Exploring E-Learning Adoption and Challenges in Secondary School Science Education - Paper Example

Introduction

Like most countries across the globe, Malaysia has adopted e-learning during the pandemic amid concerns of teacher preparedness. The teaching and learning of secondary school science in Malaysia have always been based on physical classroom delivery (Koo, 2008, p. 266). Besides, the nature of content taught in the Malaysian secondary school science curriculum makes physical teacher-learner interaction the most viable approach. Before the pandemic, Malaysia has instituted some necessary technological infrastructure for e-learning, such as the MySchoolNet project (Koo, 2008, p. 266).

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Teacher Preparedness

By preparedness, teachers need adequate skills, knowledge, and social capabilities to transition from traditional classroom teaching to e-learning. The knowledge and skills required for e-learning include familiarity and prowess in using online learning tools (Archambault et al. 2014, p. 87). Social acclimatization entails the appropriate emotional adaptation to the virtual learning environment to facilitate effective content delivery to learners. Teachers should maintain a personal connection with the learners over digital learning platforms just as an attachment is established and maintained in the physical classroom (FitzPatrick, 2012, p. 789). Teacher preparedness greatly influences learner preparedness hence the effectiveness of e-learning. The key factors influencing teacher preparedness include infrastructure(technology) for e-learning, human(social) aspects of e-learning, e-learning system design, e-learning support, and evaluation (FitzPatrick, 2012, p. 793). Technology, design, support, and evaluation influence teacher skills and knowledge, while human or social aspects influence teacher emotions and perceptions.

The Malaysian government had made significant steps to prepare its teachers for e-learning before the onset of the pandemic. Such preparations focused on equipping the Malaysian secondary school teachers with the requisite skills and knowledge to facilitate virtual learning. One such initiative is the FROG Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), a cloud-based digital learning environment installed by the government in public schools for integrated virtual learning (Cheok et al. 2017, p. 20). The FROG VLE was adopted from the UK and simulates the traditional teaching and learning environment by providing teachers with tools to manage lessons, tests, and learning materials. These initial steps significantly boosted teacher interest in e-learning, thus boosting science teachers' skills and knowledge on e-learning.

Through the various ICT implementation initiatives in the past, many Malaysian secondary school science teachers were trained on various skills required for e-learning. However, such training has not achieved adequate progress for the comprehensive application of e-learning approaches. The lapse is mainly due to limited time occasioned by high school workloads (Cheok et al. 2017, p. 26). As such, the teachers did not dedicate maximal time to master all aspects of technology used in e-learning. Also, the virtual platforms do not provide the teacher-student emotional attachment necessary for effective content delivery, as is the traditional classroom approach (Zembylas et al. 2008, p. 111). Some teachers also perceive e-learning as emotionally disruptive to learners and teachers. Therefore, teachers' emotional preparedness is not at par with their skills and knowledge preparedness (Mailizar et al. 2020, p. 1). Additionally, the early ICT initiatives were aimed to facilitate blended learning rather than a full-blown e-learning implementation.

Barriers to E-Learning

Knowledge and skills gaps are significant barriers to the adoption of e-learning by science teachers. Despite many teachers in Malaysia, especially those in public secondary schools, receiving prior training on e-learning, many teachers express a lack of sufficient mastery of e-learning platforms (Cheok et al. 2017, p. 26). Many teachers opt for open-source programs like the Zoom video platform, which are not explicitly designed for e-learning. Such open-source platforms are mainly intended for social purposes like videoconferencing and social communications; thus, they are not sufficient for e-learning, particularly for demanding subjects like sciences and mathematics.

Secondly, sociocultural barriers deter the full exploitation of e-learning. The chief sociocultural barriers to comprehensive e-learning implementation include language barriers and perceptive impediments (FitzPatrick, 2012, p. 794). Most of the dedicated e-learning platforms use English as the primary language of system interaction; hence teachers with low English proficiency cannot fully explore and utilize these platforms (Cheok et al. 2017, p. 20). Additionally, many teachers perceive e-learning as a system that promotes learner laziness; thus, they are reluctant to fully use virtual learning in science subjects. These teachers assert that science subjects are highly demanding and require physical teacher presence and supervision to teach and learn effectively.

Transformations of E-Learning in Malaysia

The adoption of e-learning before and during the pandemic has made remarkable steps in sustaining the Malaysian education sector and maintaining its high literacy rates. Before the pandemic, many teachers and learners used e-learning as a supplementary approach to traditional classroom learning. This approach is called blended learning and was primarily spearheaded by the government in public primary and secondary schools (Mailizar et al. 2020, p. 3). Many teachers and learners were reluctant to fully shift to digital learning due to perceptive reasons (Koo, 2008, p. 267). With the pandemic, e-learning has become the chief teaching and learning method in Malaysia, thus leading to changes in perceptions by teachers and students. E-learning has enabled improved convenience for teachers and learners. The convenience is mainly due to e-learning's departure from strict imposed by traditional approaches. In e-learning, teachers can schedule lessons and organize content conveniently f their homes (Mailizar et al. ro2020, p. 5).

Progressively, more teachers and learners have successfully adopted e-learning as a viable approach to science education. E-learning for secondary school sciences holds great promise for sustainability in the post-pandemic period (Mailizar et al. 2020, p. 7). However, there is a need for a multisector approach to address the various issues realized in the utilization of comprehensive e-learning. Such problems include improving internet connectivity in all parts of the country to facilitate equal access to education by students from all parts of Malaysia (Mailizar et al. 2020, p. 6). Teachers and learners should also be adequately trained and retrained on specific technical aspects of e-learning to improve teacher-learner interactions and experiences over the virtual space.

References

Archambault, L., Debruler, K., & Freidhoff, J. R. (2014). K-12 Online and Blended Teacher Licensure: Striking a Balance Between Policy and Preparedness. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 22(1), 83-106. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261710876_K-12_Online_and_Blended_Teacher_Licensure_Striking_a_Balance_Between_Policy_and_Preparedness

Cheok, M. L., Wong, S. L., Ayub, A. F., & Mahmud, R. (2017). Teachers’ Perceptions of E-Learning in Malaysian Secondary Schools. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 5(2), 20-33. https://www.mojet.net/article/teachers-perceptions-of-e-learning-in-malaysian-secondary-schools

FitzPatrick, T. (2012). Key Success Factors of eLearning in Education: A Professional Development Model to Evaluate and Support eLearning. US-China Education Review, 789-795.

Koo, A. C. (2008). Factors affecting teachers' perceived readiness for online collaborative learning: A case study in Malaysia. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 11(1), 266-278. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/jeductechsoci.11.1.266

Mailizar, Almanthari, Maulina, S., & Bruce, S. (2020). Secondary School Mathematics Teachers’ Views on E-learning Implementation Barriers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Indonesia. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(7), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8240

Zembylas, M., Theodorou, M., & Pavlakis, A. (2008). The role of emotions in the experience of online learning: challenges and opportunities. Educational Media International, 45(2), 107-117. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523980802107237