An Analysis of Social Studies Teachers' Opinions on Distance Education After Covid-19 Pandemic

Distance education offers an important teaching method in our age thanks to the development and widespread use of digital technologies. Distance education has been used especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years and has significantly shaped education and training activities since then. This study aims to examine the opinions of social studies teachers on distance education. The study addresses the effect of distance education on teaching from various aspects. The study was designed as a case study, one of the qualitative research designs. The data were obtained using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. The study group consisted of 10 social studies teachers working in different provinces of Turkey. According to the results of the study, teachers evaluated distance education as different from face-to-face education in 5 different categories. These are physical, social, time and space, material use and difference in skills training. According to the teachers, classroom management is artificially easier in distance education. They evaluated distance education as unfavorable in terms of communication. Teachers reported that the use of materials is more advantageous in distance education and that these materials are mostly digital materials. These teachers alsobelieve that distance education decreases student success, face-to-face education is the most appropriate method for learning activities, and distance education should be used merely as a supportive element for face-to-face education.