Achievement Emotions and Barriers to Online Learning of University Students During the COVID-19 Time

Abstract

By definition, achievement emotions are emotions that are important and strongly linked with achievement activities or achievement outcomes. Researches have proved that achievement emotions are very important in the learning process of university students as they can affect learning performances, especially in the context of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic where students may encounter many barriers to learning in the virtual environment. In this study, an adapted version of the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire by Pekrun (2002) is used for the purpose of examining three positive achievement emotions, including enjoyment, hope, pride, and five negative achievement emotions including anger, anxiety, shame, hopelessness, and boredom. Students’ emotional experiences are studied in online learning-related situations. Students’ emotions are also examined in relation to four groups of barriers to learning in the virtual environment. The study involved the participation of 112 students who were currently joining online courses through the M-learning system at the time the survey was conducted. The results reveal that students experience barriers to online learning using the M-learning system at a low level in comparison with a high level of positive emotions and a medium level of negative emotions. From the results, some educational implications are drawn to minimize learners’ negative emotions and help them overcome the barriers they encounter when studying online.