AnInvestigationIntotheImpactofCOVID-19ontheAcademic PerformanceofStudentsinHigherEducationInstitutionsin Namibia
NikodemusAngula,AmandaSchroeder,LindieBeukes,DeoniOlivierandSandraDuPlessisDepartmentofManagementScience,NamibiaUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Windhoek,Namibia E-mail:nangula@nust.na;aschroeder@nust.na;lbeukes@nust.na;dolivier@nust.na;sduplessis@nust.na
Abstract. ThisstudyaimedtoinvestigatetheimpactofCOVID-19ontheacademicperformanceofstudentsduring emergencyremoteteachingandlearninginhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibia.Thisstudyusedqualitative methods,meaningqualitativedatawerecollectedandanalysedusinginterpretivetechniques.Thisstudyemployed acasestudyresearchdesignasasingleunitofanalysis.Inthiscasestudy,thefourth-yearNUSTstudentswerethe participants.Thisstudyusedsemi-structuredinterviewstocollectqualitativedatatoestablishtheexperiencesand viewsofhonourstudents’self-regulationlearningskillsduringemergencyremoteteachingandlearningandhow itaffectedtheiracademicperformance.Thestudyparticipantswere30honourstudentswhoprovidedinformation regardingtheirexperienceandviewsinfluenceofCOVID-19ontheacademicperformanceofstudentsinhigher educationinstitutionsinNamibiaduringemergencyremoteteachingandlearning.
Thestudyfindingswerethatmoststudentswerefacingthechallengesofnothavingdevicestoparticipatein onlineteachingandlearning.Somestudentsdonotknowhowtousegadgetstolearn,andnetworkcoveragewasthe mainissueforsomestudents,suchasnetworkdataandself-teachingorlearning.Inaddition,somestudentsstated thattherewasalackofInternetaccessforonlineclassesthatlackcommitmentandself-disciplineformanystudents becausetheyknowthattheydonotwritetheexaminationontheirrespectivecampuses.Thisstudyrecommendsthat highereducationinstitutionsinNamibiauseparallelhybridteachingandlearningofbothonlineandface-to-face modesofteachingandlearning.
Keywords: COVID-19,Academicperformance,Students,EducationinstitutionsinNamibia.
INTRODUCTION
Inmanycountries,higherinstitutionswereinvolvedin globalisationanddemographicstoenhanceaccesstolifelonglearningopportunities[8].AccordingtoYang[1], onlineteachingandlearningmadetheaccessibilityof learningandteachingtotakeplaceanywhere,anytime withoutstudentsphysicallyvisitinguniversities(Montacute&Holt-White,2020).MontacuteandHolt-White (2020)exclaimedthatthetransitiontoonlinelearning broughtaboutsomeuncertaintiesindifferentpopulations. Someofthechallengesanduncertaintiesincludedhaving tovacatetheUniversitypremisesandhavingtostudyfrom home,whichwasverydifferentforeachstudent.Some ofthesestudentswereleftwithoutaccesstoelectricity, devices,andaccesstotheInternet.Thus,theywereunable
tocompletetheirworkortasksdelegatedtothem.It wasnotedthatinNamibiainMarch2020,COVID-19was declaredalockwhichnegativelyimpactedthewaypeople usetoleave,andseveralsectorsoftheeconomywere negativelyaffectedasthousandsofNamibianlosttheirjob andsalarycut.
PROBLEMSTATEMENT
COVID-19hasbeenachallengeinNamibia,andstill,some regionsfacechallengesinmanypartsofthecountry.Over thelasttwoyearssince2020,COVID-19hasbeenadistractiontomanypeoplewhohaveexperiencedillnessand death[8].Asaresult,mostNamibianslosttheirfamilies.In addition,theperformancerateofmanystudentsinhigher institutionsinNamibiahasbeenaffectednegativelydueto
COVID-19becauseteachingandlearninghaveswitchedto onlinelearning,whichposedmanychallengesforstudents ontheuseofmobilelearninginashortperiodtoattaina goodgrade.Therefore,thepresentstudyaimedtoinvestigatetheimpactofCOVID-19ontheacademicperformance ofstudentsduringemergencyremoteteachingandlearninginhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibia.
