Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education

  • Long paper
  • Published:
Universal Access in the Information Society Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aims of this work were to examine the attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education (DE) and the relationships between attitudes and participants’ personal characteristics. Forty-one adults with visual impairments, who ranged in age from 20 to 40, participated in this study. A self-constructed questionnaire measuring the attitudes towards DE was employed. The participants’ answers revealed slightly positive emotions towards DE according to the affective component of attitudes, slightly positive attitudes when DE is compared with traditional education, and positive attitudes as far as the cognitive component of attitudes and participants’ intention to participate in a DE programme were concerned. The elder participants seem to have more positive attitudes towards DE compared with younger participants. Furthermore, the greater the level of education, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE, and the greater the frequency of computer usage, the more positive were the attitudes towards DE. The analysis of the data collected revealed that the sample of individuals with visual impairments had slightly positive attitudes towards DE. Age, level of education, and frequency of computer usage were found to be significant predictors of the participants’ attitudes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alghazo, I.M.: Student attitudes toward web-enhanced instruction in an educational technology course. Coll. Stud. J. 40, 620–630 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Arrigo, M.: E-learning accessibility for blind students. In: Méndez-Vilas, A., González-Pereira, B., González, J.M., González, J.A.M. (eds.) Proceedings of the third international conference on multimedia and information & communications technologies in education ‘Recent research developments in learning technologies’, pp. 1–5. Formatex, Badajoz (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bernard, R.M., Brauer, A., Abrami, P.C., Surkes, M.: The development of a questionnaire for predicting online learning achievement. Distance Educ. 25, 1–47 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Best, J.W., Kahn, J.V.: Research in education. Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bisciglia, M.G., Monk-Turner, E.: Differences in attitudes between on-site and distance-site students in group teleconference courses. Am. J. Distance Educ. 16, 37–52 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Chan, T.S., Ahern, T.C.: Targeting motivation: adapting flow theory to instructional design. J. Educ. Comput. Res. 21, 151–163 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Concannon, F., Flynn, A., Campbell, M.: What campus-based students think about the quality and benefits of e-learning. Br. J. Educ. Technol. 36, 501–512 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Erdogan, Y., Bayram, S., Deniz, L.: Factors that influence academic achievement and attitudes in web based education. Int. J. Inst. 1, 31–48 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Evans, S., Douglas, G.: E-learning and blindness: a comparative study of the quality of an e-learning experience. J. Vis. Impair. Blind. 102, 77–88 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ghani, J.A., Deshpande, S.P.: Task characteristics and the experience of optimal flow in human–computer interaction. J. Psychol. 128, 381–389 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Graff, M.: Cognitive style and attitudes towards using online learning and assessment methods. Electron J e-Learn 1, 21–28 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kirkwood, A., Price, L.: Learners and learning in the twenty-first century: what do we know about student’s attitudes towards and experiences of information and communication technologies that will help us design courses? Stud Higher Educ. 30, 257–274 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Koutsoklenis, A., Papadopoulos, K., Papakonstantinou, D., Koustriava, E.: Students with Visual Impairments in Higher Education Institutes. Proceedings of the 7th ICEVI European Conference, “Living in a Changing Europe”, Dublin, Ireland, 5–10 July, 2009. Retrieved, February 10, 2012, from http://www.icevi-europe.org/dublin2009/index.html (2009)

  14. Krech, D., Crutchfield, R.S., Ballachey, E.L.: Individuals in society. McGraw-Hill, New York (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Lawton, R., Conner, M., McEachan, R.: Desire or reason: predicting health behaviours from affective and cognitive attitudes. Health Psychol. 28, 56–65 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Leporini, B., Buzzi, M.: Learning by e-learning: breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for the visually-impaired. In: Stephanidis, C. (ed.) Universal access in human-computer interaction; application and services. Springer, Heidelberg (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Liao, L.F.: A flow theory perspective on learner motivation and behaviour in distance education. Distance Educ. 27, 45–62 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Macht, L.N., Preece, J.: How accurately do instructors judge students’ attitudes online? A measurement of expectations and level of satisfaction with an online information system masters of program. ALT-J 10, 70–82 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Madden, A., Ford, N., Miller, D., Levy, P.: Using the internet in teaching: the views of practitioners; A survey of the views of secondary school teachers in Sheffield, UK). Br. J. Educ. Technol. 36, 255–280 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. McVay, M.: How to be a successful distance education student: learning on the Internet. Prentice Hall, New York (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Muilenburg, L.Y., Berge, Z.L.: Student barriers to online learning: a factor analytic study. Distance Educ. 26, 29–48 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Monk, D., Hitchen, J.: The development of open/distance learning in Finland and the UK: a comparative case study. Ind. Higher Educ. 19, 287–298 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Nevid, J.S., Rathus, S.A.: Psychology and the challenges of life: adjustment and growth, 11th edition. Holt, Reinhard and Winston, Inc, Forth Worth (1987)

  24. O’Malley, J., McCraw, H.: Students perceptions of distance learning, online learning and the traditional classroom. Online J. Distance Learn. Adm. 2. http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter24/omalley24.pdf (1999). Accessed March 24 2009

  25. Pant, H.: Attitude of distance learners towards multimedia approach to instruction. Asian Assoc. Open Univ. J. 1, 65–72 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Patterson-Lorenzetti, J.: Distance education leaders and mental models. Distance Educ. Rep. 9, 4–6 (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Rosenberg, M.J., Hovland, C.I.: Cognitive, affective and behaviorial components of attitudes. In: Rosenberg, M.J., Hovland, C.I. (eds.) Attitude organization and change: an analysis of consistency among attitude components. Yale University Press, New Haven (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Shaw, M.E., Wright, J.M.: Scales for the measurement of attitudes. McGraw-Hill, New York (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Sorensen, C.K.: Evaluation of interactive television instruction: Assessing attitudes of community college students. DEOSNEWS 5. http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews5_9.asp (1995). Accessed April 9 2009

  30. Stevenson, K., MacKeogh, K., Sander, P.: Working with student expectations of tutor support in distance education: testing an expectations-led quality assurance model. Open Learn J. Open Distance Learn. 21, 139–152 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Tabachnick, B.G., Fidell, L.S.: Using multivariate statistics. Allyn and Bacon, Boston (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Tekinarslan, E.: Attitudes of Turkish distance learners toward internet-based learning: an investigation depending on demographical characteristics. Turkish Online J. Distance Educ. 9, 67–84 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  33. World Medical Association.: WMA Declaration of Helsinki–Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html (2010). Accessed April 3 2010

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia st., P.O. Box 1591, 54006, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Eleni Koustriava & Konstantinos Papadopoulos

Authors
  1. Eleni Koustriava
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Konstantinos Papadopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Konstantinos Papadopoulos.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koustriava, E., Papadopoulos, K. Attitudes of individuals with visual impairments towards distance education. Univ Access Inf Soc 13, 439–447 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-013-0331-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-013-0331-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation