Learning challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, motivation, and perseverance: a triadic model of Saudi students

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the relationships between learning challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown, motivation, and perseverance in one statistical triadic model. Two hundred and thirty-eight Saudi students (undergraduates and graduates) studying different subjects from eight universities completed a structured questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used in the data analysis. The results revealed that the measurement model and the structural model fit the data well (CFI = 0.943; TLI = 0.918; RMSEA [90% confidence interval] = 0.059 [0.032–0.091]; SRMR = 0.071). Learning challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown were positively linked to students’ motivation and perseverance, and the latter two were also related positively – all the relationships were significant. The findings of this study could help policy makers activate e-learning and hybrid learning more successfully than before the pandemic and will help educators to improve their technology skills, which, in turn, will improve the learners’ motivation and perseverance.

KEYWORDS:

• Learning challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown
• motivation
• perseverance

Acknowledgments

This research project was supported by a grant from the Research Centre for the College of Education, Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University. I would like specially thank the administrations at the eight universities for facilitating my work in data collection. I also thank all the participants for their time in this study. In addition, my deep and sincere gratitude goes out to my husband for his love, help, and continuous support. I also am grateful to the editor-in-chief and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on enhancing the quality of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

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Eman Faisal

Eman Faisal is an assistant professor of Research Design and Methodology in the Education College, Curriculum and Instruction Department at King Saud University. She teaches undergraduates and graduates coursework in curriculum foundations, analysing curriculum design, and teaching methods for adults; and she assesses and evaluates academic research papers.