Emergency Remote Teaching Experiences of Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Turkey

COVID-19, a coronavirus disease first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has become an epidemic affecting many countries in a short time (WHO, 2020a). The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this epidemic as a ‘pandemic’, which refers to the spread of new disease worldwide on 12 March 2020 (WHO, 2020b, 2020c). States have developed many measures based on minimising physical contact to prevent the spread of this virus. In this context, many environments where people gather have been closed and operations have shifted to technology-based platforms.

Education has been one of the fields most affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic in the world. According to the data of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 194 countries around the world have closed all schools as of 3 April 2020, and this situation has affected approximately 25 million students in Turkey and 1.6 billion students worldwide (UNESCO, 2020). The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Turkey on 11 March 2020 (AA, 2020). Subsequently, the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) decided to close elementary, middle and high schools for a week starting 16 March 2020 and has announced that educational activities will continue with the remote teaching method as of 23 March 2020 (TRT News, 2020). MoNE has announced that remote teaching activities will be carried out through the Internet via the Education Information Network (EBA) platform and through TV channels via The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) EBA TV during the pandemic (MoNE, 2020a).

This period, in which there are similar remote education practices all over the world, has been called ‘Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT)’ (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Hodges et al., 2020). In Turkey, MoNE and media organisations have named this process as ‘Distance Education’. The history of ‘Distance Education’ dates back to about 200 years ago (Holmberg et al., 2005) and it has constantly evolved with scientific research over the last century. And ‘Distance Education’ has become a discipline that has its unique characteristics and application methods with the theories developed by researchers working in this field. During the pandemic, it has been observed that educational practices carried out urgently and based on the continuation of face-to-face education on the internet and TV environment are confused with the discipline of Distance Education. Distance Education is planned learning and has special institutional structure, administration, technological communication methods and instructional techniques (Moore & Kearsley, 1996) within the framework of its theories.

In this process, teaching and learning activities at preschool, elementary, middle and high school levels were carried out through the EBA platform, which was put into service by the MoNE in preceding years, the EBA Live Lesson application, which is a simultaneous virtual classroom application included in this platform during the pandemic, and TRT EBA TV channels. These tools and their features were described below.

EBA is an online social education platform implemented as a component of the ‘Increasing Opportunities in Education and Technology Improvement Movement (FATİH) Project’. It is run by the MoNE General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Technologies (YEĞİTEK) as announced in 2012 (FATIH Project, 2020). EBA was completely renewed and updated with interactive school books, instructional videos, exams and applications at the beginning of 2020 before the pandemic (YEĞİTEK, 2020a). According to YEĞİTEK (2020b) data, EBA's mobile application has reached 16.7 million downloads for Android devices and 1.8 million for Apple's mobile devices until the end of the 2019/2020 academic year. During this period, 7,383,213 students and 1,030,516 teachers have actively used EBA (YEĞİTEK, 2020b).

During the pandemic, asynchronous remote education was initially carried out in EBA. Later, the EBA Live Lessons application, which is a virtual classroom application, was included in EBA to practice synchronous teaching (MoNE, 2020b, 2020c). With this application, students can come together with their classmates and teachers as if they were in the classroom environment, and teachers can do their lessons with their students at the times determined by the school administrators (MoNE, 2020c). Until the end of the 20219/2020 academic year, a total of 5,954,174 live lessons have been conducted using the application (YEĞİTEK, 2020b).

Three different TV channels (TRT EBA TV Elementary School, TRT EBA TV Middle School and TRT EBA TV High School) have been established to use TV in the teaching process in cooperation with MoNE and TRT. It has been announced that teachers who are successful in their branches, chosen by the MoNE, will give lessons on these channels and that lesson broadcasts will be repeated several times during the day (MoNE, 2020d). It has been broadcast a total of 2516 hr on TRT EBA TV channels, 674 teachers from 93 branches have taken part in the course shooting and 221 activity videos were prepared with 2358 courses videos until the end of the 2019/2020 academic year (YEĞİTEK, 2020b).

The rapid transition from face-to-face to online education during the pandemic was informed by existing research and experience in distance education and online learning literature. Numerous studies have examined the shift from traditional classroom teaching to online formats, highlighting challenges faced by both faculty and students in maintaining effective teaching. Prior research has emphasised the significance of participants' attitudes towards distance education (Horzum & Canan-Güngören, 2012), instructors' pedagogical competencies (Kim & Bonk, 2006) and readiness for online teaching (Demir-Kaymak & Horzum, 2013). Barriers such as a lack of trust in distance education, insufficient training in course development and limited technological expertise among teachers have been identified as critical obstacles to success (Galusha, 1997). Additionally, instructors have reported difficulties in preparing materials, providing timely and appropriate feedback, assessing and evaluating student performance and fostering collaboration among students in distance education systems (Dinçer & Yeşilpınar-Uyar, 2016). Challenges also include adapting practice-based lessons to online formats, spending more time and effort on lesson preparation and struggling to maintain teacher and student motivation compared to face-to-face settings. Students unfamiliar with the required technologies often experienced learning difficulties (Horzum, 2003). Distance education was also perceived as less effective in developing critical thinking skills, fostering motivation and encouraging participation (Yıldız, 2015). Studies on virtual classrooms have highlighted issues such as low attendance and student failure due to technical problems, including connectivity and audio issues, device-related disruptions, reduced interaction and minimal student engagement (Akkuş & Acar, 2017; Park & Choi, 2009). Furthermore, readiness for distance education has been identified as a predictor of student satisfaction and motivation (Yılmaz, 2017).

On the other hand, studies on ERT, which attracted the attention of researchers in Turkey and all over the world during the pandemic, have gradually increased. Many studies highlight the challenges teachers and students face during the rapid transition to ERT including issues such as technological inequities, digital literacy and social-emotional well-being (Ferri et al., 2020; Francom et al., 2021; Huck & Zhang, 2021; MacDonald & Hill, 2021; Seabra et al., 2021). Additionally, various strategies and best practices adopted by educational institutions to reduce the impact of ERT, such as the use of online platforms, personalised support for students and professional development for teachers, have been the subject of research (Onggirawan et al., 2023). Furthermore, the importance of considering cultural and contextual factors that influence the effectiveness of ERT in different regions and communities underscores the need for tailored approaches to addressing educational inequalities (Gonzalez, 2021). However, to date, no studies comprehensively examined the challenges faced by K-12 teachers, the solutions they implement and evidence-based recommendations derived from both distance education and ERT literature to guide policymakers and educators. Also, it is important and necessary to continue research on this topic to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions for ERT and to identify lessons learned to better prepare for future emergencies such as epidemics, natural disasters and possible wars or nuclear threats. However, although formal online education was provided at higher education level in Turkey before the COVID-19 pandemic, online education at the k-12 level was experienced for the first time. On this occasion, the possible results of the study are also important in terms of revealing the technological and pedagogical foundations for online education at the k-12 level in Turkey in the future. For these purposes, answers to the following questions were sought:

• What are the problems that teachers encounter in their ERT activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

• What are the solutions that teachers have developed against problems they encounter in their ERT activities during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

• What are the advantages of ERT for teachers?

• What are the disadvantages of ERT for teachers?

• What are the teachers' suggestions for a more efficient ERT?

A qualitative survey method was used in this qualitative research to examine the lived experiences of teachers who teach remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In qualitative research, researchers try to understand the meaning participants have constructed, that is how they make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world (Merriam, 2009). The qualitative survey method is a research approach which utilises open-ended questions to gather in-depth insights into participants' experiences and perspectives, allowing for a nuanced understanding of complex social phenomena and if surveys are delivered electronically, can also circumvent the constraints of physical geography and allow researchers to collect data from people across a country or, indeed, across the globe (Braun et al., 2017).

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Sakarya University Ethics Committee for the Social Sciences and Humanities (Approval document number: E-61923333-050.99-3509).

