Perspectives and experiences of international students at a Swedish university during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Authors: Ananmalay Verushka , Benen Daniël , Luo Jiali , Machado Da Silva Isabel Maria , Smith Elliot , Taniyama Tomoyo
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a great impact on our daily lives in many aspects, not least of which includes the education sector. Most governments around the world have decided to close educational institutions in order to contain the spread of the virus, which has required teach¬ers and students to transform their learning styles from on-campus to online. The previous research reveals that this physical transition from on-campus learning to online learning has brought not only technological considerations, but also changes in students’ experiences, emotions and perspectives, yet few studies have looked specifically into students’ perceptions on their transition to online learn¬ing. This qualitative research examines students’ learning experiences of and attitudes towards the transition from campus learning to online learning in the context of COVID-19, by analysing twelve semi-structured interviews with students at a university in Sweden. The interviews were created and conducted by thirteen participant-students, six of whom are also the authors of this research. The data collection, analysis and collaborative writing processes were conducted entirely online. Utilising transformative learning theory, the authors investigated how the participants reflected upon the learning transition and on transforming assumptions and expectations. By examining the interviews through the lens of transformative learning theory, the authors uncovered four important themes: life routine, interaction practices, learning process and self-perception.

Keywords

EN

higher education; transformative learning theory; online learning; COVID-19; semistructured interview; collaborative work; online research

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Zielonogórski. Oficyna Wydawnicza
• Journal: Dyskursy Młodych Andragogów / Adult Education Discourses
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 23
• Pages: 141-161

Dates

published

2022

Contributors

author

Ananmalay Verushka

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

author

Benen Daniël

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

author

Luo Jiali

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

author

Machado Da Silva Isabel Maria

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

author

Smith Elliot

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

author

Taniyama Tomoyo

• Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

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Identifiers

ISSN

2084-2740

DOI

doi.org/10.34768/dma.vi23.630