RESEARCH PAPER TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department
INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION

Name: Veysel Dereli Date: 06/26/2020

Topic Selected:

What does the research say about advantages and disadvantages of

distance education? 

1. LITERATURE REVIEW:
What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.
 You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.
 You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a
common theme or issue. 
 You don't need to critique your sources
 You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)
 You need to provide background information such as history and
definitions

Brief Literature Review:

Distance education is an education for people who do not need to always

physically present at class. Distance education has gaining importance
with modern educational improvements. Even though it provides many
opportunities for individuals, it also has several disadvantages. The
literature shows both advantages and disadvantages of the distance
education.

David Fender (1999) explains distance education and argues advantages

and disadvantages. According to him “distance learning offers greater
flexibility and fewer time constraints. As a result, the student typically
continues to work and, therefore, experiences less financial hardship”
(Fender 1999: 26). In the article, he also mentions the average age of
successful (28) and non-successful (25) distance learners. Fender (1999)
explains why people choose distance learning over traditional learning.
According to him, there are three factors; “(1) convenience and flexibility,
(2) lack of instructional alternatives, (3) educational mainstream
alternative” (Fender 1999: 28). The disadvantages of distance learning
include “a variance in student attitudes and satisfaction levels” (Fender
1999: 28). This point is important because satisfaction affects total
learning.

Maddux, Ewing-Taylor, and Johnson (2002) evaluate the advantages and

disadvantages in their work. According to them “the potential advantages
of distance education are easy to appreciate” (Maddux, Ewing-Taylor, and
Johnson 2002:2). They argue that disadvantages include “a lack of