Qualitative impact assessment of COVID-19 on the pedagogical, technological and social experiences of higher education students in Taiwan

Cyleen Morgan; Meng-Che Tsai; Chiehwen Ed Hsu; Hsueh-Wen Chow; How-Ran Guo; Meng-Hsueh Lee

doi:10.1007/s10639-022-10896-x

Qualitative impact assessment of COVID-19 on the pedagogical, technological and social experiences of higher education students in Taiwan

Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2022;27(8):10471-10495. doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-10896-x. Epub 2022 Mar 12.

Authors

Cyleen Morgan¹, Meng-Che Tsai², Chiehwen Ed Hsu¹, Hsueh-Wen Chow³, How-Ran Guo^{4

5}, Meng-Hsueh Lee⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of International Management, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
² Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
³ Institute of Physical Education Health & Leisure Studies, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.
⁶ Cross College Elite Program, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Abstract

COVID-19 has imposed a rippling effect on educational institutions globally, substantially impacting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries. Recognizing Taiwan as an atypicality during this crisis for suffering from a relatively moderate mortality/morbidity compared with the rest of the world, the present paper qualitatively explores the pedagogical, technological and social impact of COVID-19 on higher education students in Taiwan. Employing the focus group discussion methodology, we recruited a cohort of 23 students, comprising of 15 local and 8 international students. Findings show diverse pedagogical experiences in students' instructional modalities. Trending by either discipline of study, students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines expressed a greater preference for face-to-face instruction compared to their humanities counterparts. Distance learners reported a decrease in study efficacy and a lack of sense of belongingness to their university. All students demonstrated a high sense of perceived safety and reported minimal changes in their socializing norms during the pandemic. In terms of career planning, local students expressed minimal concerns about potential changes in their careers, versus international students who expressed high degrees of uncertainty, fear and pessimism in the same regard.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Educational technology; Higher education; Higher education institutions (HEI); Pedagogical experience; Student efficacy; Student socialization.; Taiwan.