In this research, a convenience sampling method was used due to the virus transmission risk, time and labour limitations in determining the participants. In accordance with the purpose of the research the participants consisted of 385 teachers who voluntarily participated in the research and taught in preschool, elementary, middle and high schools in the 2019/2020 academic year, carried out ERT activities following the decision taken by the MoNE due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Participants work in different geographical regions of Turkey. The demographic information of the participants is presented in Table 1.

Of the teachers who participated in the research, 65 (16.9%) are classroom teachers, 51 (13.2%) are culture of religion and knowledge of ethics teachers, 43 (11.2%) are Turkish Language teachers, 41 (10.6%) are foreign language teachers, 37 (9.6%) are science teachers, 34 (8.8%) are mathematics teachers and 21 (5.5%) are social studies teachers. Accordingly, it is seen that most of the teachers who participated in the study consisted of classroom, culture of religion and knowledge of ethics, Turkish language and foreign language teachers, and science, mathematics and social studies branch teachers in proportion to the number of lessons in the weekly course schedule and the number of branch teachers such as music, philosophy and visual arts who have a low number of weekly lessons is also less.

A survey form developed by the researchers was used as a data collection tool in the study. The survey consisted of five questions to determine the demographic information (gender, age, stage of service, years of experience and educational background) of teachers and five open-ended questions to collect information about the research questions. While preparing the survey items, the literature and observations of the researchers in the teaching process were used. The survey form was sent to two academicians working in the Computer Education and Instructional Technologies field to ensure content and face validity and a language expert to ensure structural validity. After receiving feedback from experts, the final survey form was created.

Data collection started after the end of the 2019/2020 academic year so that teachers could fully evaluate the whole process. Considering the physical distance limitations for data collection, the survey form was made to be filled in an online environment and the form link was sent to the teachers via electronic communication and sharing tools (school teacher groups, teacher forums, teachers' social media groups, etc.) and volunteers filled it. The participating teachers were informed about the purpose of the research and it was stated that participation was voluntary in the introduction of the survey. It takes approximately 10–15 min to complete the questionnaire.

After data collection demographic data were analysed descriptively with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 program. Because of the large size of the data set, the content analysis method was used in the analysis of the answers to the open-ended questions. The purpose of content analysis is to reach concepts and relationships that can explain the collected data. The content analysis consists of coding data, finding themes, organising codes and themes and defining and interpreting the findings (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2013).

Credibility refers to the truth of the data or the participant's views and the interpretation and representation of them by the researcher (Polit & Beck, 2012). Patton (1999) states that in qualitative research the researcher is the instrument and the credibility of the research depends on the ability, training and experience of researchers. In the content analysis process, data were coded by two coders. The first coder is the first author of the research who has master's and PhD degrees in Educational Technology field, also taught in a middle school in ERT process. The second coder is an expert who has a PhD in the Educational Technology field.

The answers given to the questions were read and coded independently, then determined the themes and sub-themes by classifying the generated codes to form a whole. Miles and Huberman's (1994) intercoder reliability formula (Reliability = consensus/consensus + disagreement) was used to calculate the reliability. The percentage of agreement between coders was found to be 88%. According to Miles and Huberman (1994), the research was reliable since the reliability coefficients were >80%. Final confirmation of themes and sub-themes was established by the second author who compared the summary of findings with direct quotes from the participants.

In qualitative research, it is important to ensure authenticity which refers to the ability and extent to express the feelings and emotions of the participant's experiences in a faithful manner (Polit & Beck, 2012). Direct quotations are seen as an opportunity to enhance credibility and authenticity in qualitative studies. Therefore, an important quality criterion for qualitative studies is quotations (Messner et al., 2017). Direct quotations from participants were given for each theme and sub-themes in the findings section to ensure the authenticity of the research.

The following open-ended question about ERT was asked to the teachers: ‘What kind of ways did you follow to solve the problems you experienced?’. The answers given by the teachers to this question are presented in Table 3.

