High school students’ experience of online learning during Covid-19: the influence of technology and pedagogy

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in New Zealand schools closing and teaching occurring through digital media. This article reports research which applied Kearney et al.’s framework as a lens to examine student experience of digital learning at home during Covid-19. This framework provides three characteristics that influence learners’ experience when using digital devices for learning: personalisation, authenticity and collaboration. High school students in their final two years of schooling (n = 1975) responded to a questionnaire consisting of quantitative and qualitative questions, with qualitative data analysed thematically and quantitative data with descriptive statistics. Aspects of Kearney et al.'s framework were reflected in participants' experience, but further characteristics were identified. Authenticity and collaboration facilitated learning, but participants valued supportive pedagogies and motivational strategies which enabled academic progress and enhanced wellbeing. Effective use of technology mediated supportive pedagogies, and an alternative framework was developed to incorporate these additional findings.

KEYWORDS:

• Supportive pedagogies
• online
• digital
• Covid-19
• high school

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anne Yates

Anne Yates taught in high schools in New Zealand prior to becoming a tertiary educator and researcher. Anne has long-standing interest and expertise in open and distance learning, and her current research focuses on digital technologies in education and the use of data analytics to improve student engagement in online learning.

Louise Starkey

Louise Starkey gained experience as a classroom teacher, curriculum leader and senior manager in a range of New Zealand secondary schools prior to following a passion to research education in a digital age. She is interested in complexity theory, educational policy and practice associated with teaching and learning in the digital age.

Ben Egerton

Ben Egerton taught in primary schools in England and New Zealand before moving on to work with in-service and pre-service teachers on effective integration of digital technology into classroom practice. His research interests include design thinking in the primary classroom, digital technology and literacy, and contemporary religious poetry.

Florian Flueggen

Florian Flueggen studied in Germany to become a teacher of physics and chemistry, before completing his PhD at Victoria University of Wellington. His research interests are diverse, ranging from inequality in educational systems to mental health in general to understanding player–computer interaction. Of particular interest to him, however, is the use of digital technologies in serious contexts.