Investigation of classroom management in online learning environments in terms of various variables

The purpose of this study is to evaluate classroom management in online learning settings based on various variables (achievement, attitude, online learning, availability to online learning) and determine of views on students' classroom management. The study was conducted in Fırat University Faculty of Education during the Fall Term of 2015-2016 academic year. The pretest-posttest semi-experimental design with a control group was used in the study. There were three groups, experiment-1, experiment-2 and the control group, in the study. The Instructional Principles and Methods course was conducted on online learning settings for eight weeks. As the online learning settings, the learning management system and virtual classroom were used in practice.The mixed method including of qualitative and quantitative dimensions was used in the study. The quantitative dimension was examined through the experimental design and descriptive model. With regards to the experimental design, the achievement test and course attitude scale, developed by the researcher, was conducted on the experiment-1, experiment-2 and control group as a pre-test and post-test. The availability to online learning and online learning attitude scales were conducted on the experiment-1 and experiment-2 groups as a pre-test and post-test. With regards to the descriptive screening model, the classroom management scale developed by the researcher was conducted on the three groups. With respect to the qualitative dimension, the semi-structured interview form was applied on the students in experiment-1 and experiment-2 groups after the implementation. The achievement permanency test was conducted six weeks after the implementations. According to the study results, it was observed that the achievement levels and attitudes towards the courses of experiment-1 students, who attended classroom management implementations in online settings, of the control group students, who attended courses in face-to-face settings and of experiment-2 students, who attended courses in both settings, increased the same rate. No differences were detected between the groups. It was observed that availability to online learning and attitudes towards online learning levels of experiment-1 and experiment-2 students increased positively. Study results indicated that opinions of all groups concerning classroom management were at the same direction. Data collected from the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of the study were observed to support each other. Based on these results, it was suggested that instructors using online learning settings should improve themselves in classroom management, use of virtual classrooms should be encouraged and training programs should be provided, activities where students actively participate and increase their motivation should be carried out and constant communication should be promoted with students.