A study targeting university students has revealed that in-person education facilitates a more effective learning experience than online education.
Yeditepe University investigated university students' educational and social adaptation during COVID-19. According to the study, although students quickly adapted to remote learning tools during this period, they indicated that in-person education provided a more effective learning experience than online education.
The research titled "University Students' Education and Social Adaptation During the COVID-19 Process" was conducted by the Yeditepe University Global Education and Culture Studies, Research and Application Center (KEKAM). Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökçe Bayındır Goularas, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and also the Head of the Department of French Political Science and International Relations, led the study with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Işıl Zeynep Turkan İpek from the French Political Science and International Relations Department and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dionysis Goularas from the Computer Engineering Department as a researcher. The study involved 1628 students from various cities and universities across Turkey. Data were collected through an online survey method and analyzed using multiple techniques such as clustering and mapping, contributing a new approach to research in social sciences by applying mapping methods.
Female Students Also Had to Deal with Household Chores
According to the data obtained from the study, 57% of university students stated they quickly adapted to remote learning tools during the pandemic, while 26% reported difficulty in adapting. Despite the majority's ease of adaptation to remote learning tools, in-person education created a more effective learning process than online education, with students preferring face-to-face learning. 23% of the participating students felt remote education formed a more effective learning process, 61% favored in-person education, and 16% were undecided. Students cited the presence of distractions in the home environment during online classes as the primary reason for preferring in- person education. The most significant disadvantage for female students was the inequality in household chores, leading them to struggle more with concentrating on homework and projects than male students during online education.
Stronger Family Relationships and Increased Neighborhood Solidarity
The study found that the pandemic strengthened students' communication with family members but harmed their socialization. 56% of university students felt the pandemic had strengthened their bonds with family members. 54% disagreed with the statement, "My bond with my friends has strengthened during the pandemic," 23% were undecided, and 23% agreed. Additionally, when asked if their communication with friends had increased compared to before COVID-19, 61% said it had not, while only 4% noted an increase. Moreover, about 48% of participants reported engaging in mutual aid and solidarity with their immediate surroundings during the pandemic.
The study also revealed increased students' news consumption during this period, particularly political news, compared to pre-COVID-19 times, with television being the primary source. The most reliable sources were the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, university students stated they used technology more to learn new programs and applications and to shop online during this period.
Students Devoted Time to Hobbies Rather Than Personal Development
The study asked university students whether they had allocated time for personal development activities during this period. It found that participation in online personal development activities did not increase during this period and that there were differences in the frequency of participation in personal development activities based on the household's monthly income level. 40% of participating
students engaged in personal development activities, while 45% did not. Students from households with a monthly income of 7,000 TL and above participated more in these activities. Conversely, about half of the participants stated that they spent more time on their hobbies during the COVID-19 period than before.