Evaluation of the phenomenon of distance education in secondary education during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to evaluate the phenomenon of distance education implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on the views of secondary school students, parents, and teachers in Turkey, and to develop suggestions for the future of distance education. To this end, questions posed to students, teachers, and parents were sought answers. In this research, the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used to evaluate the phenomenon of distance education during the pandemic. The study group consists of 20 students, 15 teachers, and 15 parents from four secondary schools in the central district of Adıyaman province. Semi-structured interview forms were used to gather evaluations of students, teachers, and parents regarding distance education during the pandemic. Content and descriptive analysis technique was applied to analyze the interview data, and validity and reliability measures were meticulously implemented. During the distance education process, students, teachers, and parents expressed similar and different views. Students emphasized that their success increased with individual study, but their academic success decreased due to the comfort of the home environment and the inefficiency of the lessons. They also stated that their motivation decreased due to reduced interest in lessons, lack of familiarity, and inefficiency of the lessons. Students reported completing their homework with peer cooperation, family support, and internet research, and that the EBA education platform was beneficial but needed infrastructure improvement. While some students believed that distance education could be beneficial if conditions were improved in the future, others thought it could not replace face-to-face education and should only be used in emergencies. Teachers noted that students' academic success decreased because they did not follow the lessons regularly and their motivation decreased during the distance education process. They expressed that the negative effects of distance education on learning motivation were due to students' lack of seriousness, irregular attendance, and lack of active participation in lessons. Teachers stated that the quality and efficiency of homework given in distance education were low, that homework was done superficially, and some skills were not sufficiently developed. While highlighting the strengths of the EBA education platform, teachers argued that distance education should not replace face-to-face education. They also emphasized that issues such as internet access and inequality of opportunity posed significant problems in distance education. They suggested that equality of opportunity should be ensured and lesson durations shortened to increase the efficiency of distance education. Teachers reported using methods such as question-and-answer techniques and continuous communication to increase students' motivation. Parents stated that their children's academic success decreased during distance education, while some parents noted an increase. They expressed that their children's motivation decreased due to lack of interest in learning, but some parents were not affected by this situation. Parents stated that learning retention could not be achieved due to the inefficiency of teaching and lack of motivation. They expressed that homework was done carelessly due to the lack of feedback from teachers, but some deficiencies were tried to be compensated with certain supports and resources. Parents mentioned that while the EBA system was well-prepared, they experienced connection problems. They believed that distance education could be beneficial if conditions were improved, but it could not replace face-to-face education and should only be used in emergencies. Additionally, they recommended providing free internet access, conducting lessons with small groups, and using interactive presentations. At the end of the research, recommendations were provided for researchers, policymakers, teachers, parents, and students. Keywords: Pandemic, Distance Education, EBA, Secondary Education, Students, Teachers, Parents