INVESTIGATION OF ACADEMICIANS AND STUDENTS' PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDES FOR DISTANCE PHYSIOTHERAPY AND REHABILITATION EDUCATION IN COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Purpose: In the COVID-19 pandemic, perceptions, and attitudes of academicians and students towards distance education (DE) are essential for the DE's continuity. This study aimed to determine the perceptions and attitudes of academicians and students towards distant physiotherapy and rehabilitation education in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Study information was given to 22 academicians (14 females and 8 males) assigned in DE. Academicians were filled with Perceptions Scale Questionnaire. The Web-Based Instruction Attitude Scale online survey link was sent to 620 undergraduate students. The data of 381 students (271 females and 110 males) who completed the questionnaire were analyzed. Results: The Distance Education Perceptions Scale total score of the academicians was 60.76 +/- 11.29. Increasing age (p=0.003) and length of teaching (years) (p=0.012) had a negative effect on the total score. The Web-Based Instruction Attitude Scale total score of the students was 72.11 +/- 20.29. Increasing age (p=0.006) and grade (p=0.041) has a positive influence on the total score. There was no significant gender difference in both academicians' perceptions and attitudes (p=0.973) and students (p=0.973). Conclusion: Although DE is seen as an alternative solution in ongoing educational activities during the pandemic, academicians and students thought that DE could not be equivalent to face-to-face education in terms of quality and learning outcomes. However, since it would become inevitable to use DE in many educational fields in the information age, it could create methods that would make DE a usable model in education.