Event Title
An Exploratory Study of Ethnic Minority Students' Experiences in Remote Learning Spaces
Start Date
28-6-2021 9:15 AM
End Date
28-6-2021 10:00 AM
Topic
Stress and Adapting to New Technology
Session Chair
Masahiro Yamamoto
Abstract
The closing of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic emanated a quick switch to remote learning (Gewin, 2020). The pandemic-induced online learning laid bare the gaping and persistent inequities in educational opportunities for Low Socioeconomic Minority Students (Gould & Wilson, 2020; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019). Online learning has since gained prominence, and there appears to be no end in sight of that prominence in education. While some studies ((Biancarosa &Griffiths, 2012) have suggested that access to technology is being narrowed, serious gaps remain in students' ability to use technology in sophisticated ways. At the core of this inequality is Racial/economic disparities. Racial/economic disparities manifest in inequitable access to technology and the accompanying lack of skills by Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) minority students in using them for learning. These students face numerous challenges; technical issues, distractions, time management issues, motivation challenges, issues with understanding course expectations, lack of in-person interaction, and challenges in adapting to unfamiliar technology. To understand the experiences of Low Socioeconomic Status minority students in middle school remote learning spaces, the researcher interviewed two students who are New York City residents living in the Bronx for their narrative accounts on online learning. The students identified as Low Socioeconomic Status minority students; a boy, and a girl. The students were aged between 12-15 years and in middle school. The study was conducted in the Spring term of the 2020/2021 academic year. The researcher conducted ten semi-structured interviews and collected students' classroom artifacts for review. Findings revealed that students experienced inequitable access to technology and were unable to use educational technology tools optimally for online learning. This resulted in learner discomforts during online learning. Contributing to learner discomforts were challenges in navigating digital tools, absence of social collaboration, zoom fatigue, and home situation. However, the exhibition of teacher comforting behaviors mitigated the feeling of discomforts, and the exhibition of discomforting behaviors by teachers compounded learner discomforts.
Author Bio
I am graduate student at the University at Albany. My research interests focus on Ethnic Minorities literacy experiences, Digital Literacy and Identities, Instructional Technology integration, online learning, and student engagement.
Document Type
Extended Abstract
An Exploratory Study of Ethnic Minority Students' Experiences in Remote Learning Spaces
The closing of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic emanated a quick switch to remote learning (Gewin, 2020). The pandemic-induced online learning laid bare the gaping and persistent inequities in educational opportunities for Low Socioeconomic Minority Students (Gould & Wilson, 2020; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2019). Online learning has since gained prominence, and there appears to be no end in sight of that prominence in education. While some studies ((Biancarosa &Griffiths, 2012) have suggested that access to technology is being narrowed, serious gaps remain in students' ability to use technology in sophisticated ways. At the core of this inequality is Racial/economic disparities. Racial/economic disparities manifest in inequitable access to technology and the accompanying lack of skills by Low Socioeconomic Status (SES) minority students in using them for learning. These students face numerous challenges; technical issues, distractions, time management issues, motivation challenges, issues with understanding course expectations, lack of in-person interaction, and challenges in adapting to unfamiliar technology. To understand the experiences of Low Socioeconomic Status minority students in middle school remote learning spaces, the researcher interviewed two students who are New York City residents living in the Bronx for their narrative accounts on online learning. The students identified as Low Socioeconomic Status minority students; a boy, and a girl. The students were aged between 12-15 years and in middle school. The study was conducted in the Spring term of the 2020/2021 academic year. The researcher conducted ten semi-structured interviews and collected students' classroom artifacts for review. Findings revealed that students experienced inequitable access to technology and were unable to use educational technology tools optimally for online learning. This resulted in learner discomforts during online learning. Contributing to learner discomforts were challenges in navigating digital tools, absence of social collaboration, zoom fatigue, and home situation. However, the exhibition of teacher comforting behaviors mitigated the feeling of discomforts, and the exhibition of discomforting behaviors by teachers compounded learner discomforts.
Comments
The recording of this presentation ends at 1:33:02