Exploring Online Learning Experiences among Students in Full Boarding School during Covid -19 Pandemic

Abstract

Students in full-boarding school respond in a variety of ways to the rapid transformation and rearrangement of learning modes during the Covid-19 pandemic. To understand their situation, this paper describes the scenarios and issues that rose in the daily academic activity of the full boarding school students as online learners. A qualitative exploratory research design was used to answer three research questions regarding students’ experiences, problems with, and opinions on online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 83 form four students (male and female) from three Ministry of Education full boarding schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were chosen based on purposive sampling. An open-ended survey was used for data collection, while thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings show that experiences faced by students during online learning involved distractions from the environment, freedom in learning and self-exploratory learning. Problems faced by students during online classes were internet disruption, online learning devices and social interaction. Their experiences and problems have an indirect influence on their opinion and preference for online learning. These findings reveal that while children preferred to be in their own home, learning was frequently disrupted by outside factors. Despite having a good academic background, the obstacles faced in online learning by the full boarding school students were similar to those in regular school. In conclusion, intrinsic motivation and self-exploratory learning are important to ensure students are not lagging in academics when it comes to online learning.