Acknowledgements

There are an amount of people whom the researcher would like to acknowledge and thank for their
involvement in this Community and Family Studies Independent Research Project (IRP), who have all made an
immense impact to allow this project to happen.

First, the researcher would like to acknowledge and thank their Community and Family Studies teacher, Mrs. D
Baldi who offered endless support, guidance, assistance and advice throughout the whole process of the
assignment to its completion. She generously gave her time in reading through drafts throughout the entirety
of the project for the researcher and their class, and located aspects, guidance and feedback for improvement
and assisted the researcher onto the right path. She continuously offered their time, effort and support into
teaching the researcher and other peers to create Literature Reviews, Graphs on Excel, Bibliographies etc. as
well as providing previous IRP examples for a reference on prior grades who have completed it already.

The researcher would like to thank Mrs R.Smith who teaches the other CAFS class, for offering her support,
advice and guidance on drafts. She has also spent her time to help students in giving feedback and provided
her input for the project.

Next, the researcher would like to acknowledge and thank the 50 HSC students/participants who contributed
to the questionnaire. They took time out of their day to complete the questionnaires where their results
ultimately shaped the whole project and assisted greatly.

The researcher would like to acknowledge the participants for the interviews who are, Emily Luc and Eugene
Quach. The researcher is thankful for the interviewees who agreed to let the researcher interview them with
patience and generosity to disclose their personal experiences and thoughts for the topic.

To add to that, the researcher would like to thank and acknowledge the peers within the CAFS class who
offered support and advice as well as sharing guidance to help lead one another on the right track.

Finally, this Independent Research Project would not have been able to be at its completed stage without
teachers, participants, interviewees and peers. The researcher is extremely grateful and appreciative of the
immense help and support offered by these people.

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Abstract

The topic for the researcher’s Independent Research Project (IRP), concentrates on whether the use of online
learning has any effect on the wellbeing and ability to learn of an HSC student, and whether it will be positive
or negative. The aim of this project is to gather data, different viewpoints and responses to enable the
research, analysis and result of the research question, “Does online learning have an impact on an HSC
individual’s wellbeing and ability to learn?” Online learning platforms/resources such as Google Classroom,
Google Drive, Zoom, Microsoft Teams etc. have had a drastic affect within schools as it is continuously utilised
and rapidly expands with new members everyday. The evolving transition and use of online learning
technologies provide students with renewed views of traditional face-to-face learning. The purpose of this
research is to prove or disprove the hypothesis, “Online learning impacts HSC negatively on their emotional
health and ability to learn,” as well as gather information on how HSC students cope with online learning and if
it negatively or perhaps, positively impacts a student undergoing the HSC.

There are various research methodologies employed by the researcher, to gather and collect information on
the research topic involving, primary/secondary data and qualitative/quantitative data, as well as,
questionnaires, interviews and literature reviews. The questionnaires were given out to 50 HSC students in a
stratified sample from several schools within the Western Sydney region, where the researcher offered a
series of questions in relation to their personal opinions and experiences from online learning. The researcher
considered a range of questions comprising of open-ended and closed questions such as, to easily obtain both
qualitative and quantitative data and responses. The researcher also considered ethical behaviours in the
creation of the questionnaire to maintain respect, integrity, privacy and bias, as it ensures participants aren’t
uncomfortable, disrespected and not forced into their contribution to the questionnaire. In order to gain
further knowledge and results for primary research, three interviews were conducted by the researcher. The
participants/interviewees for the interviews are all HSC students who are the target research audience for this
project. The results gathered from the interview allows personal insights and how they feel providing primary
and first hand data for the research topic. The last methodology utilised by the researcher for this Independent
Research Project, is Literature Reviews which is a secondary data method. Literature reviews offers the
researcher guidance in finding common trends and statistics prevalent between the existing secondary
information.

