Students’ Attitudes, Involvement, Stress, and Teachers’ Engagement: An Ex Post Facto Study of Online Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kerala

Abstract

The present technologically driven epoch has engendered transformative shifts across the entire spectrum of human activity and experience. Predominantly in the sphere of education, the pandemic highlighted the absence of adequate infrastructure in digital schooling, as school classrooms became inaccessible in physical mode due to the health wellbeing concerns. The study tried to investigate the students’ attitudes, involvement, stress, and teachers’ engagement with reference to the Online Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kerala. Higher secondary school students of various districts of Kerala who attended classes online during the pandemic comprised the population of the study. Stratified random sampling method was employed in the collection of the data, a total sample of 230 students was completed the research tools proffered by the investigator. Sample represents a diverse demographic profile, including variations in: School, Gender, Parental Employment, and Location. The findings reveal that, neither gender, locale (rural/urban), type of school management (Government, Aided, or Private), nor parental employment background significantly influenced students’ attitudes toward online classes. No significant differences found across gender, locale, school management, or parental employment with regards to students’ involvement in online classes. Regarding stress due to online classes, the findings reveal a similar pattern—stress levels were consistent across gender, locale, type of school, and parental employment.  A notable exception, however, was found in the area of students’ perceptions of teachers’ involvement. Here, significant gender differences were evident, with boys and girls perceiving teacher engagement differently.