Investigating Students’ Perspectives of Foreign Language Distance Education Curriculum According to Some Variables

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the students’ satisfaction levels of foreign language distance education curriculum in a state university according to some variables. In the study, it was aimed to answer these questions: “What are the students’ opinions about the distance education curriculum of Foreign Language I course and do their opinions differ according to some variables?” Context, Input, Process and Production (CIPP) evaluation model was used as a curriculum evaluation framework and descriptive survey model, one of the quantitative research models, was used in this study. Sample of the study is composed of 715 freshman students who are enrolled in the faculties and colleges of university and took the Foreign Language I course in 2015-2016 academic year. 5-point likert scale was developed by the researchers to collect data. Independent samples t-test and one-way Anova was used to analyze the collected data with the help of SPSS 20. As a result of the study, it was found out that the students’ responses are gathered around the "I neither agree nor disagree" option. The component which has the highest satisfaction level is process component of curriculum and product component has the least satisfaction level. Opinions of the students about curriculum don’t differ significantly according to their gender and age. However, their opinions differ significantly according to their education type, daily internet connection hours and final grades. Also the students, who have personal computer and have attended another distance education, have more positive opinions than the students who don’t have computer and any distance education experience.