A Phenomenological Inquiry of Graduate School Students' Silence in Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Keywords
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic transformed the way how Higher Education Institutions deliver the teaching and learning process in an online modality. This phenomenological study inquired the lived experiences and the contexts of graduate school students' silence in online learning during the pandemic. Transcendental research design following Moustakas's Stevick ColaizziKeen process was utilized to generate the emerging themes and essence of the study's findings. Eight graduate school students from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Northern Mindanao were selected as participants through purposive sampling. Analysis of data revealed that silence for graduate school students means emotional exhaustion and lack of academic preparedness due to physical, cognitive, and affective factors in online classes. It reflects their struggles in online learning which is the essence of silence. Silence in online learning without these struggles cannot become an experience of silence. Furthermore, their experiences of silence are diverse depending on how they are shaped or reshaped by their current contexts. As the study speaks a volume of unfavorable insights on the meaning of silence, an intervention on students' well-being may be proposed to foster a positive disposition in an online learning environment.
Publication History
Version of Record online: December 27, 2022
Manuscript accepted: December 1, 2022
Manuscript revised: November 4, 2022
Manuscript received: July 30, 2022
References
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Barbera, MC E. (2013). Three problems with the connectivist conception of learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(3). 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/ jcal.12040
Cheta, W. & Augustein, S.E. (2015). Collaborative learning in a virtual classroom: It's status in the current digital era. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences, 3(5). 45-51.
Choi, J. Y. (2015). Reasons for silence: A case study of two Korean students at a U.S. graduate school. TESOL Journal, 6(3), 579–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/ tesj.209
Coancă, M. (2020). Empathy and sympathy in sync with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic - facilitating the linguistic development in undergraduate students. Journal of Information Systems & Operations Management, 14(2). 38–48.
Copeland, W. E., McGinnis, E., Bai, Y., Adams, Z., Nardone, H., Devadanam, V., & Hudziak, J. J. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on college student mental health and wellness. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.466
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (1st ed). SAGE Publications, Inc. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Creswell J. W. & Plano Clark V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd). SAGE.
Donitsa-Schmidt, S., & Ramot, R. (2020). Opportunities and challenges: Teacher education in Israel in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 586–595. https://doi.org/10.1080/0 2607476.2020.1799708
Downes, S. (2005). Connective knowledge. https://www. downes.ca/post/33034
Duran, L. (2020). Distance learners’ experiences of silence online: A phenomenological inquiry. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1). 82-94. https://doi.org/10.19173/ irrodl.v20i5.4538
Fleming, N., & Baume, D. (2006). Learning styles again: VARKing up the Right Tree! Educational Developments, 7, 4–7.
Gradinaru, C. (2016). The metaphor of “voice” in computer mediated communication.
Agathos, 7 (2), 121- 133. Hanh, N (2020). Silence is gold?: A study on students’ silence in EFL classrooms. International Journal of Higher Education. 9(4). doi:10.5430/ijhe.v9n4p153 Harasim, L. (2012). Learning theory and online technologies. Routledge.
Juniati, S. R., Jabu, B., & Salija, K. (2018). Students’ silence in the EFL speaking classroom. The 65th TEFLIN International Conference, 35(2). 90–94.
Kashada, A., Isnoun, A. & Aldali, N. (2020). Effect of information overload on decision’s quality, efficiency and time. International Journal of Latest Engineering Research and Applications, 05(1), 53- 58.
Khalil, R., Mansour, A. E., Fadda, W. A., Almisnid, K., Aldamegh, M., Al-Nafeesah, A., & Al-Wutayd, O. (2020). The sudden transition to synchronized online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study exploring medical students’ perspectives. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02208-z
Kumari, S., & Sethy, R. (2021). Problems faced by teachers during the pandemic for teaching: An exploratory study. Educational Quest, 12(3), 209-213. doi:https:// doi.org/10.30954/2230-7311.3.2021.5
Kyofuna, S. (2013). Is anybody there? Engaging learners in synchronous online classes. - Insights gleaned from faculty experiencing the transition from face-face to online instruction. Retrieved October 18, 2021 from shorturl.at/otIJK
Lee, S. (2022). Factors affecting the quality of online learning in a task-based college course. Foreign Language Annals, 55(1), 116-134. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/ flan.12572
Legg, T. (2020). What to know about emotional detachment. Retrieved from shorturl.at/nwNQZ
Mahyoob, M. (2020). Challenges of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by EFL learners. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 11(4), 351-362. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no4.23
Mӑrginean, A. (2021). Silence and breaks in speech in the online teaching of foreign languages in higher education. Journal of Information Systems & Operations Management, 15(1), 114-128.
Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass. Min, H. (2016). A study on silence phenomenon in a college English classroom. International Journal of Education and Research, 4(6), 451–458.
Misra, S. & Stokols, D. (2012), “Psychological and health outcomes of perceived information overload,” Environment and Behavior, 44(6), 737-759. DOI:10.1108/ JD-08-2020-0143
Mosleh, S.M., Shudifat, R.M., Dalky, H.F., Almalik, M. M., Alnajar, M. K. (2022). Mental health, learning behaviour and perceived fatigue among university students during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional multicentric study in the UAE. BMC Psychol, 10(1). 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359- 022-00758-z
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://dx.doi. org/10.4135/9781412995658 Nurrohmah, Z. Q. A., & Waloyo, A. (2021). The correlation between silence phenomenon and EFL student online class. English Learning Innovation, 2 (2), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v2i2.17736
Osuh, J. I., & Ishola, A. A. (2021). Gender as moderating factor shaping the influence of dispositional characteristics, socio-cultural context and personal belief on multitasking behaviour. Gender & Behaviour, 19 (3), 18530-18539. DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.09.021
Polit, D. F. & Beck, C. T. (2014). Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the COVID-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital Sci. Educ. 2. 923– 945. doi: 10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y
Samaha, M. F. (2021). E-learning: Depression, anxiety, and stress symptomatology among Lebanese university students during COVID-19 quarantine. Nursing Forum, 56, (1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12521
Shaikh, A., Peprah, E., Mohamed, R.H. (2021). COVID-19 and mental health: A multi-country study—the effects of lockdown on the mental health of young adults. Middle East Curr Psychiatry 28. 51. https://doi. org/10.1186/s43045-021-00116-6
Shakir, M. (2021). Barriers to online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Students’ perspective. Educational Quest, 12(3), 239-244. doi:https://doi. org/10.30954/2230-7311.3.2021.8
Siemens, G. (2005). ‘Connectivism: A theory for the digital age’. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2 (1). 1-9.
Smidt, E., Bunk, J., Li, R., McAndrew, A., & Florence, M. (2016). Understanding student attitudes about distance education: The importance of excitement and fear. The IAFOR Journal of Education, 4(1). 90-101. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.4.2
Subedi, S., Nayaju, S., Subedi, S., Shah, S.K. & Shah, J.M. (2020). Impact of E-learning during COVID-19 pandemic among nursing students and teachers of Nepal, International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research, 5 (3). 68-76. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijsh
Ullah, A., Ashraf, M., Ashraf, S. and Ahmed, S. (2021). Challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic encountered by students in Pakistan. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 3 (1). 36-44. http://www.doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.2021167264
Varea, V., & González-Calvo, G. (2020) Touchless classes and absent bodies: Teaching physical education in times of COVID-19. Sport, Education and Society, 26(8). 831-845. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2020 .1791814
Verbert, K., Govaerts, S., Duval, E., Santos, J. L., Van Assche, F., Parra, G., & Klerkx, J. (2014). Learning dashboards: An overview and future research opportunities. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18(6), 1499–1514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779- 013-0751-2.
Wang, M. (2016). Analysis of classroom silence in English class in Chinese universities. 2 (1), 54–64. https://doi. org/10.25236/AJHSS.040024
Wang, X. (2021) Cognitive and affective learning in english as a foreign Language/English as a second language instructional-learning contexts: Does teacher immediacy matter? Front. Psychol, 12. 1-8. doi: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2021.759784.
