Challenges in remote education: analysis of social interaction, motivation and engagement

Abstract

This article analyses selected challenges of remote education, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is divided into a theoretical part, synthetically explaining the key challenges related to remote education: social interactions, students' motivation and engagement, and an empirical part, presenting the results of a survey conducted on 1828 students at the Cracow University of Economics. The empirical research enabled analysis of the impact of selected distance education factors on the level of perceived learning outcomes by students, with a particular focus on social interactions (both between teachers and students, and among students), student motivation, and engagement in remote learning environments. The data was collected through a survey distributed in 2020 and 2022, using the Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) technique via Google Forms. The results indicate moderate improvements in social interaction and motivation over time, with a slight decrease in the perceived effectiveness of remote learning. The literature review and empirical study reveal changes in the quality, motivation, and engagement of interaction, emphasising the need to adjust teaching strategies in the areas considered to increase the effectiveness of remote education. This study enriches the current literature by addressing gaps and providing suggestions for directions of future research, additionally providing practical recommendations for teachers and educational institutions to improve the efficacy of remote learning.