The Impacts of Distance Education on Equality and Inequality of Opportunity in Education

 

ABSTRACT

The globalization of information and communication technologies has caused a worldwide education system to arise. The advances experienced in several informatics systems, including but not limited with the progress of computers and internet, have also established new practices in educational area. One of such practices is the distance education. The distance education is the planed learning process as performed by making use of various communication methods linked to the electronic systems, and capable of overcoming the time and space limitations. The eminent advantages of distance education, such as being free from the time and space limitations or reduction of educational costs, ensures equality of opportunity in education; however, the practice has been deemed to cause also the inequality of opportunity in certain areas of education. Accordingly, the object of this study has been designated as to establish the factors of equality and inequality of opportunity provided and caused by the distance education with regard to the learner. It is hereby targeted to observe the problems faced by the students practicing the distance education and to express the solution recommendations in relation. The study has been conducted as a case study which is a qualitative research method.  The research group consists of the faculty members and students. The group has been chosen under criterion sampling process whereas the criterion has been identified as the past distance lecturing for the faculty members and past distance learning for the students. A total of 47 research participants have been interviewed as 21 faculty members and 26 students. A semi-structured interview form has been used as data gathering tool. The content analysis has been carried on the obtained data. The findings include the direct quotations from the participants, as well as the conceptual analysis results, in support for the formation of the study themes. The findings have clarified even better the problems existing in the education system with regard to the equality of opportunity provided by the distance education to the learner.