Investigation of inequality of opportunities in students withsocioeconomic disadvantages during the pandemic period (Mardin-Derik district example)

In this study, for the distance education activities that started to be implemented with the Covid-19 pandemic process; It is aimed to determine the problems that socioeconomically disadvantaged students experience in accessing education due to their access to distance education and inequality of opportunity in the context of technology. For this purpose, the opinions of 40 students studying in different levels Derik District of Mardin Province were applied.A semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool in the research conducted with case study, which is one of the qualitative research methods. The data obtained within the scope of the research were analyzed by the content analysis method. With the closure of schools during the pandemic period, students with low socioeconomic status could not access or partially accessed to education.This situation has further deepened the existing digital gap and inequality of opportunity in education.Especially in the context of equality of opportunity, the problems in the education system have become more evident in terms of having educational technologies.The fact that the children of low-income families are not provided with equal access to education in the distance education process has caused them to be excluded from the education system.When the situations that can be accepted among the negativities experienced by students with low socioeconomic status during the Covid-19 epidemic period are evaluated, it is seen as not having technological tools and internet infrastructure, not being able to access education, learning loss, inadequacy of compensatory education and social-emotional breaks. Keywords: Covid-19 Pandemic, Access to Education, Mardin, Socioeconomics, Distance Education