Disadvantaged Students’ Experiences with Social Studies Distanced Learning: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Distanced learning, for most people, is synonymous with internet-based education and high technology. High technology-based learning in distanced learning contrasts with the distributed learning experienced by children in disadvantaged areas. This topic is complex and requires attention so that no child is left behind; yet it is rarely discussed in literary works, especially the facts of distanced learning without the internet from students' point of view who directly experience the phenomenon. This study aims to explore students’ experiences in disadvantaged areas in Indonesia regarding the implementation of distanced learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the process of in-depth individual interviews with seven participants, I used the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. The results of this study indicate that although students in remote areas have a passion for learning, the distanced learning process without the support of adequate facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic is felt to be severe for the students. This condition causes psychological problems for junior high school students in remote areas; namely, students feel inferior and suffer a learning loss. In the future, it is necessary to develop an effective distance-learning model without internet-oriented for children in remote areas to develop students’ well-being.