The sources of data utilised involve, individuals and digital. The individuals are the peers and students of the
interviews and questionnaires, where they provide personal information and insights, enabling a first-hand
response for the research. Digital sources of data comprise of the use of internet to locate online articles,
statistics and videos in relation to the topic of research.

The finished stage of the Independent Research Project (IRP), displayed the researcher’s process of gathering
primary and secondary data/research, which had an extreme contribution to the topic of online learning and
whether it impacts an HSC individual positively or negatively, in relation to their wellbeing and study. It
conveys the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of online learning within current educational society.

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Introduction
Within our society, the traditional classroom has remained to be the main type of educational system taken
place in schools. However, the advancements of technology has allowed online learning (e-Learning), to
commence and become a prominent feature within education. Online learning (e-Learning), is referred to the
education that occurs over the internet and is viewed as the “future of education”.

As the researcher, the decision of the selected topic for this Independent Research Project, was of great
interest due to the highly relevant discussion of online learning and technology. It is a common statistic and
topic debated within the technological advancing society and relates massively to students worldwide. Given
the recent circumstances, schools have been more reliant on online learning and technology which enables a
more recent and personal perception of the topic which then offers more data and research. As it is a more
widely discussed topic as well as the researcher heavily relating to it, it prompted the selection of this topic.
The researcher desires to figure out a specific outcome and gain a more enhanced understanding of how this
topic shaped similar or perhaps different insights.

The topic of discussion is surrounding Technology and relates to the research topics of Individuals and
Resource Management. The research question being, “Does online learning have an impact on an HSC
individual’s wellbeing and ability to learn?” and the hypothesis aimed to be proven is, “Online learning impacts
HSC students negatively on their emotional health.” The hypothesis is intended to prove that online learning
does have a negative impact on one’s ability to learn as well as their health. As society evolves and technology
advances, online learning has become a large aspect in how students and teachers share resources and
documents. Although it may seem to be effective, the researcher however believes that it causes the lack of
motivation as well as a negative mindset towards schooling. Without the discipline and deadlines given during
school such as bell times, periods etc. it develops an unhealthy mindset of school being a “choice.” Online
learning plays an essential role in one’s education, more specifically, HSC students. HSC students are the target
research audience for this Independent Research Task, as they are more effected by the transition to an online
environment during their HSC journey. It allows the researcher to evaluate how the target research audience
feels about the rising use of online learning and distinct insights which allow the comparisons of which
environment will enhance an HSC student’s performance within school as well as emotionally.

The relation of this Independent Research Task to Community and Family Studies involves, the entirety of
“Resource Management” displayed the fundamental concepts comprising of, Social, Physical, Emotional,
Economic, Cultural and Spiritual factors affecting wellbeing. The “Research Methodology” booklet revolves
around the process of building an Independent Research Project (IRP), which played a significant role in
proving the hypothesis and providing results to the research question. HSC Core 2 Groups in Context has been
employed for youth within Specific Groups Within the Community where the research question targets youth
(HSC students). It also relates to the preliminary core, “Individuals and Groups,” where different schools may
have unique online learning techniques which has different influences on the target research audience. The
relation to Community and Family Studies involves a wide variety of modules and cores which all assisted in
the completion of this IRP project.

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Methodologies

A methodology is the various types of methods/procedures in gathering data and research for a particular
topic/study. Methodologies are vital in research to collect information through the use of distinct types of data
involving primary/secondary and quantitative/qualitative. It allows the reader to critically evaluate a study’s
overall validity and reliability. Primary data differs from secondary data as it is the collection of first-hand data
involving observations, questionnaires and interviews. Comparatively, secondary data is the collection of data
and research carried out by other people, hence, second-hand information. These involve literature reviews,
case studies etc. Both primary and secondary data aims to utilise different sources in order to provide a range
of information. Quantitative data is the research involving the results measured in numerical forms which
include, structured interviews and questionnaires. On the other hand, qualitative data is the research and
collection of non-numerical data which contains a more in-depth response, including interviews, observations,
questionnaires, etc. There are many types of methodologies in which assist specific types of research topics,
for example, if the researcher is researching an individual’s behaviour, it would be effective to utilise
observations as a methodology to greatly enhance results. The accuracy and effectiveness of results come
from the different methodologies undertaken to support the research topic and is significantly important to
consider primary/secondary and quantitative/qualitative data when doing so.

