ABSTRACT
The current longitudinal study investigated distance education efficiency (DEE) through two specific objectives. The first objective is to examine whether the DEE perception differs according to demographic factors and having the necessary infrastructure. The second aim is to explore the effect of DEE on employability with two different and complex models. Time one sample included students in the emerging remote education period in 2020 in Turkey. Time two had the same 382 students in the hybrid education period in 2021. Using PROCESS, we examined the mediating effect of DEE on unemployment worries and the employability relationship in the first study and the causal impact of DEE on employability, the mediating effect of environmental uncertainty, and the moderating role of courage in the second study. Providing the necessary infrastructure and educational content and the readiness of trainers and students increases DEE. Unemployment worries were negatively related to employability, and DEE mediated this relationship. DEE was especially necessary for low-courageous students to decrease environmental uncertainty and increase employability. Longitudinal analysis indicated that suitable learning materials, required resources, practice, and knowledge from previous failures improved DEE perception.
List of the abbreviations
DE: Distance education
DEE: Distance education efficiency
ERE: Emergency remote education
LMS: Learning management systems
UWs: Unemployment worries
EU: Environmental uncertainty
TQ: Teaching quality
PE: Program effectiveness
EEAM: E-learning educational atmosphere measure
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Ayten Yagmur
Ayten Yagmur earned a Ph.D. in economics. She currently works as an assistant professor of labor economics at Akdeniz University. Her research focuses on employability, education and employment, social capital, and the macroeconomy.
Kemal Koksal
Kemal Koksal earned a Ph.D. in management. He currently serves as an associate professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at Akdeniz University. His research focuses on academic ethics, organizational justice, and education management.