Investigating the acceptance of distance learning amongst Omani students: a case study from Oman
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-02-2021-0021 |
| Published date | 19 July 2021 |
| Date | 19 July 2021 |
| Pages | 529-545 |
| Author | Abdul Hakim Hassan Mustafa Mohamed,Fadi Abdel Muniem Abdel Fattah,Mohamed Izzeldin AbdelRahman Bashir,Maia Alhajri,Akbar Khanan,Zaheer Abbas |
Investigating the acceptance of
distance learning amongst Omani
students: a case study from Oman
Abdul Hakim Hassan Mustafa Mohamed
Department of Management Information System,
A’Sharqiyah University, Ibra, Oman
Fadi Abdel Muniem Abdel Fattah
Department of Management, A’Sharqiyah University,
Ibra, Oman
Mohamed Izzeldin AbdelRahman Bashir
Department of Management Information System,
A’Sharqiyah University, Ibra, Oman
Maia Alhajri and Akbar Khanan
Mis, A’Sharqiyah University, Ibra, Oman, and
Zaheer Abbas
Department of Statistics, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan
Abstract
Purpose –In the COVID-19 pandemic, students were subjected to high pressure when they were
forced to move to distance learning in a lockdown environment. Such a drastic move for communities
living in groups with solid relationship ties comes at a price. This study aims to investigate the
acceptance of distance learning amongst Omani higher education institutions (HEI) students during
COVID-19 lockdown.
Design/methodology/approach –This is a quantitativeresearch based on an online survey designed to
study participants’acceptanceof distance learning during COVID-19lockdown.
Findings –A sample of 757 Omani students was selected, of which 81.2% were female. About 60% of
the students’Agelies15–20 years. The highest percentage (38.8%) of students belongs to the College of
Arts and Humanities. A total of 80% of the students reported a moderate level of information
technology skills, and also more than 80% of the students had never attended eLearning calls. Most of
the students affirm the eLearning acceptance (students’willingness to use eLearning tools for the tasks
they are designed for), eLearning usefulness (using eLearning would enhance students’performance),
eLearning ease of use (the degree to which a student believes that using eLearni ng tools are free from
effort), learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness (student’s satisfaction and
the benefits student will gain from learningvia online platforms). Multiple regression analysis confirms
that more than 81% of the variation in the eLearning acceptance was explained by eLearning
usefulness, eLearning ease of use, learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness
independent variables. Moreover, these independent predictors havea positive association with
eLearning acceptance.
This research was funded and supported by A’Sharqiyah University. The authors would like to
thank everyone who contributed to the completion of this research.
Case study
from Oman
529
Received8 February 2021
Revised28 April 2021
Accepted20 May 2021
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.71 No. 6/7, 2022
pp. 529-545
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-02-2021-0021
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2514-9342.htm
Originality/value –This research intends to fill the gap in Omani HEI students’acceptance of distance
learningduring the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords Culture, Anxiety, Oman, Distance learning, eLearning, Higher education, COVID-19,
Remote learning, eLearning acceptance, Learning and teaching, Acceptance, Students
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The emergence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in late 2019 and its associated impact on
people and the high risk ofthe virus transmission mode forced the entire educationsector to
rethink how education is served. Many institutions in Oman opted to temporarily postpone
the education deliverywhile others opted to move to distance learning as a substitute.
In Oman, his highness Sultan Haithamformed a supreme committee to steer the country
during the COVID-19 pandemic (Al Shekaili and Karim, 2020). The supreme committee in
mid-March 2020 announced that there would be no face-to-face education, and all schools,
colleges and higher educationinstitutions (HEI) will be closed for the foreseeable future.
Oman’s culture derives from its Islamic and Arab origins, which adheres to and
sanctifies as a guide to keep pace with all social life aspects. Citizens of Oman are
accustomed to communicating with their relatives and neighbors on an almost daily basis,
as the Islamic religion instructed them to do so due to its spiritual benefits such
as strengthening the feeling of brotherhood, friendliness, love and solidarity. This
communication revolves around participation in visits with relatives and friends,
participating in their social events and gathering to express their belonging and loyalty to
the group, which may require almost daily participation. This communication also
contributes to building a solid interdependent community capable of advancement and
prosperity. Even when performingreligious rituals such as prayer; Islam directs prayers to
draw close and consulate the ranks of the worshipers to performthe prayer side by side, as
an indication of the unity of the Ummah and its religious commitment (Al Shekaili and
Karim, 2020;Peterson, 2004). All these cultural and religious customs and traditions urge
constant communicationbetween members of Omani society, which, in turn, represented an
enormous challengetothe Omani Government in dealingwith the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oman’s supreme committee implemented many measures to safeguard communities by
ordering the closing down of the majority of busy and over-crowded areas where people are
likely to socialize and implement social distance practice, where all public gathering is
prohibited. All private gatherings were advised to be stopped, along with a set of precautions
that includes a complete lockdown of some cities and the curfew du ring the evening hours for
several weeks to limit the possible impact of the virus. Although this lockdown procedure has
not been implemented before in Oman history, Omani society respected all the supreme
committee decisions in the interest of the citizens and their well-being.
All these precautions affected the way Omani citizens used to interact and socialize.
Social distancing affectedthe people psychologically in terms of their inability to share their
happy occasions, condolences and usual gathering with community members as they used
to. With this sudden change in social norms of communication and the loneliness due to
COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine measures, some community members suffered from
mental health including depressionand anxiety. In contrast, others increased their fear and
tension with rumors and epidemic news posted on various social media platforms, which
they are using to communicatewith their loved ones (Sood, 2020).
The student from most educational levels suffered from psychological stress due to the
sudden change in the learning delivery method from traditional to distance learning. Adopting
GKMC
71,6/7
530
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