Abstract:

The present study explores high-school students' experiences during emergency remote learning at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This study employs an interpretive/constructivist perspective to comprehend the complicated world of lived experience through the eyes of individuals who encounter it.

This study focuses on the following research questions:
RQ1: What were the emotional experiences of high-school students with the emergency remote teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic?;
RQ2: What was the nature of the high-school classroom climate that helped students succeed in the emergency remote learning environment during the COVID- 19 pandemic? and
RQ3: What were the perceived benefits for high school students in moving courses to the emergency remote teaching?

We used Gioia's methodology as a guide for conducting qualitative research. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the text of essays written by 34 high-school students describing their learning experiences during Covid-19.

Based on the thematic analysis, we identified the following themes:
(1) emotional roller coasters of high-school students,
(2) the nature of the high-school classroom climate that helped students to succeed in the remote learning environment, and
(3) students' perceived benefits pf emergency remote teaching.

The study shows that the students experienced a bundle of positive and negative emotions during the emergency remote teaching/learning. Students experienced a relatively high level of positive emotions (e.g., joy, happiness) directly after transitioning to the new, remote learning environment. However, this initially positive feeling of enjoyment declined after a few weeks when they needed to show the ability to cope with the remote learning environment, increased workload, and new assessment practices. At the end of the school year, negative emotions were replaced by positive feelings of enjoyment, fulfillment, and happiness. When reflecting on the classroom climate, three subthemes emerged from data: teacher support, peer support, course structure. All participants expressed the importance of the relationship between teachers and individual students (i.e., dyadic student-teacher relationships) to their engagement with online learning activities and educational success. The participants pointed out how valuable it was for them to be able to turn to each other for support and have the opportunity for collaboration when they were working on their homework assignments. In terms of course structure, participants' narratives uncovered that emergency remote learning was 'hard work". However, the participants voiced the opinion that the well-structured courses provided a clear picture of the responsibilities and duties that they were expected to perform. Participants acknowledged several benefits resulting from emergency remote teaching that are categorized into two groups - educational benefits and self-development benefits. In terms of educational benefits, participants highlighted the possibility of unlimited access and retrieval of learning materials at any time from an online learning platform, the opportunity to gain experience in the online learning environment, and the chance to develop the digital skills needed for the future education and career. Our results have implications for pedagogical practices in the event of the emergent shift from in-class to remote learning environments.

Keywords:

Covid-19, remote learning, student experience.