Computer self-efficacy and perceptions of online learning during the covid-19 lockdown in Iran high schools

Abstract EN

The sudden shift to online teaching following the outbreak of COVID-19 has confronted English language learners with numerous challenges.

the students’ perceptions and practices in online learning envi-ronments might be influenced by their technology-oriented abilities to survive in the current educational pre-dicament.

the current study elucidated the 12th-grade high school students’ online learning experiences in a developing country during the global pandemic in light of their computer self-efficacy (CSE) level.

to this end, a total number of 110 students completed the computer self-efficacy scale.

the results indicated a mod-erate to low level of computer self-efficacy among the participants.

according to the obtained scores, they were divided into low-CSE and high-CSE groups and asked to ruminate over their online learning experiences during the pandemic by answering eight questions in the form of self-reflection essays.

the self-reflections of the two groups were separately analysed, and the recurrent themes were extracted.

the results revealed several commonalities and discrepancies between the low- and high- CSE students considering their distant learning experiences within the COVID-19 lockdown.

the findings provide pedagogical recommendations for enhanc-ing online learning efficiency among high school students.