Views and anxiety levels of university students regarding distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the views and anxiety levels of university students regarding distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic. The population of this descriptive and cross-sectional study consisted of the students studying at seven health-related departments at two state universities in Turkey. The data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers and the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI). The results revealed that 50.2% of the students were first-year students, 30% were studying at the first and emergency aid program, 79.3% had a medium-income level, 50.1% lived in a metropolitan area, and 83% had a nuclear family. 50.9% of the students were satisfied with the distance education system, 52.1% found the lessons given through the distance education method partially understandable, 46.7% found the lecturing styles partially plain and understandable, and 72.7% had exam anxiety. The SAI score of the students was found to be 59.0 +/- 5.30 (range 29-73), and 52.8% of them had a moderate anxiety level. While the level of anxiety in students varied significantly according to gender, department, and family income, no significant difference was found among the participants in terms of age, year of study, family type, place of residence, and the presence of chronic and psychological illnesses. The anxiety scores of those who were not satisfied with the distance education, who experienced exam anxiety, who understood the online lessons partially, and who attended the lessons were found to be significantly higher. The study demonstrated that university students experienced anxiety about distance education and exams during the Covid-19 pandemic.