Poor Internet Connectivity Research Articles

Contextualizing critical thinking about health using digital technology in secondary schools in Kenya: a qualitative analysis

BackgroundGood health decisions depend on one’s ability to think critically about health claims and make informed health choices. Young people can learn these skills through school-based interventions, but learning resources need to be low-cost and built around lessons that can fit into existing curricula. As a first step to developing and evaluating digital learning resources that are feasible to use in Kenyan secondary schools, we conducted a context analysis to explore interest in critical thinking for health, map where critical thinking about health best fits in the curriculum, explore conditions for introducing new learning resources, and describe the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure available for teaching and learning.MethodsWe employed a qualitative descriptive approach. We interviewed 15 key informants, carried out two focus group discussions, observed ICT conditions in five secondary schools, reviewed seven documents, and conducted an online catalog of ICT infrastructure in all schools (n=250) in Kisumu County. Participants included national curriculum developers, national ICT officers, teachers, and national examiners. We used a framework analysis approach to analyze data and report findings.FindingsAlthough critical thinking is a core competence in the curriculum, critical thinking about health is not currently taught in Kenyan secondary schools. Teachers, health officials, and curriculum developers recognized the importance of teaching critical thinking about health in secondary schools. Stakeholders agreed that Informed Health Choices learning resources could be embedded in nine subjects. The National Institute of Curriculum Development regulates resources for learning; the development of new resources requires collaboration and approval from this body. Most schools do not use ICT for teaching, and for those few that do, the use is limited. Implementation of Kenya’s ICT policy framework for schools faces several challenges which include inadequate ICT infrastructure, poor internet connectivity, and teachers’ lack of training and experience.ConclusionTeaching critical thinking about health is possible within the current Kenyan lower secondary school curriculum, but the learning resources will need to be designed for inclusion in and across existing subjects. The National ICT Plan and Vision for 2030 provides an opportunity for scale-up and integration of technology in teaching and learning environments, which can enable future use of digital resources in schools. However, given the current ICT condition in schools in the country, digital learning resources should be designed to function with limited ICT infrastructure, unstable Internet access, and for use by teachers with low levels of experience using digital technology.

The Assessment of Telepharmacy Practice Among Community Pharmacists in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Telehealth is transmitting medical information and providing and supporting clinical care from one place to another through electronic communication methods. Telepharmacy is the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients using technologies and telecommunications. Telepharmacy allows the pharmacist to provide patient care services in an area by taking history,reviewing patients' files, and assessing medications utilized by the patients. This study is aimed to analyse the assessment of tele-pharmacy practice among community pharmacists in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey of community pharmacists practising in Lagos, Nigeria. We used a convenient sampling technique in recruiting participants to the study. The questionnaire was developed and validated. The final questionnaire consisted of three sections. The first domain centered on the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents while the second section probed for awareness and availability of telepharmacy services in community pharmacies inLagos. Results: From our results54(63%) of the total pharmacy providers who were randomly sampled for this pilot study were currently practicing telepharmacy services in Lagos state, 82(96.5%) of the total participants were aware and had the perception on the importance of telepharmacy practice in Nigeria. Also, 21(50.7%) of the telepharmacy providers started the practice within 1-5years hence buttressing the fact that there is a surge in telepharmacy growth from the COVID-19 era till present. From the results 43(50.6%) of the participants strongly agree that telepharmacy practice enables greater penetration of the pharmaceutical market, 37(43.5%) also agree that telepharmacy is more convenient for their patient and 31(36.5%) also strongly agree that telepharmacy is an effective means of discharging pharmaceutical services. Conclusion: Findings from the study show that most of the pharmacists practicing in Lagos were aware of the importance of telepharmacy practice and were also currently practicing telepharmacy, with also a more significant percentage of unaware pharmacists willing to practice telepharmacy. It was surmised that telepharmacy practice enables greater penetration of the pharmaceutical market, more convenient for the patients and is an effective means of offering pharmaceutical services. Telepharmacy faced some challenges, including poor internet connectivity, poor patronage, high installation cost, and lack of ICT resources, possibly leading to more telephone interviews than videoconferencing.   

Online Instruction on Sound Recognition of Kindergarten Learners

The study focused on the use of Online Instruction on Sound Recognition of Kindergarten LearnersThe researcher will make use of single-subject experimental Analysis, specifically the AB experimental design. In selecting the student respondents, the researcher will identify the kindergarten students with difficulties recognizing the sounds in their progress reports. In the analysis of data, the researcher will compare the progress report of kindergarten students on sound recognition and the assessment after exposure to sound recognition. There were initially forty (40) students and twenty-seven of them were identified as having difficulties with sound recognition. The study yielded that the use of online training is particularly helpful in helping students improve their sound detection skills. Technology must be used by teachers, and they must be trained to use it. Similarly, the use of online instruction has allowed teachers and parents to collaborate. One of the more difficult aspects of using online training is the poor internet connection and the long time it is required to execute it.

IMPACT OF ONLINE CLASSES ON EDUCATION AND PSYCHO-PHYSICAL HEALTH: STUDENTS’ VIEWS

The present research paper posits to assess the impact of online classes on students’ education, psycho-physical health. Online survey was conducted to draw the sample from the students of teacher training institutions of Maulana Azad National University, Aliharh Muslim University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Patna University and Lalit Narain Mishra University by using non standardised self-developed questionnaire. Simple per cent analysis was run on the data for analysis. Findings showed that. 54.3 % of the total students reported that online classes were effective in clarifying the concepts followed by 43% disagreed with interesting nature of online classes than the traditional, 44.3% favoured that online classes were interactive than traditional, 68.2% students were known to handle the electronic gadgets, 44.3 % were in favour that online classes were capable in holistic development of the students, 53.6 % reported that online classes were less disciplined than traditional, 72.7% students viewed that online classes were useful for languages and social studies only and 49% of the sampled students observed the poor interne speed as the major disturbing element in on line classes. Moreover, about 82 % of the sampled students had eyes related issues followed by 86% found with struggling different listed physical health related issues and more that 90% students were reported with different kinds of listed psychological issues because of on line classes. Findings of the study indicated that majority of the students had good access to online classes but with poor internet connectivity and speed. Hence, in the light of the study’s findings it has been suggested that a standard operating procedure (SOP) in respect to making use of online tools and platforms for teaching and learning process should be concocted so that effectiveness of online classes can be enhanced without putting the students at risk related to their psycho-physical health.

Exploring University Students’ Perceptions of Metaverse-Based Classroom in Foreign Language Pedagogy Course

With the metaverse emerging as the next leap in the evolution of the Internet in the post-pandemic era, a wealth of opportunities are expected to emerge in the educational sector. As a pioneer study, this research project is aimed at exploring pedagogical values of the metaverse-based classroom in a university setting. The three research questions for this study are: 1) What are the levels of students’ overall satisfaction in metaverse-based classrooms? 2) What is the user experience of the metaverse platform? and 3) What are the strengths/weaknesses of the metaverse-based classroom as perceived by the students? Twenty university students took a foreign language pedagogy course on Gather.town in spring of 2022 for 11 weeks. Student questionnaire and focus-group interviews were conducted and data analysis revealed two major findings as follows: Firstly, both students’ overall satisfaction of the metaverse-based classroom and user experience of the metaverse platform were positive, excepting only instability problems caused by poor internet connections. Secondly, more perceived strengths than weaknesses were found of the newly adopted program: ‘a realistic classroom setting’ and ‘easy communication in multiple ways’ were mentioned as strengths while the main weakness was ‘newness.’ Pedagogical implications are discussed for teachers interested in adopting the metaverse platform for their future classrooms.