OBJECTIVES
Thestudy’smainobjectivewastoinvestigatetheimpact ofCOVID-19ontheacademicperformanceofstudents duringemergencyremoteteachingandlearninginhigher educationinstitutionsinNamibia.
TheStudy’sSpecificObjectivesAreasFollows
• TodeterminetheeffectoftheimpactofCOVID-19on students’academicperformanceinNamibia’shigher educationinstitutions.
• ToevaluatetheimpactofCOVID-19onstudents’academicperformanceinhighereducationinstitutions inNamibia.
• Toidentifythechallengestostudents’academicperformanceinNamibia’shighereducationinstitutions duringCOVID-19.
RESEARCHQUESTIONS
• WhataretheimpactsofCOVID-19ontheacademic performanceofstudentsinhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibia?
• Whataffectedtheacademicperformanceofstudents inhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibiaduring COVID-19?
• Whatarethechallengestostudents’academicperformanceinhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibia duringCOVID-19?
LITERATUREREVIEW
Thissectiondescribesexistingmaterialsrelatedtothetopic underdiscussion.
DefineCOVID-19inGeneral
AccordingtotheWorldHealthOrganization(2020), COVID-19deathisdefinedforsurveillancepurposesasa deathresultingfromaclinicallycompatibleinaprobable orconfirmedCOVID-19caseunlessthereisanapparent causeofdeaththatcannotberelatedtoCOVIDdisease (e.g.,trauma).Inaddition,thereshouldbenocomplete recoveryperiodbetweenillnessanddeath.
AcademicPerformanceDuringCOVID-19aStudent’s Experience
COVID-19hashadadetrimentalimpactonstudent achievementinmanypartsoftheworld,including Namibia.DuetoCOVID-19,mostschoolswereclosed, affectingtheachievementofmanypupilsinunderdevelopednations[4].Furthermore,thereismountingevidencethatCOVID-19hasharmedmanykids’academic achievement.BlankenbergerandWilliams[3]exclaimed thatCOVID-19hasaffectedmanystudentsacrossthe globebecausestudentsshiftedfromface-to-facelearning toonlinelearninginwhichstudentshavetolearnICTina shortperiodtoadapttotheonlineenvironment.
TheChallengesofStudentsonAcademicPerformance
DuringCOVID-19,thestudent’sacademicperformancein Namibiahasbeendecliningatanalarmingratesince2020. IntheNamibiancontext,asofJanuary2021,32425cases werereported,and319deathswererecordedsimultaneously[2].Additionally,thefirsttwocaseswererecorded inWindhoekdistricttotheMinistryofHealthandSocial Services(MoHSSon13March2020).
ConceptualFramework
TheframeworkinFigure 1 belowdepictsindependent anddependentvariablesforthisstudy.Theindependent variablesaretheimpactofCOVID-19anddependentvariablesontheacademicperformanceofstudentsinhigher educationinstitutionsinNamibia(Yooetal.,2022).
Figure1. Conceptualframeworkforstudent’sself-regulation learningstrategiesinNamibia.
Source:Researcher’sconceptualisation.
Conclusion
Thissectionisaboutaliteraturereviewinwhichliterature relatedtothestudytopicandresearchobjectiveswere reviewedtounderstandexistingmaterialsrelevanttothe studyunderdiscussionclearly.
ResearchMethodology
Thissectionexplainsthemethodsandtechniquesused inthisstudy,thetypeofdatacollected,andhowthe datawouldbeanalysed.Theselectionofthemethods andtechniqueswasinfluencedbythestudy’sgoal,which wastoinvestigatetheimpactofCOVID-19onstudents’ academicperformance.
