Reflections of university students' experience under the online learning approach: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Background:  The pandemic has reshaped the lives of everyone, including the way learning is delivered. Online learning in Physical Education (OLPE) is a form of distance learning where fundamental concepts of physical fitness are conducted remotely through the aid of technology.

Objectives:  The study aimed to explore students' lived experiences in OLPE through the reflective narratives and photos generated from digital diary entries they made every other day for three weeks. The specific objective includes describing the students' feelings, processes, and realizations.

Methodology:  Eight health professions students participated in this hermeneutic phenomenological study. The reflective accounts were analyzed following the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach and revealed super-ordinate themes clustered into three categories: feelings, processes, and realizations.

Results:  The first category is feelings evoked with super-ordinate themes, namely optimism with the course, appreciation of the teachers' attitude, empathy towards others, and desperation for a better set-up. The second category is processes experienced with super-ordinate themes, namely self-directed learning, awareness of the body, and dealing with heavy academic requirements. The third category is realizations with super-ordinate themes, namely experience of OLPE was a rollercoaster ride of successes and challenges, an experience that led to desires for improving self and the course, and finally, an opportunity for reflective learning.

Conclusion:  Reflective accounts of feelings, processes, and realizations as students experience the sudden shift to OLPE are crucial in improving curricular policies and instructional designs for achieving quality outcomes.