Questionnaires
The research methodology, Questionnaire is the form of a survey that consists of a series of questions. They
are utilised to gather information from participants about their thoughts, attitudes, opinions and aspects of
behaviour. The main purpose is to gain quantitative data, but can also collect qualitative data. Questionnaires
are an aspect of primary data and can be taken through different types of sampling methods. These sampling
methods involve, stratified, random, clustered, systematic, etc. The researcher uses different methods of
sampling in order to distribute the questionnaires for the benefit of the research task. For example, if the
researcher is interested in a particular target audience such as senior students, the sampling method would be
stratified in order to enhance the results and efficiency. All methodologies come with its advantages and
disadvantages. Questionnaires are easily accessed and provides new insights, but on the other hand,
participants are more prone to provide shallow answers or not take it seriously which then affects the
reliability and validity of the answers. As the researcher, questionnaires will be the main source of collecting
data from the targeted audience which in this case are HSC students. Ethical behaviour involving bias, integrity,
respect and privacy will be considered within the questionnaires to ensure the moral principles and standards
are provided for both the researcher and participant. The types of questions asked will consist of various open
and closed questions to provide a diverse range of answers to further enhance the results for the researcher.
The selection of open-ended and closed questions allowed respondents to feel respected when partaking in
the questionnaire as well as receiving both detailed and numerical data.

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To gather the information from participants through questionnaires, Google Forms will be utilised to ensure an
effective method of spreading across many participants at once as well as being easily accessed through
technology. The use of questionnaires by the researcher is effectively distributed where results and responses
are achieved in an instant. The limited time given per portion of this IRP was supported through the
questionnaires as it was able to reach 50 participants within a day.

For the completion of the questionnaires methodology, the researcher shared the link to the Google Form and
forwarded to HSC students/peers from St Johns Park High School, Bonnyrigg High School, Cabramatta High
School etc. to enhance the diversity of the results. Within a few hours, the researcher had received the desired
sample size of 50 participants and completed the questionnaire process.

Interviews
Interviews is the next primary methodology significantly utilised when gathering research. An interview is quite
similar to a questionnaire as it is another form of a survey where it is a planned discussion usually between
two or more people about a set of predetermined questions developed by the researcher. It is conducted face
to face or through an online setting between the interviewer and interviewee (2 people), to retrieve
information on a particular topic requested by the researcher.

Interviews are able to retrieve first-hand information/data with ease. The communication between both the
interviewer and interviewee may be in a formal or informal tone, depending on the type of interview the
researcher is planning on conducting. A structured interview is known to provide a more accurate response.
Although interviews will be used as a research method, it comes with its advantages and disadvantages such
as, being relatively flexible but on the other hand, it is time consuming and the responder or participant may
have language barriers which effects the results retrieved. Due to the variety of questions being asked to the
interviewee, it may exceed the time frame in which they are available which may affect the results. Despite the
disadvantages, interviews are an effective contribution to gathering data allowing respondents to provide their
personal experiences and opinions which benefit the results.

The completion of the project, two interviews were conducted by the researcher in order to obtain
information and their personal views on the topic of online learning. The selection of two interviewees
involved the sampling method, cluster sampling, which is the division of a population into clusters which then
has a random selection made from within the clusters. Stratified sampling was then used by the researcher to
separate males and females and allow an even amount of both genders.

Observation
The Observations is the next primary research methodology which is the process of observing and recording
the behaviours and actions of participants. It is the collection of data through observing an individual or group.
It can be a participant or non-participant observation which allows the researcher to take park in the
behaviours or simply just observe.