E-portfolio as an academic writing assessment tool in higher education: Strengths and challenges

This study investigated the use of an e-Portfolio for assessment at a Malaysian public university. Prior to the advent of the Internet, paper portfolios are ubiquitous forms of projects and assessments. However, they have limitations in terms of portability, shareability, and delayed two-way communication between instructors and students about progress. In lieu of paper portfolio, the e-Portfolio was introduced in an advanced English language course at a public university in Malaysia. The novelty of the e-Portfolio’s implementation renders it necessary to seek the insights of those who are directly involved in its use. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions of the instructors and students regarding their use of the e-Portfolio throughout the course. This is a qualitative study whereby the main data collection method involved interviews. The data were imported to NVivo 12, and thematic analysis was used as the primary method of data analysis. A total of three instructors and 18 students participated in this study. The findings reveal that the instructors and students perceived the contribution of the e-Portfolio in the aspects of writing stages, digital artefacts, accessibility, personalised writing experience, feedback and communication, and motivation. The results demonstrate that mutually perceived challenges by the instructors and students were poor Internet connectivity and difficulty adapting to the e-Portfolio. The study highlights the benefits and shortcomings of using the e-Portfolio as an assessment tool for academic writing. This will guide practitioners and researchers to better implement the e-Portfolio in higher education institutions.

PRINCIPAL CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISION DURING THE TRANSITION TO THE NEW NORMAL

This study explores the challenges school principals face in implementing instructional supervision during the transition period. This study uses a qualitative method. This research was conducted at a junior high school in Yogyakarta. The results of this study indicate that during the school transition to the new normal, the principal continues to supervise. The supervision process is carried out using online and face-to-face methods. Principals find challenges at each stage of supervision. In planning, principals have limited resources and are competent to become supervisors. Technical challenges in the form of poor school internet connections at the implementation stage made the learning and supervision process not optimal. Meanwhile, at the follow-up stage, the program prepared by the school for teacher competency development is not optimal because it is carried out online.

Online learning experiences of adult applicants to a university in Ghana during the Covid-19 outbreak

The outbreak of Covid-19 led to the migration of 1729 adults, who had applied to the University of Ghana to go through an access course for writing the Mature Entrance Examination for admission into undergraduate programmes. A survey was conducted to explore the experiences of the students. The study revealed that over 90% of the respondents were proficient in the use of ICTs. They used the Sakai learning management platform, zoom, and emails for their teaching and learning engagements. Four in five (84%) respondents preferred 50% online tuition and 50% face-to-face tuition. They, however, had issues with poor internet connectivity, the high cost of data for the internet, and limited contact time. Basic support systems such as the provision of high-speed but affordable internet services and increased online interactions will be of help to such students.

BICHRONOUS ONLINE LEARNING: L2 LEARNERS’ PERCEPTIONS

English educators worldwide have been implementing multifarious online learning tools to teach students English, especially since the Covid-19 arrival. Researches on and adoption of online learning have vigorously increased since then to explore the effectiveness of umpteen online learning tools to ensure students get the best of education. With this regard, this paper looked into L2 learners’ perceptions towards bichronous online learning - a mixed mode of online learning in tertiary education and employed a quantitative method via questionnaire focusing on eliciting respondents’ perceptions on bichronous online learning, the challenges they faced while learning bichronously and the suggestions they proposed to improve bichronous online learning. The respondents involved were 30 first-year students taking the Essential Communication Skills course at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. In recapitulation, the findings portrayed positive perceptions of L2 learners towards bichronous online learning. It was also highlighted that poor internet connection, poor time management and lack of motivation were the core challenges of the blended mode while suggestions to enhance it were mainly on the use of multitudinous learning methods, more interactive platforms and creation of a conducive learning environment. These findings served as a foundation for devising suitable bichronous online learning materials for learning English effectively.

Managing Faculty and Student’s Perception of Emergency Covid-19 Pandemic Learning in Nigeria

The Emergency remote teaching birthed by the Covid-19 pandemic situation, heralded an unprecedented school closure consequently widening already existing educational access gap. This turbulent situation represented a very difficult and traumatic time for both teachers, students and parents. This research is a Case Study on Delta State University, Agbor Education students in affiliation with College of Education, Agbor. Delta State Nigeria. The Sample population is one hundred and eighty-four (184), which comprised of thirty (30) management team members, one hundred and thirty-six (136) lecturers and eighteen (18) students used for a focus group discussion. The selection criteria for the sample population were both purposive and interpretative in design. The research examined and told the story of an Institution’s emergency remote teaching experience during the covid -19 pandemic crisis. There was no policy guide/handbook to guide the process. Since the ERT terrain was novel, stakeholders were innovative and proactive to meet the demand of the strange times. The theory of constraint (TOC) was used as a guide to explain the constraints on ground and guide actions taken in the course of the research. High cost of procuring digital tools, electricity outages and poor internet connectivity were highlighted as constraining factors for institutions teaching online. It is recommended that an emergency educational response team with a special Trust fund be put in place in institutions to act in times of crisis.

A Preliminary Study Investigating the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Education in the Caribbean: A Student’s Perspective

Dental education was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this preliminary study was to begin to assessment of the effect of the pandemic on dental education in the Caribbean. An online self-administered questionnaire was emailed to undergraduate dental students. The survey was conducted at the end of the semester’s online learning period. The survey assessed the experiences and attitudes of the students. Chi-square and Fisher exact test were tabulated to ascertain the relationship between questions asked with the year of study and gender. The response rate was 73% (n = 100). The respondents comprised 53.4% (n = 24) of preclinical and 72.7% (n = 40) of clinical students who stated didactic and clinical training were affected. In total, 86.7% (n = 39) of preclinical students felt that their lab experience was affected and 96.4% (n = 53) of clinical students reported their clinical training was affected. Restorative dentistry was the sub-specialty students felt was mainly affected. Recorded lectures to review later was stated as the most significant advantage of online learning. A lack of hands-on experience as a result of no access to a preclinical lab was the most negative aspect of online learning for preclinical students. Clinical students reported that their clinical experience was affected by clinic closure and the move to online learning. Moreover, 66% (n = 66) of respondents reported poor internet connection. There was no statistically significant correlation between gender and year of study with the questions asked. Students reported a positive attitude to online learning. However, they did not consider it a substitute for face-to-face laboratory and clinical teaching.

Challenges and Barriers for Accessing Online Education Amongst School Children in an Urban Slum Area of Pune, India.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has restricted the education of students on a global scale. With the nationwide stay-at-home directives, schools, colleges and universities have been shut down. Online education is a measure for continuing the learning of the students in times of pandemic. However, the school-going children of urban slum areas face challenges in attending online classes. Through this study, we have tried to highlight the problems and challenges faced by the students and their parents from an urban slum area of Mangalwarpeth, Pune for attending online education in times of COVID. The urban slum area mainly consists of people from low socioeconomic backgrounds lacking the necessary resources and supportive environment for an online mode of education. We have observed and recorded the response of the participants in the context of online education in times of COVID and challenges faced by the lower socio-economic strata due to reasons like non-availability of resources, poor internet connectivity, poor understanding, and distractions while classes leading to low attendance.MethodsA cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted in an urban slum area of Mangalwarpeth, Pune. Data was collected over four months after receiving consent from the parents of the children from the metropolitan slum area of Mangalwarpeth. A structured questionnaire was used. Data was coded on an excel sheet and was transferred to SPSS software version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and was represented in frequency and percentage.ResultAfter the data collection and analysis, we found that (according to the modified Kuppuswamy scale for socioeconomic status) around 53% of the study population were from the lower middle class followed by the upper lower class (27.16%), upper middle class (9.87%), lower class (8.64%) and upper class (1.23%). Sixteen percent of participants do not have smartphones available, and 95.5% do not have a laptop required for online classes. A total of 19.5% of the students do not have access to internet services. Eighty-four percent of parents agreed on increased expenses of the internet.ConclusionStudents from urban slum areas belong to lower socioeconomic classes and face problems while attending online classes like the nonavailability of resources and lack of a supportive environment. There are increased expenses of the internet as a result of the online mode of education, with increased distractions from the surroundings, concentration problems, and less understanding of the subjects. The students cannot interact with their teachers and friends and as a result, their social interaction is reduced. A supportive environment and proper resources are essential for the learning of students to continue education in times of emergencies like pandemics.

Online Self Access Language Learning Among SLLs in Malaysia and Indonesia Amid Covid 19 Pandemic

During this pandemic of Covid 19, learning face to face took a different turn. The higher institutions were obligated to resort to online learning. Academicians and undergraduates had to ‘jump on the bandwagon and be ready without thorough preparation. The main aim of this study was to find out the Malaysian and Indonesian undergraduate students’ (SLL) perceptions and behaviors related to self-access language learning. An online survey was conducted to collect the information from online and online distance learning students. A structural questionnaire link using survey monkey was sent to students through WhatsApp. The simple percentage distribution was used to assess the learning status of the study participants. From the study, results yielded that 70% of learners were involved in online and online distance learning actively. Most learners used smartphones during their online learning. Students face various problems related to depression anxiety, poor internet connectivity, and an unfavorable study environment at home. Students from remote areas and marginalized sections mainly face enormous challenges for study during this pandemic. This study suggests targeted interventions to create a positive space for study among students from the vulnerable section of society.

Indian Higher Education: Throughout And After Pandemic

In today’s context, most of the countries are very seriously affected due to the COVID-19 Nationwide lockdown. A horrible date of deaths and infected cases received throughout the world including in India. No sector remained untouched by the pandemic including higher education. All the schools, colleges, and universities closed down by postponing their entrance tests and other examinations while shifting to an online mode of learning from the traditional classroom. Electronic means have been utilized for learning. But, the motive has not been achieved due to poor internet connectivity, network issues lack of sufficient training for teachers, and the bad economic condition of the students. The Education mechanism suffered during the period. This research article emphasizes the consequences of the pandemic on the higher education mechanism of India and others as required.

Returning to Schools After COVID-19: Identifying Factors of Distance Learning Failure in Jordan from Parents’ Perspectives

This study aimed to evaluate the distance learning experiences of Jordanian parents after their children returned to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was completed by 1,675 parents from across Jordan and the vast majority of the respondents (86.31%) agreed that distance learning failed to achieve its goals. This study also investigated the differences among parents’ demographic characteristics (area of living and type of school their children attend) and parents’ perceptions of the factors that caused the failure of distance learning. The study found a significant difference between parents based on the area of living (urban and rural) and the type of school their children attend. Parents who live in rural areas and parents who send their children to public schools have a higher perception of the factors that caused the failure of distance learning than parents who live in urban areas and parents who send their children to private schools. To explore why parents’ distance learning failed, parents answered open-ended questions and attributed this failure to many factors. Parents believe that distance learning failed due to many factors, and the most common factors are low learning motivation among students, poor accessibility to electronic devices required for distance learning and a poor internet connection, family related issues like economic status, large family size, and lifestyle, the last factor related to a distance learning culture. The findings of the study suggest some implications and recommendations for teachers and policymakers.

Information-seeking Barriers Encountered by MTN Asonge Shareholders Residing in the Capricorn District, Limpopo, South Africa

Little seems to be known of the information-seeking behaviour of investors. This is despite the fact that investors, in order to determine the risks and opportunities underlying any investment business, are expected to seek information before making an investment decision. Various information behaviour studies have shown that a combination of personal and contextual factors could act as barriers to information. The purpose of this article is to report on a study that explored the information-seeking barriers that black investors in the MTN Asonge Scheme, Capricorn District in Limpopo, South Africa, encounter when they seek information while using electronic resources. A qualitative, phenomenological research approach was followed. Purposive snowball sampling was applied to sample the study respondents, who were later interviewed. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with six investors to collect data, which were subsequently analysed thematically. The findings indicated that the major barriers that affect MTN Asonge investors when using electronic information sources, are of a personal and contextual nature. Personal barriers include a lack of information search skills, inadequate investment literacy and an inability to interpret investment information. The contextual barriers they encountered include internet search costs, poor internet connectivity and a lack of active email accounts. This study significantly adds to the limited existing body of literature on challenges faced by black investors in an everyday life context, particularly in rural settings, when seeking information by using electronic resources.

