Suspension without suspension: How effective is home study
Editor's note
In order to prevent the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic to schools and ensure the health of hundreds of millions of teachers and students, the Ministry of Education requires primary and secondary schools to “suspend classes without stopping” during the extended school period. In order to comprehensively understand the basics of home study and online learning for elementary and middle school students, the China Education Policy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University targets the online learning situation of primary, junior high and high school students in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) and the satisfaction of online learning And software and hardware conditions were investigated. A total of 77,939 valid questionnaires were collected, of which 54,387 were primary school students (69.8%), 19,022 were junior high school students (24.4%), and 4,530 were high school students (5.8%). On this basis, the research team also put forward countermeasures and suggestions on how to “not drop” online education.
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the spring semester nationwide was postponed this year. Primary and secondary schools “suspended classes without stopping”. The majority of students gathered in the “cloud” to study under the organization and guidance of schools and teachers. Can this home study and online teaching method be accepted by students and how effective is it? The learning place is transferred from school to family. Home study is completely different from the learning activities in the school classroom teaching environment. What are the factors that affect the student's home study effect? The research team conducted in-depth investigations on the recognition and satisfaction of home and online learning, hardware conditions, learning content and planning arrangements, teacher and parent responsibilities, and student consciousness and self-discipline.
1. The overall satisfaction of home and elementary school students is high
The vast majority of students recognize online learning methods and learning effects. 77.3% of students think that online learning is a good way when they can't go to school. 72.9% of students are satisfied or very satisfied with the online learning method at home. Regarding the effect of studying at home, nearly 70% (69.4%) of the students felt "very satisfied" and "satisfied", and only 2.9% of the students held a "very dissatisfied" attitude. It can be seen that during the epidemic prevention and control, home study methods have been recognized and supported by most students. From the perspective of group distribution, students in Beijing (83.4%) and Shandong (83.2%) are more satisfied with e-learning. Township and rural students (72.7%), students with lower grades (67.8%), and private school students (65.4%). ), Senior high school students (62.2%), and students with poor family conditions (55.7%) decreased their satisfaction with online learning.
Satisfaction of students in different semesters on online learning is different, but the overall difference is not large. Regarding the satisfaction of online learning, the average scores of elementary school students, junior high school students, and high school students were 2.27, 2.14, and 2.34 (out of 4). The following data all use the same standards. The average satisfaction score of high school students is higher than that of junior high school students and elementary school students, and junior high school students have the lowest scores. This is mainly related to the more complete personality growth of high school students and more active learning consciousness. Junior high school students are mostly in a rebellious period, and their enthusiasm for learning is lower than that of high school students. Primary school students are curious about online learning methods, resulting in slightly higher satisfaction than junior high school students. .
Primary and secondary school students in different urban and rural schools have different satisfaction with online learning, but the overall difference is not large. The survey shows that the satisfaction of students living in cities, counties, towns, and rural areas on the Internet is 2.25, 2.18, 2.26, and 2.23, indicating that the satisfaction of students living in cities and towns is slightly higher than that of students in county and rural areas. Satisfaction is lower than that in the rural areas, but it is worthy of attention. It may indicate that rural students have a higher desire for learning than students in counties.
There is a certain correlation between student achievement ranking and online learning satisfaction. The data analysis shows that the students with excellent, good, middle, and under secondary satisfaction with online learning are 2.19, 2.24, 2.26, and 2.35 in order. It can be seen that students with middle and lower grades have higher satisfaction with online learning, and those with outstanding grades have the lowest satisfaction. This may be because students with a middle grade or below prefer autonomous and informal online learning, and are more inclined to get rid of the mandatory requirements of school education. Students with high grades may have higher requirements for themselves, making online learning difficult to meet their own Actual demand leads to lower satisfaction.