As the researcher, it has been decided that observations will not be utilised in the research process due to the
unnecessary nature of it as it does not assist the researcher’s IRP in any way as well as interpretations may be
misread as well as its time-consuming procedure. It is also challenging to collect data whilst participating which
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will provide an inaccurate interpretation of results. It is time-consuming and provides the direct access to
unreliability, hence why the researcher will not use this methodology for the research process/collection of
data.

Case Study
Case studies are a secondary research methodology often used in gathering research. It is the deep analysis of
a situation. Case studies tend to show a great amount of detail and analysis of a particular topic and have
many sources backing up the information. However, it does come with its disadvantages of not being able to
have data collected or generalised to a wider population and they weren’t always backed up with statistical
evidence and facts which then reduced the validity of the research.

As the researcher, case studies will not be utilised for the research process due to the data not being able to be
generalised across a wider population as well as not being statistically or scientifically accurate. It provides an
ineffective result through the researchers process of gathering information and is time consuming. Due to the
lack of time allocated towards different portions, it was too tarnishing to utilise the methodology of case
studies.

Literature Reviews
Finally, the last methodology being discussed are Literature Reviews. Literature reviews is the examination of
pre-existing knowledge about a topic in the form of statistics, summaries, findings of other researchers. It
offers an in-depth, thorough and enhanced interpretation of information which is effective in the completion
of the researcher’s research process.

The researcher will be utilising this methodology as it would provide a great amount of both qualitative and
quantitative data on a particular research topic. It is evident that the literature reviews offer a larger insight
and allow common trends to be found amongst different literature reviews. Although it is seen as widely
effective, it is seen as time-consuming and the secondary data is viewed as uninterpretable and unreliable.

To carry out the completion of this IRP project, literature reviews from electronic sources involving the
internet, Google etc. provided major details and allowed the researcher to view a summary of common trends
prevalent within a range of literature reviews. Key statistics and common trends were definitely utilised to
support the research topic which played a significant role in how the responses/results turned out.

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Literature Review 1

Title of the Article: How Effective is Online Learning? What the Research Does and Doesn't Tell Us.
Date (day, month, year): 20th March 2020
Author: Susanna Loeb
Source: Digital (Article)
Publisher/place of publishing: Education Week, N/A
Summary of information and page numbers (issues/key points):
- Online learning is debated if whether or not it will be effective for online learning to take over traditional
classrooms.
- Online learning cannot provide social interactions given in a traditional classroom and the use of virtual
classes have grown rapidly in recent years.
- Studies shown that in comparison to online and classroom classes, many students find that it isn’t as
effective as traditional learning.
- Online teachers need to consider the needs of less-engaged students and work to engage them.
- The teacher will need to set norms for engagement—such as requiring students to regularly ask questions
and respond to their peers—that are different than the norms in the in-person setting.
- Students may have more distractions and less oversight, which can reduce their motivation.

Relevance to research topic:

The relevance this article has to the research topic involves the argument that students are affected both
positively and negatively but in this case, more negatively. It proves the hypothesis of “Online learning
impacts an HSC individual negatively on their ability to learn and wellbeing,” as the article continuously
discusses the online courses not being as effective as in-person classes and feel unmotivated towards the
completion of online learning.

Positive and negative aspects of the source of data:

- The source was recently published which shows the latest views of online learning, increasing the
reliability and validity.
- It does not show bias towards any side or party as it acknowledges the both sides being discussed of
positive or negative impact on students. They utilise statistics and facts to support the ideas of both
parties.
- The information is reputable and trusted as it was written from a credible professor and was
published by a reliable publisher, “Education Week.”
- Does not provide many statistics to back up claims and statements.
- Information gathered from a different region to Australia providing no relevance and relation.
Relevant quotes/statistics to support research:
- “In the online setting, students may have more distractions and less oversight, which can reduce
their motivation.”
- “Students assigned to the online option also rated their class as more difficult than did their peers
assigned to the face-to-face option.”

