TURKISH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' TECHNOLOGY USE PROFILES AND THEIR THOUGHTS ABOUT DISTANCE EDUCATION

This study presents the results of a survey implemented to investigate Turkish university students' technology use profile and their thoughts about distance education. The sample of the study is 6504 students from four universities in Turkey. The results of the study are reported in five main sections: 1) demographic information of the students, 2) students' Internet and computer-use opportunities, 3) students' computer skills, 4) studying styles of the students, and 5) thoughts concerning Internet-based distance education. The results of this study show that 38% of the students have home computer with an Internet connection, and 64%, 53%, and 30% of the students connect to the Internet for communication, newsgroups, and web searches, respectively. In addition, the findings show that the students prefer to access the Internet from either Internet cafes or their homes. Blended learning is the most favorite learning environment among these students.