Factors of students declining interest in learning during the Covid-19 pandemic��by��Kuan Pow Lin�(E60109200088)

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

1.1 Background of study

• The outbreak of COVID-19 that began in March 2020 has posed a great threat not only to people’s health, but also on how they learn, work and live.
• One of the most important challenges posed by COVID-19 is global education, which has led to a huge educational crisis.
• As of March 28, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 1.6 billion children and adolescents in 161 countries to be out of school, nearly 91% of the total number of children enrolled in the world (Jason Miks and John McIlwaine, 2020).

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• Students are forced to adapt using technology to learn, such as Google Classroom and Zoom.

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1.2 Research Problem

• During the Covid-19 pandemic, students tend to be passive in learning.
• The unpredictable closure of school has a huge impact on students, teachers, schools as well as parents.
• Students are young and not ready to learn independently.
• Lack of computer literacy and skills prevents them from keeping up with the latest learning trends.
• During the pandemic, some of the students lost their family members.
• Some of their parents also lost their jobs and sources of income in this period, and almost all of the students experienced social isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• They also reported increases in behaviors such as social withdrawal, self-isolation, lethargy and irrational fear (McKinsey & Company 2021).

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1.3 Objective of study

• To study the factors of students loss interest in learning
• To find solutions to increase students’ interest to reengage and reenroll in learning
• To to identify roles that can be played in order to enhance students' interest in learning

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1.4 Research Questions

• What causes students to resist learning during Covid-19 pandemic?
• What is the ways or strategies that enable students to reengage and reenroll themselves in learning?
• What roles can be played to make students interested in learning?

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1.5 Significance of the study

• To ensure the factors that causes students to resist learning during Covid-19 pandemic
• To discover better solutions or strategies to reengage and reenroll students in learning
• To ensure the roles that can make students interested in learning

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1.6 Limitations of the study

• The subjects of this study are mainly students in the upper grades of primary school, so the situation of students in the lower grades of primary school is unknown.
• The study only looked at the reasons for primary school students' refusal to learn, the situation of middle school students is unknown.
• This research is only in Chinese Language and Literature, the situation of other subjects is unknown.

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CHAPTER 2

Literature Review

2.1 Overview of the research study

• School closures have very real implications for all students, but especially for the most vulnerable students who are more likely to face additional barriers.
• The most important challenge posed by COVID-19 is how to adapt an education system centered on physical classes
• The fallout from Covid-19 could dampen the prospects of this generation and limit their opportunities to adulthood.

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2.2 Student engagement in learning

• The epitome of student engagement is when students experience what is known in psychological research as flow: “joy, creativity, the process of total involvement with life” (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008, p. xi)
• Engagement is frequently defined today as students’ cognitive investment in, active participation with, and emotional commitment to learning particular content (Zepke & Leach, 2010).
• Studies show that student engagement is a necessary ingredient to fulfill the educational mission.
• When students are happy and interested in their studies and related activities, they are engaged in the classroom and are willing to complete their assignments.

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• The correlation between high student engagement and improved academic performance has a long history of research (Dyer, 2015).
• A Gallup study involving 128 schools and more than 110,000 students found a significant positive correlation between student engagement and student achievement (growth) in a combination of math, reading, and all subjects (Reckmeyer, 2019 year).

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2.3 Game-based learning

• Game-based learning refers to the borrowing of certain gaming principles and applying them to real-life settings to engage users (Trybus,2015).
• Game-based learning means using games in educational contexts to reach educational objectives (Connolly, 2012).
• Bohyun Kim (2013) suggests that “gamification can add an extra level of motivation and incentive to many higher to many education activities.”
• Pew Internet & American Life Project indicating 99% of boys and 94% of girls playing digital games (Lenhart et.al, 2008).
• Piaget (1962) described play as being integral to, and evolving wth children’s stages of cognitive development.

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2.4 Personalized Learning

• Personalized Learning is one of the solutions to this crisis.
• taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each child’s and young person’s learning, in order that all are able to progress, achieve and participate.
• David Miliband referred to ‘shaping teaching around the way different youngsters learn; it means taking the care to nurture the unique talents of every pupil’ (Park, 2004, p.5); tailoring ‘education to individual need, interest and aptitude’ (Park, 2004, p.4).
• Teachers always look for specialized learning opportunities in applicable grades or content areas.
• Research support that the strongest personalized learning experiences focus on “ specific subjects, related content or pedagogic practices,” and that PL are most effective when they are designed to help teachers better understand both what they teach and how students acquire specific content knowledge and skill” (Guskey & Yoon,2009).

2.5 Social and emotional learning

• Since the spring of 2020, temporary school closures in over 180 countries have kept 1.6 billion students out of school (Azevedo, 2020; World Bank, 2020).
• The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the essential role of SEL into focus and has drawn attention to the need to take a more holistic approach to students’ learning and development.
• Stressors related to COVID-19 and the inability to attend school have increased the need for effective social and emotional learning (SEL) programs that can be delivered remotely.
• Students with good social-emotional skills have better academic performance and school behaviors (Durlak, et al., 2011; Payton et al., 2008), fewer behavior problems (Feinberg, et al., 2007), better relationships with peers and family (Chow, et al., 2013; Crawford & Manassis, 2011), and fewer mental health issues (Groeben, et al., 2011; Röll, et al., 2012).

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• Supporting students’ SEL can help students to return to school, catch up on lost learning, and adapt to new circumstances. For example, supporting students’ self-efficacy may help to boost their confidence in their ability to catch up on lost learning, and re-engage with learning.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the important role that schools play in supporting other aspects of children’s development, beyond numeracy and literacy.

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CHAPTER 3

Research Method

• Qualitative research method
• QR can get more subjective responses and in-depth understanding for the study
• To focus more on phenomenology which understanding the factors of students declining in learning during the Covid-19 pandemic
• Students might have different views
• GM application as the medium to collect data

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Data collection

• Online interview
• 29 online respondents
• Follow up interviews will be done to clear any doubt
• Online interviews will be recorded using GM application
• Expected to be varied in length from 15-30 minutes
• Pre-prepared semi structured checklist before the interview start
• Interview sessions will be paused due to uncertainties or technical problems

Instrumentation

• The main instrument for this study is the researcher
• The researcher observes, take notes, talks to people and analyzes documents collected from the interview sessions
• A pre-prepared semi-structured question checklist was created
• Open-ended questions

Pilot test

• A pre-prepared semi-structured questions checklist has been reviewed by a primary school headmistress before conducting the real online interview
• A pilot testing of the question checklist has been tested with three students who are not the real participants sample for this study
• These three students are also disgusted with learning due to Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, their responses are closely similar to the actual sample.

Sample

• all participants are selected from the same class.
• students from same primary school aged 11
• 15 students (n=15) were selected among 28 students to participate in this research.
• The study is limited with same population from the same school but there is an exploratory, qualitative study.
• The intent is not to make generalizations but to provide initial understandings of the factors of students declining interest in learning during Covid-19 pandemic to inform future more in-depth studies

Ethical Considerations

• identify of participants used in this study and name of the particular primary school are not indicated inthis research
• pseudo name will be used for research
• the participants were informed with the purpose of the study and the purpose of interview
• written consent was not provided
• all participants are completely voluntary
• no penalty to be given if they wish to withdran themselves from the research

Data analysis

• The QR data were analysed by using manual coding method thematic analysis
• Open coding from the data collected was done at the initial stage and themes or sub-themes were formed to analyse qualitative data