RESEARCHDESIGN
Thisstudyemployedqualitativemethods.Aqualitative methodwasusedinthisstudybecauseitenabledthe researchertogatherin-depthinsightsintoaproblemor generatenewideasforresearch.Thismethodallowsa researchertoengageparticipantsface-to-faceandgetrealtimefeedbackfromtheparticipants.Thestudyusedacase studyapproach.Acasestudyapproachwasemployedin thisstudybecauseitenabledthestudytogenerateanindepth,multi-facetedunderstandingofacomplexissuein itsreal-lifecontext.
Population
Thestudytargetpopulationwas200students,including fourth-yearhonourstudents.Thestudydecidedtouse honourstudentsasatargetpopulationprimarilybecause thesewerethemostaffectedstudentsastheywereintheir exityeartofinishUniversity.
SamplingSize
Thedeterminationofthisstudysamplesizeisdetermined byDworkin’s(2012)statementwhichstatesthattherecommendedminimumsamplesizeforin-depthinterviews isbetween25and30inaqualitativestudy.Therange between25and30isregardedasasufficientnumberto engagewithinastudythatisqualitativeinnature.
RESEARCHINSTRUMENT
Thestudyusedasemi-structuredinterviewmethod.A semi-structuredinterviewwasusedbecauseitenabledthe interviewertoaskonlyafewpredeterminedquestions whiletherestofthequestionswerenotplanned[1].A semi-structuredinterviewwasselectedprimarilybecause thistypeofinterviewcombinesstructuredandunstructuredinterviewstyles.
DataAnalysis
Thestudyusedqualitativedata,anddatawereanalysed usinginterpretivetechniques.Theinterpretivetechniques organisecategories,rearrange,andsummarisedataina formatotherscanunderstand.
Significance
Iftheresearchfindingsareaccepted,theresearcher believesthatMHETIandthegovernmentwillbenefitas follows:
MinistryofHigherEducation,Technology,andInnovation:Theministrywillhaveanup-to-dateremuneration frameworkthatwillprovideinformationaboutwhatisto bepaidtoboardmembersofeachSOEinNamibia.
Government: Itwillprovidethegovernmentwiththe latestinformationwhendevelopingonlineeducational strategiestoimproveeducationsystemsinhighereducationinstitutionsinNamibiawhichinturnaidmanagementwithtimelydecision-making.Thestudywilladdto theexistingliteratureinthefieldofhighereducationin Namibia.
RESEARCHETHICS
ThestudysoughtethicalclearancefromNamibiaUniversityofScienceandTechnology,underwhichthisstudy wasundertakeninthedepartmentofmanagementscience. Theresearchersexplainedthepurposeofthesurveyto thestudentsandassuredthemthattheinformationthey providedwouldbeconfidential.
Conclusion
Thissectionisaboutresearchmethodology,whichexplains themethodsandtechniquesemployedinthestudy,the typeofdatacollected,andhowthedatawouldbeanalysed.
ResultsandDiscussion
TheGender
Figure 2 showsatotalof30honourstudentswhoparticipatedinthestudy,ofwhich26.7%weremalerepresentativesand73.3%werefemalerepresentatives.
Figure2.
Agegroup
Figure 3 showsthattheagegroupbetween18and25 honourstudentswasrepresentedby13.3%,26–35were
representedby50%,36–45wererepresentedby33.3%,and 46andabovewere0%.
