Measuring the Impact of the Pandemic on Female and Male Students’ Learning in a Society in Transition: A Must for Sustainable Education

Maura A. E. Pilotti, Omar J. El-Moussa and Hanadi M. Abdelsalam
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Maura A. E. Pilotti: College of Sciences and Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia
Omar J. El-Moussa: Department of Student Affairs, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Dhahran 31952, Saudi Arabia
Hanadi M. Abdelsalam: College of Sciences and Human Studies, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: A sustainable education amid a disruptive event (e.g., a pandemic) requires the objective assessment of learning before and during the event and, if necessary, evidence-driven solutions in response to deficiencies. The present action research study illustrates an evidence-based response of educators to the widespread concerns that learning in college students, accustomed to face-to-face courses, might have been damaged during the pandemic by the switch to the online mode. It focuses on general education (GE) courses as they usually enroll students at the beginning of their journey in higher education, and thus, a population that is likely to be particularly sensitive to unforeseen changes. Pass/fail grades in courses taught face-to-face and online synchronously by the same instructors were examined. It was hypothesized that if the switch from face-to-face to online instruction changed the students’ approaches to learning, course performance would differ between the instructional modes. Differences in female and male students’ adaptation responses were expected to be reflected in their course performance. The study found that female students performed better online than face-to-face in Arabic Culture, Natural Science, Math, and Wellness courses. Male students also performed better online in Math and Natural Science courses, whereas they exhibited better performance face-to-face in Arabic Culture, Wellness, and Professional Competency courses. It was concluded that basic indices of uneven performance can guide further analyses into the sources of female and male students’ approaches to instructional modes.

Keywords: online learning; sustainable education; gender; general education; action research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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