Communication Barriers in Instructional Delivery as Experienced by AIMS Students in an Online Pedagogical Environment: An Exploratory Sequential Approach

Abstract

With the continuous evolution of the computer and internet in the late 20th century , eLearning tools and delivery methods have expanded making it easier for people to learn at home. Seeing its potential as an alternative learning modality, universities and colleges all over the world have taken opportunity of online learning as another mode of instruction. However, this did not come handy to its stakeholders as online learning is also replete with problems. Much to its inherent perplexities, the communication barrier between a teacher and its respective students is one of the prevailing gaps that seem to mostly affect the efficient learning of students. This directed the proponent to explore and focus on the aspects that hinder the effective communication of both the teacher and students in a virtual classroom.
 Contextualized under the instructional delivery continuum, the researcher analyzed the communication barriers inherent in a virtual classroom utilizing the exploratory sequential mixed-method (ESMM) approach. Underscoring experiences of learners from Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS), qualitative data was initially gathered from 6 conveniently sampled students through a focus group discussion (FGD). Constant comparative method (CCM) was used in analyzing the data. Four themes emerged on this phase: 1) Lecture/Lesson Proper Problems (LLPP); 2) Assessment Instructional/Material Problems (AIMP); 3) Technology/Software-Related Problems (TSRP); and, 4) Technology Incapacity Problems (TIP). Using the qualitative results as theme constructs in developing the 37-item survey questionnaire, the quantitative phase explored further the communication barriers experienced by a cross-sectional sample of 318 AIMS students. Employing a 4-point Likert scale (1=Strongly Disagree; and, 4=Strongly Agree), mean data revealed the following results: TSRP earned the highest communication barrier problem (M=2.93); followed by LLPP (M=2.89); then AIMP (M=2.73); and, TIP (M=2.41). Based on the results, the respondents expressed two major communication barriers in the instructional delivery of lessons and materials in an online modality. These are online teaching management and technological efficiency. A virtual classroom communication management plan especially anchoring on the two major communication barriers was proposed to be developed.