February 2021 Vol.9 No.2

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Mahfouz SM
Salam WJ

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Original Research Article

Jordanian University Students’ Attitudes Towards Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns: Obstacles and Solutions

Safi M. Mahfouz^*, Wael J. Salam

Department of English, University of Jordan in Aqaba

*Corresponding Authors Email: safimahfouz@gmail.com

Received: 07 December 2020    I    Accepted: 24 January 2021    I    Published: 28 February 2021    I    Article ID: MRJER-20-057
Copyright © 2020 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article.
This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate Jordanian university students’ attitudes towards online learning during COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, shed light on the obstacles students encounter in online learning and suggest possible solutions. A questionnaire was designed by the researchers and was distributed amongst a study sample consisting of (195) students from the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Jordan – Aqaba. The survey questionnaire was meant to elicit students’ responses on the following domains: gender, level of seniority, availability of technological devices, access to internet, socioeconomic status, training and orientation for using eLearning platforms, and their attitudes, whether positive or negative towards online learning. Results showed that students’ attitudes towards online learning were generally negative as the majority of the respondents reported that they prefer face-to-face classroom instruction over online learning because it gives them a direct contact with instructors. Furthermore, results revealed that there were statistically significant differences amongst students attributed to their gender, whereas there were no statistically significant differences as with regards to their seniority of study at university, socioeconomic status and the eLearning platform they prefer to use mainly Facebook Messenger, university’s eLearning Moodle, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, YouTube, Skype, WhatsApp, and other platforms. The study concludes with proposing some pedagogical recommendations.

Keywords: Attitudes, Blended learning, COVID-19 pandemic, Obstacles, Online learning, Solutions, University of Jordan-Aqaba