Wang, X. and Zhang W. (2021). Psychological anxiety of college students’ foreign language learning in online course. Front. Psychol. 12, 598992. doi: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2021.598992
Zhang, A., Olelewe, C. J., Orji, C. T., Ibezim, N. E., Sunday, N. H., Obichukwu, P. U. & Okanazu, O. O. (2020). Effects of traditional and innovative teaching methods on technical college student’s achievement in computer craft practices. SAGE Open, 10(4). 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020982986
Zhouyuan, Y. (2016). The analysis about the factors of silence in college English classroom. Studies in Literature and Language, 12 (5). 105–110. https://doi.org/10.3968/8402
Barbera, MC E. (2013). Three problems with the connectivist conception of learning. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 30(3). 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/ jcal.12040
Cheta, W. & Augustein, S.E. (2015). Collaborative learning in a virtual classroom: It's status in the current digital era. European Journal of Research and Reflection in Educational Sciences, 3(5). 45-51.
Choi, J. Y. (2015). Reasons for silence: A case study of two Korean students at a U.S. graduate school. TESOL Journal, 6(3), 579–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/ tesj.209
Coancă, M. (2020). Empathy and sympathy in sync with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic - facilitating the linguistic development in undergraduate students. Journal of Information Systems & Operations Management, 14(2). 38–48.
Copeland, W. E., McGinnis, E., Bai, Y., Adams, Z., Nardone, H., Devadanam, V., & Hudziak, J. J. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on college student mental health and wellness. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(1), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.08.466
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (1st ed). SAGE Publications, Inc. Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Creswell J. W. & Plano Clark V. L. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd). SAGE.
Donitsa-Schmidt, S., & Ramot, R. (2020). Opportunities and challenges: Teacher education in Israel in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 586–595. https://doi.org/10.1080/0 2607476.2020.1799708
Downes, S. (2005). Connective knowledge. https://www. downes.ca/post/33034
Duran, L. (2020). Distance learners’ experiences of silence online: A phenomenological inquiry. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1). 82-94. https://doi.org/10.19173/ irrodl.v20i5.4538
Fleming, N., & Baume, D. (2006). Learning styles again: VARKing up the Right Tree! Educational Developments, 7, 4–7.
Gradinaru, C. (2016). The metaphor of “voice” in computer mediated communication.
Agathos, 7 (2), 121- 133. Hanh, N (2020). Silence is gold?: A study on students’ silence in EFL classrooms. International Journal of Higher Education. 9(4). doi:10.5430/ijhe.v9n4p153 Harasim, L. (2012). Learning theory and online technologies. Routledge.
Juniati, S. R., Jabu, B., & Salija, K. (2018). Students’ silence in the EFL speaking classroom. The 65th TEFLIN International Conference, 35(2). 90–94.
Kashada, A., Isnoun, A. & Aldali, N. (2020). Effect of information overload on decision’s quality, efficiency and time. International Journal of Latest Engineering Research and Applications, 05(1), 53- 58.
Khalil, R., Mansour, A. E., Fadda, W. A., Almisnid, K., Aldamegh, M., Al-Nafeesah, A., & Al-Wutayd, O. (2020). The sudden transition to synchronized online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study exploring medical students’ perspectives. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02208-z
Kumari, S., & Sethy, R. (2021). Problems faced by teachers during the pandemic for teaching: An exploratory study. Educational Quest, 12(3), 209-213. doi:https:// doi.org/10.30954/2230-7311.3.2021.5
Kyofuna, S. (2013). Is anybody there? Engaging learners in synchronous online classes. - Insights gleaned from faculty experiencing the transition from face-face to online instruction. Retrieved October 18, 2021 from shorturl.at/otIJK
Lee, S. (2022). Factors affecting the quality of online learning in a task-based college course. Foreign Language Annals, 55(1), 116-134. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/ flan.12572
Legg, T. (2020). What to know about emotional detachment. Retrieved from shorturl.at/nwNQZ
Mahyoob, M. (2020). Challenges of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced by EFL learners. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 11(4), 351-362. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol11no4.23
Mӑrginean, A. (2021). Silence and breaks in speech in the online teaching of foreign languages in higher education. Journal of Information Systems & Operations Management, 15(1), 114-128.
Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass. Min, H. (2016). A study on silence phenomenon in a college English classroom. International Journal of Education and Research, 4(6), 451–458.
