Exploring professional psychology master's degree students' experiences of emergency remote learning at a South African University during global health crisis.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) compelled the world to reassess and alter our ways of interacting across all facets of living, business and education, including our approach to higher education. To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, universities prohibited campus-based academic activity and initiated Emergency Remote Learning (ERL), requiring students to study online, which had varying effects on their learning. Previous studies focused on universities, staff, and students, but little is known about the experiences of professional psychology master’s degree students studying in an ERL context. This study explores the experiences of professional psychology master’s degree students using emergency remote learning during the COVID-19 epidemic. Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy was used to frame the study by exploring how the experiences of using ERL during the pandemic informed the students’ self-efficacy beliefs of their studying. Methodology This qualitative study employed a phenomenological research approach to explore the experiences of Emergency Remote Learning (ERL) of professional psychology master’s students at a South African university during COVID-19. The data were generated using semi structured individual interviews. Six purposively selected professional psychology master’s degree students were interviewed. These participants were obtained through snowball sampling at a university in KwaZulu-Natal. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The shift to ERL distinguished three major themes to examine how participants in my study experienced a time of unprecedented uncertainty while being pushed further into the digital world of teaching and learning without the experience of using the technology or navigating the new learning management systems. The participants persevered to finish a master’s degree and grappled to self-regulate their studying in the ERL context. Their wellbeing- physical, emotional, and psychological- was affected as they also tried to manage their work-life boundaries and understand the change in their living spaces and to the way they engaged with other students and lecturers. In terms of facilitators and barriers with regard to students engaging with their studies, three further themes were developed. The participants considered the cost of studying, how matters around space and technology affected their ability to focus on their work and the role that social support played in their academic experience. Implication of these findings The professional psychology master’s degree students’ experiences of studying at an organisation such as a university are complex and entangled in the way they made meaning of their studying using ERL in a global health crisis. They seemed to approach the ERL in a pragmatic way that focused on getting their studies done, despite the barriers they experienced in their unique set of circumstances. This study has implications for university management in setting emergency plans in place for teaching and learning when it is abruptly halted. Furthermore, to enable an efficient and supportive remote learning environment for postgraduate students.