In Table 3, when we examine the methods used by teachers to overcome problems based on themes and subthemes derived from their own perspectives, it was seen that teachers switched to different devices to solve access problems in the Access sub-theme of the Technology theme (f = 11) and purchased additional internet data packages (f = 11), they tried to exit and re-enter the system in solving the problems specified in the System sub-theme (f = 28) and they also got help from Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teachers and experienced teachers in their schools (f = 41) in the Competence sub-theme. When the solution ways classified in the Interaction sub-theme of the Pedagogy theme examined, it was determined that teachers communicated with parents to solve interaction problems (f = 39), made phone calls with students under the Motivation sub-theme (f = 35) and they also prepared the course materials before the lessons (f = 4) to solve their problems under the Classroom Management sub-theme. Some of the answers given by the teachers to the question are presented below:

The teachers were asked the open-ended question ‘What do you think are the disadvantages of the distance education process compared to face-to-face education?’ The answers given by the teachers to this question are presented in Table 5.

After examining Table 5, we can see that teachers were most frequently mentioned as disadvantages that students didn't have technological equipment and therefore couldn't attend lessons (f = 63) in the Access sub-theme of the Technology theme, technical problems, EBA connection errors, EBA system problems and waste of time due to these in the System sub-theme (f = 32), communication and interaction are difficult or less (f = 54) in Interaction sub-theme of Pedagogy, low motivation, apathy, lack of attention, distraction (f = 42) in the Motivation sub-theme, inability to create the classroom environment, lack of emotion, lack of emotional transmission and warmth (f = 38) in the Classroom Management sub-theme. Some of the answers given by the teachers to the question are presented below:

The teachers were asked the open-ended question ‘What do you think can be done to make the ERT process more efficient?’ The answers given by the teachers to this question are presented in Table 6.

When we examine Table 6, it can be seen that the most frequently expressed suggestions by teachers for more efficient ERT are these: providing the students with devices such as computers, tablets and free internet connection to access lessons (f = 88) in the Access sub-theme of the Technology theme, eliminating system-technical problems in the System sub-theme and strengthening the EBA infrastructure (f = 98), providing teachers with in-service training on subjects such as the ERT, use of tools that can be used in ERT, creating content and measurement tools in the Competence sub-theme (f = 34). In Pedagogy theme, turning on student's cameras in live lessons (f = 3) in Interaction sub-theme, students' motivation and readiness should be increased (f = 14) in Motivation sub-theme, doing assessment and evaluation of the lessons and supporting the process with homework and grading the homework (f = 16) in Classroom Management sub-theme. Some of the answers given by the teachers to the question are presented below:

The findings of this study offer critical insights into the challenges, solutions and perceptions of teachers regarding ERT during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results align with and extend the existing body of literature on the rapid transition to online learning and its multifaceted impacts on teachers.

The challenges experienced by teachers were gathered under the main themes of Technology and Pedagogy. The technological challenges faced by teachers in this study including issues related to access, system and competence sub-themes reflect similar findings in previous research. For instance, Ferri et al. (2020) highlighted unreliable internet connections and insufficient devices as major obstacles during ERT. Similarly, Francom et al. (2021) documented widespread issues with student access to necessary technological tools and Seabra et al. (2021) identified similar access issues across various educational settings. These shared findings underscore the systemic inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, particularly for students in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts, as also noted by Aguliera and Nightengale-Lee (2020). Access-related issues, such as inadequate internet connectivity and lack of devices, severely limited students' ability to participate in live lessons or access educational content. System challenges, including high network traffic and platform errors, further hindered the seamless delivery of education. Additionally, a lack of digital competence among teachers, students and parents compounded these issues, as many struggled to adapt to the demands of online education. Studies by Volery and Lord (2000) and Galusha (1997) emphasised that effective use of technology is crucial for successful online education, citing teachers' basic computer skills and negative attitudes as barriers. Additionally, Yeşilfidan (2019) recognised the necessity for instructors to enhance their technical skills to address these challenges. This concern is also emphasised by Portillo et al. (2020) and Seabra et al. (2021) in ERT. These challenges underscore the urgency of targeted professional development and improved technical support to enhance readiness for online teaching (Barbour & Hodges, 2024; Watkins et al., 2004).