StudentsintheAcademicPerformanceDuring COVID-19inHigherEducationInstitutionsinNamibia
COVID-19onStudent’sAcademicPerformancein HigherEducationInstitutionsinNamibia
Theparticipantsindicatedthatmanystudentsstruggled withonlinelearningduringtheemergencyremoteteachingandlearning,leadingtopoorperformance.Some studentsfellsickafterexposuretoCOVID-19andtended nottostudyappropriately.ThehonourstudentshadachallengeduringCOVID-19oflearningnewtechniquesbeing taughtonline.WithCOVID-19,highereducationinstitutionsinNamibiaintroducedonlineclassesandonline assessments;moststudentsfinditquitechallengingdueto lackorlimitedInternetcoverage.Asaresult,moststudents wereunabletoobtaintheirevaluations,contributingto manystudents’lowacademicachievementduringthe emergencyremoteteachingandlearning.Inaddition,the pandemicmadeitdifficultforstudentstokeepupwith theschoolintermsoffeesandhavingaccesstoonline education.Incontrast,studentshavebecomelessactive intheirstudies,andasaresult,therehavebeenshortcuts toachievinggoodgradesformanystudentsduringthat period.
ChallengesStudents’AcademicPerformanceDuring EmergencyRemoteTeachingandLearning
Theparticipantsindicatedthatsomestudentsfacedthe challengesofnothavingdevicestoparticipateinonline tests.Somestudentsdonotknowhowtousegadgetsto learn,andnetworkcoveragewasthemainissueforsome students,suchasnetworkdataandself-teachingorlearning.Inaddition,somestudentsstatedthattherewasalack ofInternetaccessforonlineclassesthatlackcommitment andself-disciplineformanystudentsbecausetheyknow thattheydonotwriteexaminationsontheirrespective campuses.Additionally,whenlectureswereshiftedto onlinelearning,notallstudentscouldconnectonlineor accesstheInternet.Moreover,whenonlineclasseswere introduced,somestudentswerenotattendingclassesdue tothelimitedInternetandgadgetsattheirdisposal.
Theparticipantsdemonstratedthatsomestudentslacked suitablelessonstowriteexaminationsduringemergency remotelearningbecausesomelecturersdidnotattend classorcancelledclasswhilenotleavingwithnotesfor self-study.Asaresultofthat,theacademicperformance ofmanystudentsdropped.Moreover,somestudentshad Internetfacilitiesanddataissuesbecausetheycouldnot affordtorechargesuperaweheverysevendaysofthe week.WithlessonsbeingonlineduringCOVID-19and havinglimitedface-to-facelectures,studentsfindithard tolearntherequiredunderstandingtopassthesubjects. Internetaccessandequipmentwerethemanyissues,and somestudentshadtotravelfromhousestotheinstitution toaccesstheInternet.Somestudentsgaugemoreinformationthroughface-to-facelearning.Onlineclassesmake itdifficultforsomestudentstoprocesslearningcontent technically.
Student’sPerceptionandExperienceDuring COVID-19andRecommendation
Studentsindicatedthatadaptingtoonlinelearningduringemergencyremotelearningwaschallenging.Inthe beginning,itwasrocky,butthestudentsshowedthat theyunderstoodthatitwouldworkforbothstudents andlecturers.Inaddition,onlinelearninghadapositive impactintermsofallowingstudentsanduniversitiesto movetoamoredigitalisedwayofdoingthings.However,otherstudentsusedtheopportunitytopasswell, whileothersstruggledwiththetransformation.Inaddition,studentsindicatedthatitissafeforstudentsto attendonlineclasses,butincontrast,somestudentsare strugglingduetoalackofInternetcoverageanddata bundle.
ConclusionandRecommendation
ThestudywasaboutinvestigatingtheimpactofCOVID-19 ontheacademicperformanceofstudentsduringemergencyremoteteachingandlearning;30honourstudents participatedinthestudy,theyindicatedthatduringthe emergencyremoteteachingandlearning,manystudents werestrugglingwithonlinelearning,whichledtopoor performance,somestudentswerefallingsickafterbeing exposedtoCOVID-19,andtheytendnottostudyappropriately.Inaddition,thehonourstudentshadachallenge duringCOVID-19oflearningnewtechniquesbeingtaught online.Therefore,thestudyrecommendsthathighereducationinstitutionsinNamibiauseparallelhybridteaching andlearningofbothonlineandface-to-facemodesof teachingandlearning.
Figure3. Agegroup.REFERENCES
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