Developing the English speaking skills of K12 students through distance education

This thesis delves into the reasons why K12 students in Turkey have not been able to reach the desired proficiency levels in English speaking skills, despite the widespread availability of English language instruction, and it examines how distance education could potentially resolve this issue. The study employs a sequential explanatory research design that incorporates both quantitative and qualitative data within the Design Thinking framework. The research sample comprises 391 students and 106 teachers. The initial phase of the research involved measuring participants' attitudes towards English speaking skills and gathering their demographic information. Subsequently, an e-learning platform specifically designed for distance education was developed to enhance the English speaking skills of K12 students, based on the data collected. Throughout this process, the educational performance of participants was analyzed using data obtained from the Learning Management System (LMS), and their perspectives on the e-learning platform were collected. The conclusions drawn from the study critically assess the role of distance education in improving the English speaking skills of K12 students and offer significant insights into how these skills can be effectively developed through distance learning methodologies.