Misra, S. & Stokols, D. (2012), “Psychological and health outcomes of perceived information overload,” Environment and Behavior, 44(6), 737-759. DOI:10.1108/ JD-08-2020-0143
Mosleh, S.M., Shudifat, R.M., Dalky, H.F., Almalik, M. M., Alnajar, M. K. (2022). Mental health, learning behaviour and perceived fatigue among university students during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional multicentric study in the UAE. BMC Psychol, 10(1). 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359- 022-00758-z
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://dx.doi. org/10.4135/9781412995658 Nurrohmah, Z. Q. A., & Waloyo, A. (2021). The correlation between silence phenomenon and EFL student online class. English Learning Innovation, 2 (2), 62–74. https://doi.org/10.22219/englie.v2i2.17736
Osuh, J. I., & Ishola, A. A. (2021). Gender as moderating factor shaping the influence of dispositional characteristics, socio-cultural context and personal belief on multitasking behaviour. Gender & Behaviour, 19 (3), 18530-18539. DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.09.021
Polit, D. F. & Beck, C. T. (2014). Essentials of nursing research: Appraising evidence for nursing practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the COVID-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital Sci. Educ. 2. 923– 945. doi: 10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y
Samaha, M. F. (2021). E-learning: Depression, anxiety, and stress symptomatology among Lebanese university students during COVID-19 quarantine. Nursing Forum, 56, (1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12521
Shaikh, A., Peprah, E., Mohamed, R.H. (2021). COVID-19 and mental health: A multi-country study—the effects of lockdown on the mental health of young adults. Middle East Curr Psychiatry 28. 51. https://doi. org/10.1186/s43045-021-00116-6
Shakir, M. (2021). Barriers to online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Students’ perspective. Educational Quest, 12(3), 239-244. doi:https://doi. org/10.30954/2230-7311.3.2021.8
Siemens, G. (2005). ‘Connectivism: A theory for the digital age’. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2 (1). 1-9.
Smidt, E., Bunk, J., Li, R., McAndrew, A., & Florence, M. (2016). Understanding student attitudes about distance education: The importance of excitement and fear. The IAFOR Journal of Education, 4(1). 90-101. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.4.2
Subedi, S., Nayaju, S., Subedi, S., Shah, S.K. & Shah, J.M. (2020). Impact of E-learning during COVID-19 pandemic among nursing students and teachers of Nepal, International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research, 5 (3). 68-76. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijsh
Ullah, A., Ashraf, M., Ashraf, S. and Ahmed, S. (2021). Challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic encountered by students in Pakistan. Journal of Pedagogical Sociology and Psychology, 3 (1). 36-44. http://www.doi.org/10.33902/JPSP.2021167264
Varea, V., & González-Calvo, G. (2020) Touchless classes and absent bodies: Teaching physical education in times of COVID-19. Sport, Education and Society, 26(8). 831-845. https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2020 .1791814
Verbert, K., Govaerts, S., Duval, E., Santos, J. L., Van Assche, F., Parra, G., & Klerkx, J. (2014). Learning dashboards: An overview and future research opportunities. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 18(6), 1499–1514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779- 013-0751-2.
Wang, M. (2016). Analysis of classroom silence in English class in Chinese universities. 2 (1), 54–64. https://doi. org/10.25236/AJHSS.040024
Wang, X. (2021) Cognitive and affective learning in english as a foreign Language/English as a second language instructional-learning contexts: Does teacher immediacy matter? Front. Psychol, 12. 1-8. doi: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2021.759784.
Wang, X. and Zhang W. (2021). Psychological anxiety of college students’ foreign language learning in online course. Front. Psychol. 12, 598992. doi: 10.3389/ fpsyg.2021.598992
Zhang, A., Olelewe, C. J., Orji, C. T., Ibezim, N. E., Sunday, N. H., Obichukwu, P. U. & Okanazu, O. O. (2020). Effects of traditional and innovative teaching methods on technical college student’s achievement in computer craft practices. SAGE Open, 10(4). 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020982986
Zhouyuan, Y. (2016). The analysis about the factors of silence in college English classroom. Studies in Literature and Language, 12 (5). 105–110. https://doi.org/10.3968/8402
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Dec 27, 2022
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Candilas, K., Agcito, M., & Escalona, S. (2022). A Phenomenological Inquiry of Graduate School Students’ Silence in Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Normal Lights, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.56278/tnl.v16i2.1726
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Research Article
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