2. Learning resources have the greatest impact on homeschooling effectiveness
The vast majority of students expressed satisfaction with the content of the study, the length of study, and the burden of study. The survey showed that 69.4% of students expressed satisfaction with the overall learning effect during home study. Specifically, 84.2% and 83.8% of students think that the content arrangement and duration of online learning are reasonable; 83.5% of the students are satisfied with the content and curriculum during home study, 77.9% of the students are satisfied with the learning burden, and 77.3% of the students are satisfied Learning conditions and resources are satisfactory. 76.1% of students are satisfied with the learning plan and arrangement, and 72.8% of students are satisfied with the learning methods and methods. As far as the arrangement of learning content is concerned, students think that the top three ideal learning contents are, in order, the spread of epidemic prevention knowledge and health education, cultural courses, life education, and mental health education. This shows that, in addition to studying cultural lessons, in the context of special epidemic prevention and control, primary and secondary schools have paid more attention to health education and epidemic prevention knowledge education.
Students' satisfaction with the four factors that affect the effect of home study, such as the curriculum, learning resources, learning platform, and home-school support, is high. Among them, learning resources have the greatest impact on learning results, followed by curriculum settings, platform use, and home-school support. In terms of curriculum setting, 84.2% of students believe that the content arrangement of online learning is more reasonable and can meet their own needs. It can be seen that the overwhelming majority of students are satisfied with the curriculum and other elements, and have a good response to the development of online teaching. In terms of learning resources, 11.4% of students are "very satisfied" with home study conditions and resources, and 66.0% of students choose "satisfactory" It can be seen that nearly 80% of the students think that the provision of learning resources is good; in terms of platform use, 83.2% of students think that the learning platform provided by the school can meet the learning needs. During the epidemic, “suspending classes and stopping school” builds a foundation; in terms of home school support, 85.6% of students believe that parents provide counselling and help during their online learning process, and it can be inferred that parents have supported the Internet, curriculum reminders, and logistical support. It can be seen that the family support role of most students is relatively obvious and effective. In terms of teacher support, more than 90% of students report that teachers provide technical guidance for online learning and help choose online learning content in this process. Non-face-to-face classroom teaching, but teachers are learning The importance of e-learning is still not be ignored.
Among the four factors that affect the student's home learning effect, students' satisfaction with home-school support is the highest, and their satisfaction with learning resources is the lowest. It can be seen that during the student's home study, the role of family support, supervision and guarantee and teacher's guidance and support is very effective. During the epidemic, the main place of study for students was in the family. Parents promptly urged their children to study and provide effective after-school tutoring. Teachers remotely guided students to choose courses, implement teaching, answer questions and doubts, and shared the work of home and school to jointly complete the important tasks of online learning. Although nearly 80% of the students think that the provision of learning resources is good, the students 'satisfaction with the learning resources is the lowest. This seemingly contradictory evaluation also shows that due to the lack of accumulation of online learning resources in schools, teachers' insufficient development of learning resources and insufficient supplies, Cannot meet the diverse needs of students for learning resources.
Learning resources have the highest correlation with students' online learning satisfaction. The analysis results show that curriculum settings, learning resources, platform use, and home-school support are significantly related to online learning satisfaction. Among them, the correlation between learning resources and students' online learning satisfaction is the highest, indicating that the more satisfied students are with learning resources, the more satisfied they are with online learning as a whole; the relevance of curriculum settings is second only to learning resources. More attention is paid to methods, duration, etc. Students are the main subject of teaching, and they have deeper feelings about the implementation of the curriculum. Curriculum setting is also an important influencing factor. The relevance of home-school support is slightly lower. It can be seen that students are more concerned about the curriculum and online education. Teaching and home-school support are external support factors. From the perspective of regression analysis, this judgment is also supported. Among the four significantly related factors, the standardized regression coefficient of learning resources is the highest, curriculum settings and platform use are second, and home-school support is the lowest.
3. What are the effects of primary and secondary school students' home study?
From the survey, it is known that primary and secondary school students recognize the implementation of home-based online learning during the postponed start of school, and most students are satisfied with the learning effect. Comprehensive analysis, to ensure the effect of primary and secondary school students' home study, we must attach great importance to the following five issues.
