examining turkish prep school students’ engagement during the covid-19 pandemic

Due to the global closures during the covid-19 pandemic, the world has witnessed a substantial move from traditional face-to-face classes to online synchronous ones. this movement has multiplied the extent of activity in the online learning atmosphere. accordingly, curriculum, syllabi, and teaching, as well as assessment, were gradually modified to meet the needs of the students in the online environment. therefore, student engagement has become one of the essential measures of academic achievement in schools and universities in the newly-designed learning atmosphere. to investigate the engagement challenges of turkish prep school students, a qualitative study was conducted in online learning atmosphere during the pandemic. to this end, three turkish prep school classes were observed by the researcher for six months in the academic year 2020-2021. upon the completion of the observation, 15 students were selected for the interview through convenience sampling. the data collected through observation and interview were analyzed using thematic analysis. data analysis results revealed that digital skills and face-to-face interaction among the students and the teachers served as the primary sources of challenging engagement. likewise, the socioeconomic status in terms of digital technology resources appeared as a testimony that affected the students’ engagement. based on the findings, the study offers practical contributions to enhancing and facilitating full engagement in a synchronous learning environment.

Examining Turkish Prep School Students’ Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the global closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has witnessed a substantial move from traditional face-to-face classes to online synchronous ones. This movement has multiplied the extent of activity in the online learning atmosphere. Accordingly, curriculum, syllabi, and teaching, as well as assessment, were gradually modified to meet the needs of the students in the online environment. Therefore, student engagement has become one of the essential measures of academic achievement in schools and universities in the newly-designed learning atmosphere. To investigate the engagement challenges of Turkish Prep school students, a qualitative study was conducted in online learning atmosphere during the pandemic. To this end, three Turkish Prep school classes were observed by the researcher for six months in the academic year 2020-2021. Upon the completion of the observation, 15 students were selected for the interview through convenience sampling. The data collected through observation and interview were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data analysis results revealed that digital skills and face-to-face interaction among the students and the teachers served as the primary sources of challenging engagement. Likewise, the socioeconomic status in terms of digital technology resources appeared as a testimony that affected the students’ engagement. Based on the findings, the study offers practical contributions to enhancing and facilitating full engagement in a synchronous learning environment.