Utilisation of Electronic Resources by Undergraduate Students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)

The study that directed this article examined the use of electronic resources by undergraduate students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). A survey-based research design was employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data—the quantitative paradigm being dominant. The population for this study consisted of undergraduate students at the NUST main campus (10 248) registered for the 2016 academic year. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select students from each of the four undergraduate levels of study. A sample size of 385 students was used. A self-developed questionnaire and a structured interview guide were used as data collection instruments. Responses from 274 questionnaires and 12 face-to-face interviews provided the raw data. The study showed that subscribed electronic resources were underutilised due to a lack of awareness. Students had positive attitudes towards electronic resources for academic purposes, research projects and keeping up-to-date. While the vast majority of students were confident in using computers, they lacked the search skills necessary to make full use of electronic resources. Barriers encountered included poor ICT infrastructure and internet connectivity, as well as slow, old, and inadequate computers. The recommendations included the need for improved ICT facilities and internet connectivity, regular information needs-assessment, end-user training, and the vigorous promotion of e-resources.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE INTERNET ACCESS AND ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ONLINE LEARNING AMONG STUDENTS AT HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS

The spread of COVID-19 has shifted teaching and learning methods at all institutes of higher learning in Malaysia from traditional methods to online distance learning. To cope with this new teaching method, students face some difficulties. One of the most challenging is the lack of internet access and accessibility that constrains students’ engagement and motivation toward online distance learning. The unaffordability to purchase internet data and poor internet connectivity are common problems that have often been voiced by students, as this greatly affects their attendance, communication, and submission of each class assignment. To reduce the burden faced by the students, government and telecommunication services providers introduced some initiatives to enhance internet access and accessibility. Thus, this study aims to review the impacts of internet access and accessibility initiatives on the effectiveness of online learning during the COVID-19 era. The conceptual reviews will acknowledge the policymakers on the barriers faced by the students, the impact of internet initiatives on online learning, and the recommendations to improve current practices on internet access and accessibility, It can be used by the policymakers to provide relevant initiatives to assist teaching and learning among students.

Learners` Perceptions of Web Applications Use in Learning EFL during a Digital Transition Stage of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 virus outbreak has curtailed instruction in various global universities. It obliged higher educational institutions to evaluate their ability to cope with such an unexpected dilemma. Throughout the virus widespread in Palestine, virtual education has become the primary teaching mode. After two semesters of virtual teaching, the researcher distributed an online poll and conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with students majoring in English. The study included 395 undergraduates from various local universities. The survey results showed that English majors held a positive attitude towards using online education platforms. Males outnumbered females by a statistically significant margin. The Students` level was statistically significant in favor of new students. There were no discernible differences between students based on place of living. The Pearson correlation value was extremely high, indicating a positive relationship between students` perceptions and motivating factors. Students frequently reported obstacles like poor internet connectivity, time, knowledge of using educational web platforms, boredom, familiarity with the applications, distraction, electricity cut, and students` comprehension of the material and technical expertise. Students postulated various solutions to existing challenges, including increasing internet speeds, delivering needed training sessions, and allotting students enough time to access the network.

Students’ Attitude Toward the Use of Google Classroom in Writing Activity

The purpose of this research was to know the students’ attitudes toward the use of google classroom in a writing activity. This research used mixed-method research. The researcher chose class XI MIPA 4 of senior high school 1 Samaturu, Kolaka. The instruments of this research were questionnaires and interviews. The result of this research revealed that the students’ attitudes were generally positive toward the use of google classroom in a writing activity. It is supported by the data obtained based on the three aspects of attitude. Cognitive (60%), affective (77,3%), and behavioral (77,3%) aspects of attitude were positive. The researcher also found there are two factors that hinder the students in writing descriptive texts assigned through google classroom, they are: poor internet connection and being lazy. While the supporting factors are four, they are: the display and the feature of google classroom, good internet connection, google classroom is flexible, and a study partner. In addition, there are three strategies used by the students in writing descriptive text, they are planning, drafting, and editing. Further, in writing descriptive text assignments, there are two challenges founded by the students assigned through google classroom, they are deadline and vocabulary.