Psychosocial Well-Being of Israeli Students and Attitudes toward Open and Distance Learning

Gila Kurtz,Yair Amichai-Hamburger,Jeffrey Kantor

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v10i2.593

Abstract

This article reports on a study conducted in Israel at an academic institution. The study investigates the correlation between students’ attitudes toward open and distance learning (ODL) and their perceived self-esteem and loneliness at the last stage of their online learning experience. For this study, 120 students were asked to complete a questionnaire. The students were enrolled in three fully online academic courses, which were similar in their instructional design approach although different in content. Findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between self-esteem and attitudes toward e-learning in general and toward online interaction with the instructor in particular. The findings further suggest that there is no correlation between loneliness and student attitudes toward e-learning. Some explanations for these results are raised as are recommendations for further research.

Highlights

The use of the Internet is becoming increasingly influential in our daily life
The analysis focuses on three undergraduate online courses similar in their instructional design approach but different in content: two courses are on the topic of quantitative research and one is on the state and government in Israel
Most respondents to the questionnaire were female (72.8%); 62.5% were married, and 35.7% were single; more than 60% of the students stated that their family income is average compared to the general or above; about 50% were under the age of 30, ranging in ages from 21 to 57 (M = 32.8, SD = 8.88); and for half the students, the course was their first online course

Summary

Introduction

Internet technology is developing at an astounding rate. The pace and scale of these changes for the whole of society are such that this phenomenon has been compared to the “Industrial Revolution” of the nineteenth century and dubbed the “Internet Revolution” (Amichai-Hamburger, 2002). Psychosocial Well-Being of Israeli Students and Attitudes toward Open and Distance Learning Kurtz, Amichai-Hamburger, and Kantor. The open and distance learning (ODL) revolution, which can be aptly described using the terms e-learning (electronic learning) and online learning to refer to the implementation of the Internet in the learning process, is here and (Moore & Kearsley, 2005). Based on Kurtz et al (2003), we define ODL as an interactive teaching-learning process, in which at least part of it is done online by means of text/audio/video

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Conclusion