis of Student Perceptions on Communication Barriers in Distance Education: A Case Study of Sakarya University Online Programs

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions and experiences of university students about communication barriers in online learning as a contemporary form of distance education. Because the study was descriptive in nature, the general survey model was employed. The population of the study was defined as students enrolled to the online courses at Sakarya University in Turkey. The sample consisted of 115 students who have taken online courses in various degree programs in Adapazarı Vocational High School at Sakarya University. All the students individually volunteered to participate in the study. Data were gathered through a Likert- type scale developed specifically for the study. The scale included 40 items, each with 5 options. Data were analyzed by using techniques of factor analysis, correlation, analysis of variance, and multiple regression. The results showed that students did not experience high levels of technical barriers or communicational problems. Most of the barriers and problems that the students experienced were communicational rather than technical. There was no significant difference in terms of gender. On the other hand, relatively older students had less communication problems compared to their younger counterparts. The students studying industrial electronics as a major faced less problems than those students in other fields of study did. Barriers and problems did not show considerable difference according to the amount of online lessons taken. However, those who have taken online courses as mandatory, experienced more problems than those taking at least some of the online courses as elective. When perceptions and experiences of students were positive about online courses, they usually reported less barriers and problems. Consistent with this, the students who encountered less difficulty in online learning reported more willingness to take additional online courses in the future, and this willingness was the most powerful predictor of the students’ general perceptions of online learning. Keywords: Communication barriers, distance education, online learning ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………