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

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel

Distance education effectiveness is often assessed through learner satisfaction, which serves as a key indicator for improvement. This study developed a valid and reliable satisfaction scale for secondary and high school students. Researchers reviewed prior distance-education and student-satisfaction studies, selected suitable items, and created a 26-item initial form. Administered to 1,142 students, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses removed 8 items, yielding 18 items across five dimensions and a Cronbach alpha reliability of 0.76.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Highlights

What is already known about this topic

What this paper contributes

Implications for theory, practice and/or policy

Introduction

Measuring Satisfaction with Distance Education: A Scale Development Study for Secondary and High School Students Melike Zeytinli Ünal, Suat Ünal, Ünal Çakıroğlu Abstract: The efficiency of the distance education process can be evaluated from various aspects. Oneof 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 studentstudent interaction", "materials and communication tools", "teaching process", "attitude towards elessons" . 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. Keywords: Distance education, student satisfaction, secondary school students, high school students. Highlights What is already known about this topic: • Evaluation of the distance education is crucial for its improvement. In such studies, the distance education process is tried to be evaluated by considering factors such as students, trainers, organization, and system. • Students' satisfaction with distance education is an important indicator of the effectiveness of these activities. What this paper contributes: • It is seen that student satisfaction scales for distance education are generally prepared for students at higher education level. A valid and reliable scale for and secondary school students is required. • The satisfaction scale can be used for providing information about the quality of the online learning for young students. Implications for theory, practice and/or policy: • It was concluded that the satisfaction scale developed in this study is valid and reliable in measuring the satisfaction levels of high school and secondary school students towards the distance education process in general. • The distance education satisfaction scale developed in this study can be used by secondary and high school teachers so that they can identify the deficiencies of their teaching practices and improve them. Introduction The distance education can be defined as a set of systems that allow learning to be carried out independently of both time and place (İşman, Barkan & Demiray, 2005) . Among the studies on the evaluation of distance education, the studies that emphasize the evaluations of the learners are gaining importance among the studies that steer the distance education policies (Yükseltürk &Yıldırım, 2008) . In this context, studies that deal with students' own learning processes, their experiences during distance education, and evaluations of instructors, system and organization are guiding for the field of distance education. There are many studies in the literature focusing on student evaluations for distance education within the framework of variables such as learning, attitude, motivation, sense of presence, community perception, and satisfaction (Fidan, 2016)

FAQs

What was the goal of the study on distance education satisfaction?

The study aimed to develop a valid and reliable satisfaction scale for secondary and high school students.

How was the satisfaction scale developed and evaluated?

An initial 26-item scale was prepared from selected items in prior research, then administered to 1,142 students and refined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

What are the key results of the final scale?

The final version contained 18 items across five dimensions—personal compliance, interaction, materials and communication tools, teaching process, and attitude toward lessons—with a Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.76.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel