Living in the digital world: A transcendental phenomenological study of the students’ experiences in virtual learning

Abstract

The new mode of teaching and learning during this pandemic is indeed a challenge that brought so many changes in the academe. Students normally attend school face to face with their classmates but due to the coronavirus, most universities around the globe chose to lock down and adopted distance education. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the experiences of students, specifically the challenges encountered in virtual learning. The researcher invited five students and they were interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire. Colaizzi's method of analysis was used to analyze the data gathered. This study revealed six themes which are, Poor Internet Connectivity, Poor Understanding, Financial Difficulty, Poor Location for Learning, an Unorganized Schedule for Virtual Meetings, and the Use of Multiple Online Learning platforms. It is indeed that students are not easily able to cope with the problems since they are not prepared for this situation. This study recommended that the national government and the sector of educators must take all actions to cater to the needs of the students especially by providing for their needs while adopting the new mode of learning. This study also suggested that future researchers have a deep exploration of the lived experiences of students amidst the pandemic, to explore their challenges and coping mechanisms.