Effective online self-learning during Covid-19: A students' perception with SES moderation

Abstract

Online learning is a platform that can be used for synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication during lessons has nowadays takes place over the Internet around the world. Distance learning has become an established method used globally in education sector to ensure continuity of teaching and learning ever since the Covid-19 pandemic in the year 2020. In order for online learning to be effective, students have to blends in with the new norms and adjust accordingly including balancing their self-learning skills and behaviour, which is crucial. Thus, this quantitative study demonstrates how the sociodemographic factors and socioeconomic status of a student could influence the students' self-learning necessity and effectiveness as well as their learning habits during Covid-19. The data for this study was collected through online questionnaires distributed via an online platform to a public university community in Malaysia across different faculties, whose learning was disrupted due to the crisis. From the survey, 668 respondents have consented to join the survey. As a result, this study reported that there is a slight increase of 3.2% of students' self-learning hours before and during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Besides, the study also found that there is a weak association between the five (5) sociodemographic independent variables consist of gender, current year of study, level of study, area of residence, and total family income per month in student's self-learning necessity and student's self-learning effectiveness during COVID-19 pandemic. Online learning promotes new educational process, albeit the results of this study, it still has significantly given an impact on the student's learning habits during Covid-19 pandemic.