PUBLIC SCHOOL AND PRIVATE SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS’ VIEWS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

This study investigated geography teachers’ views of distance education. The study was conducted in the 2020-2021 academic year. The sample consisted of 12 geography teachers from public (n=6) and private (n=6) schools in the city center of Tokat, Turkey. The study adopted a qualitative case study design. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Participants did not consider the geography curriculum completely adequate for distance education. The class attendance rate was higher in private schools than in public schools. Participants who were more prepared for classes were more likely to use different materials. All participants believed that they provided supportive education. According to them, the main issue was whether students were engaged in learning. Participants from private schools stated that student engagement was limited. In other words, students in private schools asked fewer questions and raised their hands less often than those in public schools. According to participants, the eight most important problems regarding distance geography education were as follow: First, they had difficulty explaining complicated and abstract topics. Second, students had screen addiction. Third, classes were not long enough to cover all topics. Fourth, students had communication problems. Fifth, participants faced technical problems during lectures. Sixth, participants experienced Internet connection issues during lectures. Seventh, participants could not use measurement and evaluation tools effectively. Eighth, participants could not measure how well students achieved learning outcomes. We think that all stakeholders should collaborate to make the necessary adjustments to improve distance education in Turkey