Poor Policy Formulation and Lack of Learning GUidelines Impacted Learners Negatively

Qualitatively researchers similarly identified the potential for better policies to be implemented in order to create a better learning environment for all in extensive research done through interview studies with teachers in Indonesia, aimed at investigating their experiences and perceptions of teaching with technology during the pandemic. Rahayu et al. (2021) employed a qualitative research design, using semi-structured interviews to collect data from ten teachers. Their findings revealed that technology adoption was a significant challenge, as many teachers lacked the necessary skills and resources to integrate technology effectively into their teaching. Here many educators in Indonesia verily recognized the potential benefits of technology in enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes. Imouri and Oussama’s (2021) article, which partly focused on the integration of social networks in Moroccan higher education during the pandemic, effectively revealed that social networks such as WhatsApp and Facebook were widely used to support communication and collaboration between teachers and students, and while they were effective, these technologies were widely available due to their predominant use by the learners out of class.

Dependency on Social Media as a Platform for Learning

The government of Morocco and its policymakers on education were severely constrained in providing adequate systems for all learners to merge and learn. As such, the use of social networking tools as learning platforms effectively revealed that “the impact of the course content on students is very limited. They have also expressed their very positive views about social networks.” This disconnect is largely due to a lack of dedicated platforms for learning. Some of the challenges that were also highlighted to downplay the importance of the use of social media platforms for learning included the lack of technical support, the digital divide, and privacy concerns. In the USA, a focus on K-12 teachers by Akojie, Laroche, and Schumacher (2021) saw findings reveal that the transition was challenging for many teachers, who faced numerous technical, pedagogical, and social challenges. There were few benefits, though, as the authors also identified several benefits, including increased flexibility, personalized learning, and improved student engagement (Akojie, Laroche, and Schumacher, 2021). Qualitatively all these researchers emphasized the challenges associated with the shift to virtual instruction, including the constant presence of technical difficulties, pedagogical challenges, and social isolation. Additionally, they highlighted the potential benefits of technology in enhancing student engagement, personalized learning, and communication.

The proposed research question for this study seeks to evaluate the impact of online education methods/tools ( as the independent variable) on students’ academic performance (as the dependent variable) during the COVID-19 epidemic and the period preceding the outbreak. Below are some of the proposed hypotheses to be tested.

Hypothesis 1: Online education has a negative impact on student’s academic performance during the COVID-19 epidemic: In this case, this hypothesis suggests that the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in students’ academic performance compared to traditional in-person learning.

Hypothesis 2:The quality of online instruction has a significant impact on student’s academic performance: This hypothesis suggests that the quality of online instruction, including factors such as instructor engagement, use of interactive teaching methods, and technological resources, can influence the effectiveness of online education and its impact on student’s academic performance.

Hypothesis 3:Students’ prior experience with online learning and access to technology and resources affect academic performance. Here researchers suggest that students who have prior experience with online learning and have access to reliable technology and resources may perform better academically than those who do not.

Hypothesis 4:The impact of online education on academic performance differs based on demographic and socioeconomic factors: Effectively, the impact of online education on academic performance may vary based on factors such as age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. It is important to consider these factors in the analysis of the relationship between online education and academic performance during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Method and Data Analysis

This research will be approached using a multiple methods approach (qual