Reducing Perceived Transactional Distance in Distance Education: The Impact of the Chatbot

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of utilizing a chatbot named 'YakınDost' on the perceptions of transactional distance among distance education students. Transactional distance, which involves communication and interaction between students and instructional personnel, is a critical aspect of distance education. To address this, chatbots are increasingly being employed as tools to facilitate engagement. Developed using IBM Watson Assistant, 'YakınDost' serves as a conversational agent to address common inquiries related to courses, assignments, instructors, exams, and technical matters. The primary objective of this research is to assess how the integration of the 'YakınDost' chatbot influences students' perceptions of transactional distance. To achieve this, the 'Transactional Distance Perception Scale' was administered at the outset and conclusion of the fall semester to first-year students at a state university. Additionally, during the mid-semester, students were introduced to the YakınDost chatbot and were invited to participate in the 'Chatbot Usability Scale.' Out of 2000 students, the data analysis focused on 583 students who completed both pre-test and post-test surveys, among which 398 students interacted with the chatbot. The findings highlight a significant reduction in students' perceptions of transactional distance due to the implementation of the YakınDost chatbot.