Learning challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic: Virtual modality in high school and higher education

Abstract

The radical change from the modality of face-to-face education to a virtual one, which teachers and students faced due to the pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, forced the continuation of the teaching-learning process through platforms and technological tools. This caused a series of challenges for students because although it is considered that young people currently have the knowledge and skills to use them, the truth is that they faced difficulties that limited their learning. Given this situation, this paper aims to identify the main challenges faced by the students of the Xico High School, located in the state of Veracruz, to learn with the virtual education modality. To this end, a study was carried out with a qualitative approach. For the selection of the sample, a non-probabilistic sampling technique was employed, using the voluntary type, which was made up of 103 students from the second semester of high school. To gather information about the learning challenges, a Likert survey was designed and applied during the month of June, 2022. The results indicate that the main learning challenges that students faced are: inadequate time management to carry out their school activities, lack of connectivity and economic support, having limited digital skills and lack of language abilities, such as verbal comprehension.