A qualitative exploration of university students’ perspectives on distance education in Jordan: An application of Moore’s theory of transactional distance

Abstract

The current study aimed at exploring university students’ perspectives on the emergency distance education strategy that was implemented during the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan, one of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Utilizing a qualitative design supported by Moore’s theory of transactional distance, a total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students of various study levels and disciplines. Data were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis as suggested by Braun and Clarke. Seven themes have emerged, including, (i) students’ psychological response to the sudden transition in educational process, (ii) students’ digital preparedness, equality, and digital communication, (iii) students’ and teachers’ technical competencies and technostress, (iv) student–student and student–teacher interpersonal communication, (v) quality and quantity of learning materials, (vi) students’ assignments, examinations, and non-reliable evaluation methods, and (vii) opportunities with positive impact of distance learning. The study findings provide evidence that the sudden transition from traditional on-campus to online distance education was significantly challenging in many aspects and was not a pleasant experience for many participants. Various factors under the jurisdiction of academic institutions and decision-makers are considered main contributing factors to the students’ educational experiences amid the pandemic crisis. Therefore, better planning and more sustainable utilization of educational resources have paramount importance in providing a high-quality education. Additionally, more dedicated efforts in terms of equitable, reliable, and credible evaluation systems should be considered in Jordan’s distance education strategy.

Rasch Modeling and Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the Usability of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…From December 2019 to 5th September 2022, a total of 600,366,479 have been confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 pandemic; among them, 6,460,493 died, as reported by the WHO [ 8 ]. Despite vaccination, further course of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, and pandemic-induced stress has resulted in significant psychological repercussions [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. In the literature, a number of studies tried to measure such post-traumatic psychological repercussions using the IES-R, a self-administered scale to assess PTSD after a traumatic event through measuring the symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal [ 5 , 47 , 49 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”

“…Therefore, it is clear from the statistics that although vaccinations and precautions have been taken over the world, the future course seems uncertain [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Pandemic-induced stress has resulted in significant socio-economic and psychological repercussions [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Determinants and predictors of mental health during and after COVID-19 lockdown among university students in Malaysia

“…GAD-7 and PHQ-9 features 7 and 9 questions respectively, with scoring based on the 4-point Likert scale, and both questionnaires are reported to have a good internal consistency (GAD-7 = 0.92, PHQ-9 = 0.89) [29,30]. Participants were required to score each statement on a scale of 0-3, and the total score was calculated and we categorized the students into none (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), moderately severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) or severe (� 20) depression; and minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10)(11)(12)(13)(14), or severe (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) anxiety. Students with a PHQ-9 and GAD-7 score of 4 or less than 4 were categorized as not having any depression or anxiety respectively.…”

“…This sudden transition from traditional classroom learning to e-learning is not a pleasant experience and is significantly challenging for many students. Hence it is paramount to investigate the factors that could influence the students' satisfaction with elearning during an emergency crisis like COVID-19 to alleviate their psychological distress [16,17].…”

Impact of media trust and personal epidemic experience on epidemic prevention behaviors in the context of COVID-19: A cross-sectional study based on protection motivation theory

“…The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has become a global public health crisis that is seriously endangering human life and health and causing disorder in politics, economy, education, business, transportation, social life, entertainment, and the provision of health services all over the world (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). To limit the spread of the virus, most nations implemented pharmaceutical and interventions to control the epidemic, including vaccination rollouts, travel bans, university and school closures, the enforcement of face masking, social distancing, and quarantine or lockdowns (4,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17).…”