A SURVEY has found that 58% of  Malaysian students prefer to learn via a combination of online and brick-and-mortar classes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Student Voice Matters 2021 online survey by social enterprise Project ID was conducted from March 1 to April 28. It interviewed 761 students aged 13 to 21 across the country.

While 58% said they like a mixture of online and offline classes, 35% prefer physical classes and 7% hope for fully online classes in the future.

“Students prefer blended learning because it allows them to retain elements that they appreciate from both online and offline classes, such as maintaining the flexibility and comfort of online classes while being able to occasionally interact with friends and teachers.

“Students who indicate that they prefer fully online classes also indicate a higher level of comfort with virtual platforms,” Project ID said in its report.

The organisation is focused on the development of students in lower-income communities.

Although it has been more than a year since virtual classes were introduced, the survey found that the novelty has not worn off for the respondents, the majority of whom still think online learning is a new and fun experience.

The top three reasons the students enjoy cyber classes are the instant access to resources while in class (532)’ flexible schedule and environment (366); and that it is a new and fun learning experience (291).

Fifth formers feel more pressure

Students in Form Five, however, do not  enjoy the online learning experience as much as their younger peers.

The older group rated the experience an average 5.22 out of 10 points, compared to Form One students who gave it 6.75 .

This is because the older students feel more stress because they are sitting for examinations this year, said the report.

“Many of them say that they have experienced increased levels of stress in the past year given the uncertainty surrounding SPM examination dates and increased load of homework as schools are using submissions as attendance markers.

“Form One students indicate the highest average scores for their online learning experience due to a combination of factors such as a higher familiarity with virtual learning environments and the lower-stakes nature of their learning.”

The survey also found a correlation between learning experience and virtual learning platforms. The more familiar the student is with a learning platform, the better the learning experience for the student.

“Teachers teaching on platforms that are familiar to students may yield better results, be it on synchronous platforms such as Google Classrooms and Zoom or in asynchronous platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.”

Biggest challenges

The biggest problem linked to online learning is lack of motivation. This is because of the lack of physical interaction, connectivity issues, and unclear and inconsistent lessons.

“Fifty-five percent of students indicate lack of motivation as a challenge they face when learning online, compared to 35% in 2020. 

“Internet accessibility is also a key issue for many students, with 46% of respondents indicating that poor internet connection is a challenge for them. 

“Many students share stories of unproductive classes and lack of clarity surrounding how & when they will be learning,” the survey found.

Despite the challenges, the survey found that 92% of students are satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the support they have received from their schools and teachers.

“Students are empathetic towards the difficult positions that teachers have been placed into in the past year with many expressing a sense of gratitude and admiration for teachers who have gone above and beyond to overcome pandemic teaching challenges.”

The Project ID report is the first of three reports on students’ online learning experience in the past year.

Part two will explore how unpredictable school closures have affected student wellbeing and part three will offer insights into what the students wish to learn in the future.

The two reports will be published in the coming weeks. – May 8, 2021.