Challenges in Developing ‘Insight Learning’ in the Virtual Learning Environment with Special Reference to Gestalt Theory of Perception

Abstract

A paradigm shift has altered our world in practically every sphere and it can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. Modern science and technologies have been called upon to redesign various processes in order to cope with this outbreak and the changes it has wrought. Even the world of education has been subject to severe disruption. To deal with the new situation, the students and teachers have been forced to change the way they customarily taught, learnt and interacted. The entire educational framework will have to be transformed from the traditional face-to-face or physical system to the virtual Moodle education system. The entire school system and higher education system in Sri Lanka are now called upon to confront these new challenges if they are to continue the learning and teaching processes. Fortunately, the higher education institutions have managed to find a quick remedy, by moving to online learning to overcome the difficult situation. Although many learning theories have been introduced to evaluate the learning processes in the physical classroom, the Gestalt learning theory is slightly different from the other theories. This is because the Gestalt theorists emphasize the need for whole perception, which can only be achieved by focusing on the entire learning process and making sense of things by thinking of them deeply. The process of thinking involved selecting, organizing, interpreting and creating meaning. This processing method is called ‘insight learning’. Hence, this study is an attempt to assess the feasibility of developing insight learning in virtual learning. The data was collected through Google forms, and the conclusion is based on the more than 700 responses received from undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Culture, Eastern University, Sri Lanka. The SPSS software was used to record and analyze data using factor analysis and descriptive statistics. The study shows that there are many factors that prove to be obstacles in the way of developing insight learning via an online learning system. Therefore, the study recommends some strategies to overcome these obstacles and adopt the new online learning process in the future.

Received: 31 October 2021 / Accepted: 9 December 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022