Audiology students’ opinions towards COVID-19 pandemic: occupational perspective and future expectations

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the audiology students' opinions regarding their occupational perspective and their future expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The study included 608 participants consisting of undergraduate and graduate students. Two question forms were used in the study. “Audiology students' opinions regarding their occupational perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic” containing 10 questions and “Audiology students' opinions regarding their future expectations” containing 8 questions were assessed.

Results

While the COVID-19 pandemic did not affect employment opportunities in the field of audiology, it significantly contributed to the increase of professional risks. Online education did not contribute to the learning process and professional competencies. More graduate students stated that the COVID-19 did not affect employment opportunities and increased professional risks but facilitated access to information compared to undergraduate students (p < .05). Undergraduate students stated that COVID-19 contributed more to the reconsideration of career plans and opinions about the profession compared to graduate students (p < .05). COVID-19 pandemic had a more negative effect on graduate students' future expectations compared to undergraduate students (p < .05).

Conclusion

To our view, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively influenced the occupational perspective of audiology students but did not affect their future expectations. While this process affected the career plan and perspective on the audiology profession of undergraduate students, it negatively impacted the professional risk perception and future expectations of graduate students.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• pandemics
• audiology
• students

Author contributions

KK initiated, designed the study, collected data, literature review, directed the data analysis and wrote the manuscript. MK initiated, designed the study, made the data analysis, literature review, directed the data analysis and wrote the manuscript. EKO initiated, designed the study, literature review, directed the data analysis and wrote the manuscript. BM initiated, designed the study, made the data analysis, discussed the analysis and wrote the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.