The network learning environment is an objective condition that affects students' home study results. During the postponed start of the school, the student's learning activities returned from school to home, the teaching activities of teachers and students changed from time and space to time and space, and the physical environment of students' learning changed significantly. On the one hand, an unblocked network and suitable e-learning terminals have become the basic conditions for students to study at home. The survey shows that the proportion of students who install the Internet at home and have mobile phones or other electronic devices that can be used for e-learning is 89.6% and 96.4%, respectively. From the perspective of group distribution, the proportion of students in relatively developed areas such as Beijing, Shandong, and Chongqing is higher. The proportions of students with large and medium cities with Internet and e-learning equipment are 93.2% and 97.4%, but the proportion of rural students It is 81.9% and 91.3%. On the other hand, the adaptability to the online learning environment has become another important factor that affects students' home study results. The survey shows that only 53% of students think they are more suitable for online learning, and 47% of students think they are not suitable for home learning. And online learning methods, 45% of students feel anxious because they want to study online at home, and 48.1% of students think parents are also anxious because of their online learning arrangements. During the learning process, students generally reported that problems such as unskilled operation, too messy learning resources, network breakdown, and poor learning environment affected the overall learning effect.
Consciousness and self-discipline are subjective factors that affect students' home study results. Self-awareness and self-discipline are important psychological qualities of students and are important signs of self-management ability. 37.1% of students were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their consciousness and self-discipline during their home study. Students study at home. Teachers and students organize teaching through virtual online learning spaces. Unlike the physical learning spaces of classrooms in school education, teachers 'ability to directly control students' learning activities is weakened.
Curriculum content is an educational factor that affects students' home study results. In order to understand the needs of students for online learning content, the survey guides students to sort out epidemic protection education, cultural curriculum learning, life education, patriotism education, and art education according to importance. Survey data shows that epidemic protection education and culture The course selection ranks in the top two. It can be seen that during the epidemic prevention and control period, students' home study focuses on health education and cultural knowledge. 79.9% of students think that home study time is mainly used for cultural subjects (foreign language, etc.), but at the same time 73.8% of students think that home study should arrange more practical courses.
Teachers 'teaching method is a teaching factor that affects students' home learning effect. The survey showed that curriculum setting, learning resources, platform use, and home-school support are all significantly related to students' online learning satisfaction. Among them, the correlation coefficient between learning resources and online learning satisfaction is the highest. Today's elementary and middle school students are no longer satisfied with the learning of the textbook knowledge themselves, they urgently need teachers to provide rich learning materials; they are no longer satisfied with teachers' simple lecture-based teaching, and need more independent learning under the guidance of teachers. To adapt to the characteristics of students' home study, primary and secondary school teachers should speed up the adjustment of the relationship between teaching and learning, change the role of teachers, and change from teaching-oriented to helping students guide autonomous learning.
Home-school co-education is a key factor influencing students' home study results. At home, students need the support of both home and school. The survey shows that in online learning, students think that teachers and parents give the most help. 93.5% and 93.9% of students think that teachers provide technical and content guidance for online learning, and 94.1% of students feel that they have fulfilled their responsibilities. Satisfied or very satisfied. In terms of parental role, 72.9% of students think that they need parental assistance when studying online. 85.6% of the students are satisfied or very satisfied with the counseling and help provided by their parents. Compared with dad (78.1%), students Satisfaction with mothers (88.9%) was relatively higher. This shows that parents 'enthusiasm for participating in student's home study should be further improved, and parents' family education level should be improved.
4.Countermeasures and suggestions to improve the learning effect of primary and middle school students at home
During the postponed start of school, primary and secondary schools are “closed and non-stop”, and the learning life of primary and secondary students is completely transferred from the school as a specialized educational institution to a new life-centered learning environment at home. Major issues of common concern with the family. The research team proposes the following suggestions on how to further improve the effect of home study:
To ensure the fairness of student learning conditions in the network environment. Having a basic online learning environment is not only a basic condition for students to study at home, but also a basic prerequisite to ensure fair education in the Internet era. To improve the online learning environment and conditions, to solve the problem of some families without the Internet, mobile phones or electronic devices equipped with online learning, to ensure the normal operation of the network, primary and secondary schools should strengthen system training and technical services to help teachers and students adapt to online learning methods .