The pedagogical challenges, categorised as issues of interaction, motivation and classroom management, were similarly emphasised in prior studies. Motivation-related issues stemmed from low student participation, lack of readiness and difficulties in maintaining focus. Nambiar (2020) and Seabra et al. (2021) highlighted issues in student motivation and engagement, which were compounded by inadequate feedback mechanisms and communication barriers. The current study corroborates these concerns, further detailing teachers' struggles with low attendance, parental indifference and managing digital classroom dynamics. Additionally, Spiteri (2021) emphasised the limitations of online platforms for early childhood education, which rely heavily on hands-on activities and face-to-face interactions. Concerns about student participation and classroom management mirrored the observations of Schuck and Lambert (2020) and Trust and Whalen (2021). Classroom management was also hindered by unsuitable home environments, limited oversight of student activities and challenges in fostering discipline and engagement remotely. Challenges in classroom management, such as balancing home responsibilities and ensuring student accountability, reflect the findings of MacDonald and Hill (2021), who noted increased workloads and tensions in managing students remotely. Interaction challenges included difficulties in reaching students and parents, obtaining meaningful feedback and conveying emotions effectively in an online environment. The lack of face-to-face interaction, as discussed by Ferri et al. (2020) and MacDonald and Hill (2021), hindered meaningful communication and feedback, impacting student learning and teacher-student relationships. Similar problems also have been highlighted in earlier distance education studies. Previous studies, including those by Kim and Bonk (2006) and Bilgiç et al. (2011), identified pedagogical competencies as critical for online education success, highlighting the need for instructors to improve their skills in material preparation, feedback provision, assessment and fostering student cooperation in e-learning environments. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers experiencing remote education for the first time need to enhance their pedagogical competencies to address these challenges effectively.

Teachers in this study employed a variety of solutions to address the challenges they faced, including switching devices, contacting internet service providers and using alternative platforms or tools. These pragmatic approaches resonate with the findings of Trust and Whalen (2021), who emphasised the importance of adaptability and peer collaboration in navigating the demands of ERT. For technology access issues, providing students with devices and internet connections, purchasing additional data packages and logging into the EBA platform during off-peak hours to resolve speed and login problems. They also contacted customer service for internet service providers to troubleshoot connection issues. To tackle system-related challenges, teachers often exited and re-entered the EBA platform, rebooted their computers, uninstalled and reinstalled applications, disabled antivirus software, changed web browsers and engaged in trial-and-error methods. They prepared content like videos and tests for subjects with insufficient materials, often seeking assistance from ICT teachers and fellow educators experiencing similar issues. Further, to tackle interaction challenges, teachers regularly communicated with students and parents via WhatsApp groups and EBA. They asked questions to encourage student expression. They implemented one-on-one communication with students and designed engaging lesson content, including songs, stories and videos while keeping live sessions short and incorporating breaks to enhance student motivation. To manage classroom dynamics, teachers prepared materials in advance, assigned homework to increase student responsibility and occasionally muted their microphones to maintain control during live lessons. These strategies align with MacDonald and Hill's (2021) observations of holistic teaching responses, where tailored interventions supported both academic and emotional needs. Additionally, the emphasis on student participation and motivation reflects Spiteri's (2021) insights into the unique demands of early childhood education during remote learning, highlighting the critical role of adaptability and collaboration in effective teaching practices.