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Literature Review 2
Title of the Article: How COVID-19 is impacting HSC students.

Date (day, month, year): 1st May 2020

Author: Brett Henebery

Source: Digital (Article)

Publisher/place of publishing: The Educator Australia

Summary of information and page numbers (issues/key points):

- The article examines the impact online learning has on HSC students completing their final year of
high school in 2020.
- Examines the effect on emotional and physical wellbeing/health.
- The limitation of face-to-face learning, changed assessment formats and weightings has claimed to
disadvantage students.
- 2020’s HSC cohort seen to be the most disadvantaged.
- HSC 2020, will continue to go ahead despite the circumstances in which arose leading to online
learning.
- Students prefer face-to-face learning as they feel unmotivated and disadvantaged to self-learn with
limited resources available online.
- Teachers aren’t available to teach the lessons they would normally teach during class.
Relevance to research topic:
- Proves the hypothesis that online learning has had a negative impact causing a lack of motivation
and deterioration to an individual’s emotional health.
- It is extremely relevant to the research topic as its topic of discussion is the same to the topic of
online learning and its impact, providing relevant statistics, quotes and viewpoints of the specific
research topic.
Positive and negative aspects of the source of data:
- Provides a variety of statistics to back up the statements and claims.
- Wide range of facts which reinforce the reliability and the recent publishing of the article/source
shows the current insights in which is perceived by society.
- Description provided when displaying data and statistics, giving an easier insight to the information.
Relevant quotes/statistics to support research:
- “We’re seeing lower levels of exercise, increased social isolation and changes in routine which is a
recipe for increased mental health concerns for students.”
- “A staggering 83% of public and selective school students said they felt disadvantaged compared to
74% of private and independent school students.”
- “Two in five HSC students do not learn effectively at home via online learning. Comparatively, 85% of
students agreed that face-to-face teaching was effective while 24% found online teaching to be
effective.”

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Literature Review 3
Title of the Article: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how.

Date (day, month, year): 29th April 2020

Author: Cathy Li, Farah Lalani

Source: Digital (Article)

Publisher/place of publishing: World Economic Forum

Summary of information and page numbers (issues/key points):

- The COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, over 1.2 billion children are
out of the classroom.
- As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby
teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.
- Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, and take
less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay.
- Examines the effectiveness of online learning and its efficiency for schools.
Relevance to research topic:
- Disproves the hypothesis of how online learning negatively impacts students.
- The relation to technology within CAFS and how e-Learning may become permanent, show how the
advancing society which is constantly evolving.
- Claims to be effective for both students and teachers due to its accessibility and how students are able
to work at their own pace which disproves the hypothesis in relation to the research topic.

Positive and negative aspects of the source of data:

- Provides a variety of statistics and graphs which help support the arguments.
- In depth and detailed article revealing the effectiveness of online learning providing new insights for
the reader.

Relevant quotes/statistics to support research:

- “Some research shows that on average, students retain 25-60% more material when learning online
compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. This is mostly due to the students being able to learn faster
online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional classroom setting because
students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading, skipping, or accelerating through
concepts as they choose.”

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Literature Review 4

Title of the Article: Will Shift to Remote Teaching Be Boon or Bane for Online Learning?

Date (day, month, year): 18th March 2020

Author: Doug Lederman

Source: Digital (Article)

Publisher/place of publishing: Inside Higher Ed

Summary of information and page numbers (issues/key points):

- Because of COVID-19, most professors and students suddenly find themselves forced to use
technology as they teach and learn. A panel of experts explores whether that will help or hurt
attitudes about online education.
- Discusses the teaching methods and values with teachers experimentation in online learning.
- The prospect of hundreds of thousands of professors and students venturing into academic
cyberspace for the first time has prompted some commentators to take to social media to predict that
this period could alter the landscape long term for online education.
- Experiencing virtual education for the first time because of COVID-19 will be going online with the sort
of high-quality immersive courses that the best online learning providers offer.
Relevance to research topic:
- The relevance to the research topic is not too prevalent as this source provides different viewpoints
and opinions of teachers and how they feel about online learning. The research topic targets HSC
students, not the teachers.