Change the practice of focusing on textbooks and educating people. Regarding the current difficulties and challenges faced by students at home, many teachers and principals report that today's children can't control themselves, they don't sleep at night, can't afford mornings, and can't sit still while studying; What really opens the gap is not IQ, but the 14 words of procrastination, movement, reading, persistence, self-discipline, efficiency, and seriousness. " Primary and secondary education should effectively change the situation of "heavy textbooks and educating people". It is recommended that teachers, parents, and students negotiate and arrange students' "one-day learning plans" to guide students to strengthen time management, develop good study habits, and improve students. Self-discipline of learning forms the concept of lifelong learning.
Change the practice of emphasizing cultural examination subjects rather than moral education. Due to the emphasis on the test orientation of primary and secondary education in China, the focus of the entire curriculum is organized around subjects for further examinations. Attaching importance to the teaching of cultural courses for further studies, ignoring courses such as moral education, physical education, aesthetic education, and labor education that are not related to the examination; ignoring the practical teaching of cultural subjects. For example, in many schools, the phenomenon of science education not paying attention to experiments is still widespread. In essence, this practice cuts off the relationship between knowledge and practice and is extremely detrimental to the generation of students' wisdom. During the epidemic, students' home study provides an opportunity to strengthen the study of practical courses. It is necessary to balance cultural courses and practical courses, strengthen practical courses such as German, American, and physical labor, and effectively strengthen labor education and reading courses. Japanese family labor list system, comprehensive parent-child reading activities, etc.
Change the teachers' emphasis on teaching lessons to students. Affected by the view of knowledge-based teaching oriented to further education, China's elementary and middle school teaching has for a long time formed a syllabus (exam outline) and a syllabus (textbook). Its outstanding performance is: Organizing teaching around textbooks and teaching aids. The main object of student learning activities is textbooks and teaching aids, which leads to single and lack of challenging raw materials for students 'thinking processing. It is difficult to guide students' learning activities from shallow learning. To deep learning. The biggest feature of students studying at home is that they have increased autonomy in learning and increased autonomy in learning schedules. Teachers should appropriately reduce the time for online lectures and devote more time to mobilizing students' enthusiasm for learning and organizing effective learning for students. To adapt to home-based learning, the role of teachers will change significantly. To be a guide for student learning, design a "learning activity instruction sheet" to guide students to clarify learning goals, learning content, and learning methods. To be a supplier of student learning resources, provide students with a list of learning resources, including textbook content and expanded content. Be a designer of student learning activities and provide a framework for learning support. Be an organizer of student learning activities and organize student exchanges and interactions. To be an advanced bridge for students 'thinking activities, to design thinking activity charts for students, and to promote the visualization of students' thinking.
Change the practice of focusing on school education and less on home education. Students study at home, and the family and school have become equal partners in educating people. Co-education is a reliable guarantee for students to study at home. "Closing classes without stopping school". Another revelation of students' home study is that home-school cooperative education has great potential. The whole society must strive to change the past practice of attaching importance to school education and neglecting family education. Elementary and middle schools should be problem-oriented, focus on the family education problems faced by students at home, conduct family education lectures, and especially improve the quality and level of family education through sharing of parenting experience. To harmonize parent-child relationships, parents create conditions for parent-child communication by creating good family relationships and create a good home learning environment. Establish a home-school management community to allow parents and teachers to become equal managers, and to participate in the evaluation and management of children's home learning in an orderly manner according to the division of responsibilities, including creating a good home-based learning environment and guiding children to make day-to-day reflection and day planning , Be a good teacher "assistant administrator" and so on. Be an example of children's life and learning. Parents are not only the managers of students' home study, but also their children's home study partners. They must set an example, such as getting up on time, working and rest, using mobile phones and computers reasonably, summing up and reflecting on the day plan, taking the lead in exercise, reading, and participating Housework, etc. In this process, parents should learn to discuss with their children and give them more respect.
(Author: China Institute for Educational Policy Research Group Beijing Normal University, a member of the research group: King of Lei, Zhang Zhiyong)