Teachers' perceptions of ERT highlight several advantages, which can be grouped into five sub-themes: Flexibility, Effectiveness, Necessity (Obligation), Innovation (Technological) and Opportunities. These findings align with earlier studies, including those by Carretero Gómez et al. (2021), which noted the potential for positive transformation in educational practices. Many teachers noted that ERT allows them to deliver lessons comfortably from home, offering independence from time and location and saving time by eliminating the need for transportation. They found that ERT is particularly beneficial in situations, such as a pandemic, where face-to-face education was impossible. Teachers appreciated the ease of sharing and accessing a variety of documents and materials quickly, as well as the reduction of disciplinary issues typically found in traditional classrooms. Additionally, ERT enabled more efficient use of time and technology in teaching, increased students' sense of responsibility and self-control through personalized learning and provided video lessons that could be revisited multiple times. Teachers also reported greater parental involvement and a better understanding of the value of in-person education. However, a substantial portion (28%) of teachers indicated that they saw no advantages in the ERT process. Their views often reflected the challenges faced in traditional education, such as time savings and the absence of disciplinary problems. Previous studies, including those by Belcheir and Cucek (2002) and Yıldız (2015), support these findings, emphasising the flexibility and opportunities for learning new technologies that ERT offers.

Despite recognising the advantages, teachers also expressed significant concerns regarding the disadvantages of ERT, primarily focussing on the inequalities in access to education. Many noted that students faced difficulties due to unequal opportunities, leading to low participation rates and challenges in communication and interaction. Teachers reported uncertainty about whether students understood the material due to the lack of instant feedback, along with issues such as low motivation, distraction and an inability to replicate the classroom environment found in face-to-face education. They highlighted the emotional disconnect and difficulties in conveying emotions, compounded by technical issues, connection problems and system failures that resulted in lost time and motivation. Teachers also mentioned the challenges of maintaining eye contact and visibility with students, especially when cameras were turned off during live lessons, making it difficult to monitor and assess student engagement. Other drawbacks included reduced sociability and social interaction, the inability to conduct hands-on learning activities such as experiments, difficulties in group work and challenges in keeping students focussed and responsible in a home environment. Previous research, including studies by Horzum (2003) and Yıldız (2015), corroborates these concerns, indicating that instructors faced similar challenges in delivering practical lessons and found ERT less effective than traditional education due to the lack of interaction and communication. Overall, the findings reflect a consensus among educators regarding the limitations and challenges posed by ERT.

Teachers expressed a range of suggestions to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of ERT based on the challenges they encountered during the process. They highlighted the need for improved technical infrastructure for the EBA platform, emphasising that system and technical issues experienced during login and usage should be resolved. To address inequalities in access, teachers called for increased availability of devices, such as computers and tablets, as well as reliable internet connections for students. They also recommended making attendance mandatory in live classes and providing in-service training for teachers on topics such as online course design, the educational use of Web 2.0 tools which have been made to allow students to interact the content and each other online, digital content development and online assessment methods. Additionally, teachers suggested enriching the EBA platform with more diverse content, ensuring effective communication with parents regarding ERT and clarifying student responsibilities. Continuous assessment, the reinforcement of learning through homework and strategies to boost student motivation were also emphasised. Furthermore, teachers proposed several practical strategies to improve the ERT experience. They suggested avoiding restrictive login times for students and teachers, better scheduling of live lessons and creating supportive home learning environments. The establishment of a support and consultancy unit for technical issues was recommended, along with the practice of having students keep their cameras on during live lessons. To accommodate students who cannot attend live sessions, recording lessons was advised and teachers suggested avoiding early morning scheduling for these classes to enhance participation and engagement. Overall, these recommendations reflect teachers' desire for a more effective and inclusive ERT experience.

The MoNE has emphasised the continued importance of remote teaching practices even after the pandemic (MoNE, 2020e, 2020f). Following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023, a decision was made to implement ERT in higher education for a semester (YOK, 2023). This swift transition was facilitated by the valuable lessons learned from ERT experiences during the pandemic. This unprecedented event underscores the critical role of ERT preparedness and the need for recommendations grounded in current research and literature on Distance Education and ERT to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency. Accordingly, we present suggestions for MoNE and teachers.

