Measuring Satisfaction with Distance Education: A Scale Development Study for Secondary and High School Students

Abstract

The efficiency of the distance education process can be evaluated from various aspects. One of the most important indicators in revealing the effectiveness of the distance education process is the satisfaction level of the learners. This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable satisfaction with distance education scale for secondary and high school students. In this context, first of all, the studies on distance education and student satisfaction with distance education were examined, and the appropriate items for secondary and high school students used in these studies were determined. Afterwards, a 26-item initial scale was prepared by the researchers to evaluate the satisfaction levels of the students in the distance education process. This initial scale was applied to a total of 1142 students, 691 females and 451 males, at different grade levels in secondary and high schools. 8 items were removed from the scale as a result of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the final version of the scale was determined as 0.76. The final version of the scale consisted of 18 items and 5 dimensions: "personal compliance", "teacher-student and student-student interaction", "materials and communication tools", "teaching process", "attitude towards e-lessons". It was concluded that the scale developed in this study can be considered reliable in determining the level of the satisfaction with distance education of secondary and high school students, and it is recommended to be used in future research and applications.