Mathematics Distance Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UAE: High School Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in several countries being locked down, there has been a paradigm shift in terms of learning worldwide. As a result, educational institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have acted swiftly and shifted from face-to-face education to distance learning. Thus, this study investigated high school students’ perspectives on the distance learning of mathematics. The research employed a quantitative method using a developed and validated online survey. The convenience sampling consisted of 580 high school students in Al Ain. Descriptive statistical analysis of the mean and standard deviation of scores was used and then interpreted based on Gagné’s rating (1991). In general, the results showed that the students had an ambivalent view of their distance learning experience. Notably, students’ most negative perceptions were about missing the interaction with teachers and colleagues, and disapproving of the unfavourably long screen times. Furthermore, 78.3% of the participants showed no preference for choosing to study mathematics by distance learning in the future, given a choice. This study has extra relevance since the process of distance learning has become more prevalent in the UAE owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it is imperative that educational institutions try to understand the complexity and embedded nature of distance learning, and the challenges encountered by students while they are studying mathematics in an online environment.

Global emergency remote education in secondary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Characteristic approaches of online learning also helped increase understanding (Nurliani et al, 2021;Poláková & Klímová, 2021), such as the use of videos (e.g., Rusmansyah et al, 2021) and flipped feedback (e.g., Education Scotland, 2021). In a study of Maths students in the United Arab Emirates, Almarashdi and Jarrah (2021) found that students were focused more on developing their understanding of concepts, rather than on memorising answers for tests during remote online learning.…”

“…A significant number of studies mentioned that students longed for social interaction and that their social needs were not met during the pandemic (e.g., Almarashdi & Jarrah, 2021;Jayathirtha et al, 2020). One study found that support for social engagement was critical (Yates et al, 2021) and suggested that some students might attend online classes just to see their classmates (Easterly et al, 2021).…”

Kesediaan dan Integriti Akademik Pelajar Institut Pengajian Tinggi Terhadap Pentaksiran Matematik dalam Talian Sewaktu Pandemik COVID-19

“…Secara umumnya, terdapat pelbagai dapatan yang ditunjukkan daripada kajian-kajian lepas. Antaranya, kajian lepas menunjukkan kesediaan pelajar adalah melebihi purata (Chung, Subramaniam & Dass, 2020) (Almarashdi & Jarrah, 2021). Malah, pelajar juga tidak begitu biasa untuk menggunakan perisian spesifik Matematik dalam pembelajaran (Golding, 2021).…”

“The pandemic of distance learning”: How Arab high school students see online‐learning during Covid‐19

“…However, some students may find online learning difficult for specific subjects and courses. For example, a recent study in high school students from Grades 9–12 from Al Ain in the UAE reported that 76.7% felt that online learning was unsuitable to learn mathematics and that 78.3% would not choose mathematics distance learning if they had the choice (Almarashdi & Jarrah, 2021 ).…”