Factors Affecting the Efficiency of Teaching Process in Higher Education in the Republic of Serbia during COVID-19

Valentin Kuleto, Milena P. Ilić, Nevenka Popović Šević, Marko Ranković, Dušan Stojaković and Milutin Dobrilović
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Valentin Kuleto: Information Technology School ITS-Belgrade, LINK Group Belgrade, Faculty of Contemporary Arts Belgrade, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milena P. Ilić: Information Technology School ITS-Belgrade, LINK Group Belgrade, Faculty of Contemporary Arts Belgrade, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Nevenka Popović Šević: Faculty of Contemporary Arts Belgrade, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Marko Ranković: Faculty of Information Technology and Engineering, University Union Nikola Tesla, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
Dušan Stojaković: Faculty of Contemporary Arts Belgrade, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milutin Dobrilović: Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-20

Abstract: From the moment the Republic of Serbia declared a state of emergency in the summer semester of 2019/2020, higher education institutions (HEIs) used various teaching models from Distance Learning Systems (DLS), online platforms and modern information and communication technologies (ICT), to sending materials via student e-mails and notifications via faculty portals. Using survey research as a method, the paper describes the experiences of teachers and associates at HEIs in Serbia (780 respondents) regarding the efficiency of provided education services. In this article, we used the method of content analysis and participatory observation, as well. We analysed the attitudes of teachers and associates apropos the efficiency of providing educational services through the work from home (WFH) model and distance learning (DL) and other models used in response to COVID-19 epidemiological measures in education. During the WFH setup, we looked for factors that affect educational efficiency. When it comes to the statistical technique, factor analysis was selected. Technology, managerial support, and work–home conflict are all expected to impact process efficiency, so these were the first criteria considered when selecting potential factors. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used as the extraction method, and the Varimax rotation method was also used. We discarded all factors with eigenvalues below one. Four factors caught our attention: School management support, Family–work conflict, Home infrastructure, and Technology choice. The results showed that F1 (School management support) is positively correlated to F2 (Family–work conflict) and efficiency and negatively correlated to F3 (Home infrastructure). Conversely, F2 is negatively correlated to F3 and positively correlated to efficiency. The F4 factor shows no significant correlations to other factors.

Keywords: distance learning systems (DLS); higher education institutions (HEI); work from home (WFH); human resource management (HRM); COVID-19; principal component analysis (PCA) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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