Exploring the Experiences of Postgraduate Students in the Field of Special Education with Remote Online Teaching Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

The spread of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on many parts of life, including education. Instructors, students, and institutions across the world were forced to close their doors and shift to online distance learning in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation for social distancing. This study aims to explore the experience (challenges and benefits) of Saudi postgraduate students in the field of special education relating to the sudden shift to online distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. An embedded mixed methods design with a great emphasis placed on the qualitative strand, while the quantitative strand took a secondary role. Online learning readiness was assessed using a scale with (n=37) postgraduate students, then interviews were conducted with (n=9) postgraduate students. Postgraduate students in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia were found to have a high level of readiness and were highly confident and highly motivated for online learning during the pandemic. The most frequently mentioned challenges found in this study included technical difficulties. It was also found that despite the challenges faced by the students, they still preferred virtual classes over traditional face-to-face lectures, as they are flexible and convenient. Study results lead to a better understanding of postgraduate students’ adaptation to online learning in emergency situations. Additional improvements including refining the difficulties, strengthening the current advantages, and listening to students’ experiences and suggestions would lead to more successful remote teaching in the future.

Received: 12 July 2021 / Accepted: 20 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021