Even though the MoNE stated that face-to-face classroom environment and school climate cannot be provided in distance education (MoNE, 2020g) and some of the teachers' perceptions in this direction, studies show that distance education can be at least as effective as face-to-face education when appropriate methods and technologies are used for the learning task, when student-student, student-teacher and student-content interactions are provided and student is taken timely and adequate feedback (Horzum, 2007; Johnson et al., 2000; Karataş, 2003; Moore & Thompson, 1990). Equivalency Theory (Simonson et al., 1999) is based on this idea: The more the learning experiences of learners in distance education settings are similar to the experience of face-to-face learners, the more the learning outcomes are also similar. These learning experiences can be provided if teachers know technologies used in distance education and use them effectively, the teaching methods that can be applied and the principles of designing the teaching process. ERT that put into practice as mandatory in the face of an unexpected situation such as a pandemic, is a form of education that most of the teachers have not experienced before during their pre-service learning and in their professional lives and all teachers should have received in-service training in subjects related to tools, methods and techniques that can be used in remote teaching, material preparation in the digital environment, development of assessment and evaluation tools (such as quiz, test, exam) and use of Web 2.0 tools and virtual classroom management.

Students use the interface of EBA and EBA Live Lesson application while interacting with the lesson contents, teachers and other students. Therefore, students and teachers should be well introduced to how to use these platforms' interface features and functions. Interface features should be designed following usability principles to increase student-student, student-teacher, and student-content interactions and interface interaction. In addition, ease of access and usability are important factors for the success of online distance education and students should have the flexibility to log into the system at any time (Volery & Lord, 2000). In this sense, the restrictions applied in the process of logging into EBA based on class level should be removed by improving the technical infrastructure. One of the most expressed suggestions by teachers is that: Students who cannot access EBA and educational resources due to inequality of opportunity should be identified and these students should be provided with devices and internet connection. Currently, the quota of the free internet package given to provide equal opportunity to students should be increased and should be valid in EBA Live Lessons and other virtual classroom applications.

The problem about lack of sufficient content or no content for some lessons in EBA should be resolved with the contents to be prepared by taking into account the individual differences and learning styles of the students. One of the most preferred features of virtual classroom applications in distance education for users is that the sessions are recorded and made accessible to students who cannot attend the lessons simultaneously (Ilgaz, 2014). Currently, lessons are not recorded with the EBA Live Lessons application. Live lessons should be recorded and can be watched on EBA on the same day or in a week. Flexibility can be increased for disadvantaged students.

According to the teachers' opinions, the teaching activities carried out in this process were not graded, so it negatively affected the participation of students in the ERT process. Learning must be evaluated and process evaluation methods (homework, projects, etc.) may be used.

In the study, some of the teachers stated that they received help from ICT teachers in their schools in the case of system and competence problems. FATIH Project ICT Guide Teachers, who are currently assigned in schools where FATIH Project equipment is installed, guide teachers about the effective usage of Information Technologies in educational environments. Assigning a FATIH Project ICT Guide Teacher for every school during the remote teaching process may be beneficial for solving the frequently encountered problems based on technology use.

The instructional potential and effectiveness of EBA and EBA Live Lesson application can contribute to students' learning experiences when online teaching models revealed by scientific studies are applied. In recent years, one of the models that have been successfully applied in online and blended learning environments is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Model (Polat, 2013). This model is based on the cooperative-constructivist learning and teaching approach (Garrison & Anderson, 2003; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007) and consists of three dimensions. These dimensions are the cognitive presence in which students construct information, the social presence where they can share their thoughts and establish relationships among other students by feeling themselves belonging to the group (class) and the teaching presence which includes the design, facilitation and management of these two processes to achieve the desired learning outcomes (Garrison & Anderson, 2003). Although the model is more widely used in higher education, Garrison et al. (2000) stated that this model is applicable to all educational experiences. In their research, Kurt et al. (2022) indicated that, in accordance with the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, K-12 students' perceptions of social, cognitive and teaching presence during live classes not only reduced perceived transactional distance but increased engagement in online learning environments. The experience of observing their teachers on screen, encountering familiar and engaging instructional practices and interacting with teachers, peers and course content collectively contributed to a more authentic learning experience for K-12 students. Additionally, Kuran (2024) found a significant relationship between K-12 students' social presence and engagement, noting that higher levels of engagement in asynchronous online learning led to increased social presence, which subsequently correlated with improved course grades. Furthermore, both Harrell and Wendt (2019) and Zhang (2018) asserted that a deeper understanding of the CoI framework not only promotes positive student outcomes among K-12 learners but is also applicable to high school students. Moreover, Zhang and Lin (2021) established connections between the CoI model and various learning outcomes that serve as indicators of success in K-12 online learning. Recent studies highlight its role in enhancing language skills in K-12 contexts (Suharno et al., 2023) and demonstrate the applicability of the CoI framework at the K-12 level online learning (Sanders & Lokey-Vega, 2020).

