Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
5th International Open&Distance Learning Conference, Eskişehir, Türkiye, 28 - 30 Eylül 2022, ss.449-470
Purpose: Student engagement has always been a hot topic in the field of education since
all student behavior, in and out of the classroom, can be influenced by the engagement
of students. With the emergence of online education as a result of COVID19 pandemic,
students` engagement has started to capture more interest because keeping students
engaged with school and courses has become harder than ever. Thus, this study aims to
identify a group of EFL students` engagement in online education, the factors affecting
their engagement, and also, their relevant attitudes towards online education.
Methodology: To this end, the study embraces a qualitative research approach involving
a semi-structured interview. 20 students studying at the department of English Language
and Literature at two state universities in Turkey were selected as participants in
compliance with the convenience sampling technique. The interviews were conducted
through phone mainly due to the constraints of the Pandemic. Content analysis was
used to analyze the interview data.
Findings: The results have shown that the students are aware of the pros and cons of
online education and they are engaged with school and courses as much as possible. In
other words, the students get used to online education and are getting more engaged in
time. However, their engagement is limited to doing homework or assignments, which
indicates that student engagement in online education needs improvement. The study
concludes that online education can be as successful as traditional education if enough
time and effort are spent by both students and educators.
Originality/Implications: Since online education has become popular in recent times
due to changing life conditions as a result of a worldwide pandemic, this study opens the
way for further research to study student engagement in online education. The findings
can be used by instructors to understand student engagement, improve it, and create a
more productive learning environment in online education.