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Synchronous vs. Asynchronous: Photovoice Study on Indonesian Youth’s…
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous: Photovoice Study on Indonesian Youth’s Online Learning Experience
Introduction
Speeding the transition to online learning require solutions tailored specifically to the contextual needs of students. This can be achieved when policymakers in education understand the experience of students when studying with an online learning system.
To date, no research has explored the experience of youth in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research question: how youth experience online learning
in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Method
Research Settings
This study took place in Kupang City, the capital city of East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. East Nusa Tenggara is one of the provinces located in the eastern part of Indonesia.
Youth in this region are threatened with risk factors hampering their well-being such as poverty, human trafficking, and limited access to service. Kiling & Kiling- Bunga, 2020; Kiling et al., 2019).
Study design and participants
qualitative study
Slightly modified photovoice
Interviews as the tools for collecting data
14 youth (aged between 15 and 24 years old) participated in the study.
Participants were recruited using purposeful sampling using three main criteria: (a) must reside in West Timor, (b) aged between 15 and 24 years old, and (c) have experience in online learning.
Research team
All (five) authors have a lecturer as their main occupation during the time of the study. Three authors (first, third, and fourth) arenatives of Kupang City, West Timor.
Research stages
Potential participants were firstly identified by the authors assisted by the research assistants.
These potential participants were asked for consent to participate in the study and consent to use photos in the study article after receiving full information on the study and its purposes.
Participants were asked to take photos related to the study topics, which is an online learning experience
The duration of photography agreed by participants and the authors was seven days.
Photos were then discussed by participants and the research team in online interviews using an online meeting application.
The conversations were recorded using the recording feature available with the online meeting application.
Some follow-up inquiries to participants were made using video calls when additional data is needed.
Analysis
Inductive thematic analysis
Transcribed every interview
coded
check consistency
extracted into themes
Discussion
Some of these young people admitted that online learning has the advantages of convenience, cost-efficient in some ways, and most importantly much safer during the pandemic. However, online learning is also deemed to be costly especially in synchronous learning, and also technically ineffective to be used in areas with limited technology infrastructures like West Timor.
Another urgent improvement needed for online learning implementation is providing better access to the internet
Several alternatives to online learning
such as door-to-door teachers, and peer learning groups might have worked for the short term, but policymakers must not depend solely on the resilience of young people in under-developed areas.
Results
benefits and challenges of online learning
studying through online media requires minimum physical effort, were more relaxed compared to offline classes, no transportation fees, less boring than offline classes, less preparation before attending class, and the most important benefit is online learning protected them from the risks of contracting COVID-19
the positive impacts of online learning cited by participants were including ease to use, supports a live discussion that resembling an offline class environment, requires less reading before and after classes, and provides time to browse references while listening to the lecture.
synchronous versus asynchronous learning
Participants argued that synchronous
learning burdened students particularly students who have to return to their homes in villages around West Timor and East Nusa Tenggara. They have to return home to reduce the cost of boarding houses, but it also means that they will have far worse signal reception to attend synchronous classes.
Participants admitted that asynchronous learning provides the chance to be more active through asynchronous discussion.
the future of online learning
Participants suggested that more support on free internet quota and/or Wi-Fi is needed. The available support from the government and university was felt to be not adequate to help them attend online learning successfully
For short-term solutions, some participants admitted that they tried to help their friends with limited access.
Conclusion
The application of the synchronous learning
approach needs to be balanced with asynchronous learning. Technology infrastructures are scarce in under-developed areas, and because of that, the cost for internet data there is significantly higher.