Positive and negative aspects of the source of data:

- Provides a wide, diverse range of opinions and views of different participants within the article.
- Heavily detailed and provides a range of quotes and statistics to back up statements
- Information provided is irrelevant to the research and statistics aren’t recent which may show that the
information is out of date and is not reliable.
Relevant quotes/statistics to support research:
- “Every faculty member is going to be delivering education online. Every student is going to be
receiving education online. And the resistance to online education is going to go away as a practical
matter.”

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Results

QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS

GRAPH 1: What is your gender?

Gender In this graph, it is shown

that an equal amount of
males and females
participated in the
questionnaire, a total of 50
people were conducted.
50% 50% 50% (25 people) of the
(25) (25) participants were males and
50% (25 people) of the
participants were females.

Female Male

GRAPH 2: How old are you?

Age This column graph displays the

35
ages of the questionnaire’s
participants. Out of the 50
30
partakers, those who were 17
25 was the most prevalent within
Amount

20 the questionnaire, however,

15 there were no individuals who
6% 64% were 19 and over.
10 30%
(3) (32)
5 (15)
0
16 17 18 19+
Ages (Years)

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GRAPH 3: Have you ever experienced online learning?

Have you ever experienced online learning? In this graph, the

questionnaire asked
participants whether or not
they have experienced online
No learning and individuals
responded with an
unsurprising amount of 100%
(50 people) yes.

Yes
100%
(50)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

GRAPH 4: How regularly do you engage in online learning?

This pie graph shows the times

in which students access
online learning. Many students
access online learning 1-2
times a week rather than the
lowest amount, 14% accessing
it 5+ times a week which is the
required amount teachers
expect students to access
online learning.

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GRAPH 5: What impact does online learning have on you?

This graph shows how online

What impact does online learning have on you?
learning positively, negatively
or both impacts an individual.
None It is shown that individuals are
both positively and negatively
impacts by online learning
Both
which contradicts the
hypothesis of negative.
Negative

Positive

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

GRAPH 6: Do you prefer online learning or classroom learning?

This graph shows what HSC

Do you prefer online learning or classroom
students prefer within the
learning? educational system involving
traditional classroom learning
(face-to-face) or online
22% learning. Classroom learning is
clearly more preferred as 78%
78% (39) of students chose
classroom learning over online
learning 22% (11).

Online Learning Classroom Learning

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GRAPH 7: Which online learning resources do you use more?

The graph displays how these

online learning platforms are
utilised more within HSC
students. The most prominent
online learning resource is
Google Classroom and Zoom.
Microsoft Teams and Google
96% Meet are not commonly used
74% as the researcher expected.
4% 4% 14% Google Classroom and Zoom
0% are more commonly used as
stated by 96% and 74% of
participants.

GRAPH 8: Do you experience barriers when accessing online learning?

The graph shows the barriers

Do you experience barriers when accessing
experienced accessing online
online learning?
learning. The lack of
motivation dominates the
None
graph at 78% (39) as an
Academic Skills emotional barrier rather than
a physical barrier such as
Lack of Motivation
internet issues. Technical skills
Technical Skills was the lowest chosen choice
for this questionnaire 2%,
Lack of devices/no devices
showing that the main barriers
Internet/Network Issues involve the lack of motivation.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

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GRAPH 9: Which areas of wellbeing do you feel most affected by online learning?