According to the CoI model, the tasks of the teachers to achieve effective learning can be listed as follows in terms of the components of the model:

• Methods such as providing opportunities for students to express their feelings and thoughts, organising collaborative activities, reminding students of their duties and responsibilities, appreciating, organising discussions, encouraging them to ask questions and sharing, letting them evaluate and support each other, accepting differences and providing positive experiences to create social presence.

• In order to create cognitive presence, it is necessary to create a discussion topic or assign a task, to enable students to discover and learn by exchanging information, to give continuous feedback, to ensure integration by establishing connections between asserted ideas and to ensure that the problem is solved.

• In the context of teaching presence, teachers can make activities such as expressing the rules and important dates about the lessons in advance, determining the lesson contents and the methods to be used, encouraging students to participate in the lesson and discussion, giving feedback, managing discussions, presenting the content, asking questions and evaluating the effectiveness of the learning process.

Lack of motivation is one of the most important problems experienced by teachers in the present study. The fact that students have more individual responsibilities in remote teaching compared to face-to-face education makes motivation more important. Various motivation models have been developed to increase students' motivation in learning environments. One of these is the ARCS Model of Motivation developed by Keller (1987). Studies have revealed that this model is a valid model for increasing motivation in e-learning environments (Keller & Suzuki, 2004). If the conditions required by the model are met, students will not only have a high level of motivation to learn but also will have continuous motivation to learn. According to the model, the first condition is that the lesson must attract students' attention and keep their attention alive. The second condition is to build relevance. The relevance refers to learners' perceptions that the instructional requirements are consistent with their goals, compatible with their learning styles and connected to their past experiences. The third necessary condition for motivation is confidence. Confidence refers to the effects of positive expectancies for success, experiences of success and attributions of successes to one's abilities and efforts rather than to luck or to task challenge levels that are too easy or difficult. The fourth condition, satisfaction, is necessary for learners to have positive feelings about their learning experiences. Making and implementing instructional design according to motivational design models in ERT can increase students' motivation and thus increase participation and success.

In studies conducted on synchronous lessons, it was observed that instructors carried out similar practices in lessons as in face-to-face teaching and they transferred their experiences of face-to-face education directly to virtual live lessons without considering the different dynamics of distance education (Yıldız, 2015), they generally used the presentation method and they used only a few features of the virtual class system intensively (Yılmaz & Aktuğ, 2011). In this sense, the live lessons should not be a repetition of the video contents in EBA or done in the form of face-to-face teaching but rather it should be done for increasing dialogue and interaction by question-answer activities and discussions. It should be taken into account that students can have live lessons from different branches to attend, and the lesson duration should be kept shorter considering their attention span to the screen.

In terms of instant communication, the use of social media tools, motivational online Web 2.0 activities and instant social communication tools such as WhatsApp can be effectively used to inform students and increase participation in the activities, lessons and homework. Students have more responsibility for learning in remote teaching and K-12 level students need more support than higher education students in fulfilling their responsibilities. This situation reveals the increasing importance of teacher-parent cooperation and school guidance services. Therefore, it should be ensured that parents participate in the education process more actively, and teacher-parent cooperation should be strengthened in terms of following and supporting students at home. School guidance services should support students psychologically by using information and communication tools effectively.