This bar graph shows the relation

Which areas of wellbeing do you feel most
to CAFS and how online learning
affected by online learning?
impacts a specific category of
90% wellbeing for students. As
80%
70%
expected, the social and
emotional wellbeing 80% and 64%
Percentage

60%
50% was greatly impacted the most as
40% it is commonly seen in studies.
30%
20%
10%
0%
Social Physical Emotional Economic Cultural Spiritual
Wellbeing

GRAPH 10: What impact does online learning had on your level of motivation to learn?

HSC students, the participants

What impact has online learning had on your
were asked on whether or not
level of motivation to learn?
their motivation to learn from
online learning was impacted.
46% and 40% of people responded
with High and Moderate impact
proving the hypothesis that the
motivation to learn caused a lack
in completing tasks rather than in
class learning.

No impact Moderate impact High impact

GRAPH 11: What impact has online learning had on your level of physical activity?
The impact online learning has on
What impact has online learning had on your
an HSC student’s level of physical
level of physical activity?
activity is clearly displayed
showing that 54% had no impact
on their physical activity. 18% of
people said it has a high impact
which suggests and implies that
these people may have
recreational sporting activities.

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No impact Moderate impact High impact
QUALITATIVE DATA FROM QUESTIONNAIRE
TABLE 1
12. Overall please comment on your online learning experiences
REASON TALLY
No/Lack of Motivation IIIII IIIII III
Internet Issues I
Lack of assistance/teaching IIIII IIIII III
Distracted IIIII II
Lack of devices II
Efficient/effective IIIII
Lack of socialization and physical interaction IIII
No comment/mutual IIII
Lack of resources I
Delayed responses from teachers III
Large amount of work IIIII
Tired/Stressful IIII
Saves time from travelling I
Not effective IIII

As seen in the table above, qualitative data was conducted from the questionnaire. The overall comments on
online learning was seen to have common similarities and trends between the lack of motivation, lack of
assistance/teaching and being easily distracted. Students responded to the question stating how online
learning has given them a lack of motivation etc. which overbears the positive impacts very few participants
listed. Therefore, it proves the researcher’s hypothesis of the negative impact of online learning.

SUMMARY OF INTERVIEW RESULTS

The researcher conducted two interviews on participants, Emily Luc and Eugene Quach. The interviews were
taken place face-to-face and was recorded using the researcher’s mobile phone as well as taking notes of the
interview whilst it was commencing. The interviewees were selected with the cluster and convenience
sampling to enable a fair, yet simple selection for the interviews. The transcripts, consent forms and scaffold is
seen in the Appendix.

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Analysis and Discussion

Within the entirety of the Community and Family Studies IRP, the researcher’s research question was, “Does
online learning have an impact on an HSC individual’s wellbeing and ability to learn?”, with its hypothesis being
“Online learning impacts HSC students negatively on their emotional health.” To enable the completion of
gathering results and primary/secondary data, the researcher utilised numerous research methodologies
involving, questionnaires and interviews.

Online learning has become a prevalent aspect of our current society due to the increasing advancements in
technology as well as the recent circumstances encountered worldwide (Covid-19). The use of primary and
secondary research such as questionnaires, interviews and literature reviews provided the researcher with a
wide variety of methods to gather data to enable diverse responses.

From conducting a questionnaire for a sample amount of 50 HSC students, consisting of 25 females and 25
males as seen in Graph 1 (pg 11. of IRP), it was evident that both genders felt similarly to the negative impact
online learning had on their wellbeing and ability to learn. Seen in Graph 6 (pg 13. of IRP), it shows that
classroom learning (face-to-face) is preferred offering 78% of respondents to choose which clearly displays the
preference for the type of educational system they encounter. To link back with the hypothesis of how online
learning negatively impacts a HSC students wellbeing, about 86% of individuals claim that e-Learning has
immensely impacts their motivation which then effects their grades, achievements and ability to learn. Studies
show that online learning are more prone to affect a student’s wellbeing and ability to learn as they are more
distracted and feel that education is a “choice” without the discipline and consequences provided within a
traditional learning environment, more specifically an HSC student. According to Graph 8 (pg 14. of IRP), it is
visibly seen that 78% of barriers within accessing online learning involves lack of motivation which is a constant
response seen within this IRP. These results reflect a negative perception and view towards online learning as
there are clear barriers and limitations which prevent HSC students from achieving their fullest potential.
Although the large majority of the responses display a negative perception in which resonates with the
hypothesis, there are also aspects in which go against it, such as, a portion of the partakers (22%) prefer online
learning due to its efficiency and ability to be accessed as well as being able to work at one’s own pace as seen
in Table 1 pg. 16. The researcher gathers that online learning causes a barrier between one’s motivation and
ability to learn as school is seen as a “choice” when online learning is happening, HSC students are unable to
stay focused in an environment where there is no guidance, discipline or deadline.

In relation to lack of motivation when accessing online learning, it is also prominently seen as a barrier due to
network issues and academic skills which come as the highest three responses from the given questionnaire.
Participants felt that the absence of a teacher’s guidance and lessons immensely impact how a student is able
to learn. It then impacts their emotional wellbeing negatively due to the inability to discuss issues with the
teacher immediately in class rather than waiting for an email response. HSC students are given this constant
pressure of high expectations and achievements which in turn put more stress onto one’s wellbeing.
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A large portion of results from the collection of primary data involved the lack of teacher’s guidance and
assistance in online learning as it lacks the proper interaction in which teachers can provide in face-to-face
learning. It reflected the barriers in which HSC students experience when seeking help as it does not offer the
instant response seen in classrooms as students have to wait for a delayed email by teachers. Although this
proves the hypothesis that online learning is negative, there are many sources in which contradict this.
According to Monitor ICEF’s article, they state,” many schools and universities will rely heavily on online
delivery for much of 2020,” which though society is evolving into a more technological state, it has a long way
to go to truly benefit the wellbeing and capabilities to learn as an HSC student. Upon reflection of both positive
and negative impacts of online learning, it is evident that the lack of primary and secondary data can heavily
effect results and comes with limitations when participants give lacking responses.

The emotional wellbeing of HSC students gathered within the primary and secondary research convey how the
use of online learning technologies can be draining, distracting and drive a wedge in between studies and their
wellbeing. Through this, HSC students undergo more stress and tend to socialise less which negatively harms
their wellbeing. It is proven that young adolescents emotionally have a higher risk of depression as they are
vulnerable and experience and immense amount of stress with the weight of online learning piling up on them.

To conclude, the results support the hypothesis created from the beginning of this IRP, proving that according
to HSC students and the results gathered, online learning does negatively impact an HSC student’s wellbeing
which then effects their ability to learn. The given circumstances during this present time, show the
inefficiency online learning has had on one’s study. Weightings within previous assessment tasks have
increased or decreased, attempting to give HSC students a compensated experience. The lack of motivation is
a huge barrier seen within e-Learning as well as the academic skills they are unable to obtain whilst accessing
resources given to them through the following, Google Classroom, Zoom and Microsoft Teams etc. Therefore,
online learning has given a lack of motivation to do the provided work which effects their mental health and
ability to learn for HSC students.

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Summary and Conclusion

To conclude, there are a variety of factors in which online learning effects an HSC individual’s wellbeing and
ability to learn. The knowledge and information conducted by both primary and secondary data have evidently
displayed that the limitations and barriers associating with online learning all contribute to the negative impact
on an HSC student.

The questionnaires and interviews (primary data), both suggest that the leading factor of negative online
learning use is the lack of motivation, teacher assistance and distractions experienced. Gathered from the
interview question seen in Appendix 2., both interviewees responded to the question, “How do you feel being
in your HSC year,” with stress, anxiety and pressure from parents to exceed.

The researcher views that the validity of conducting the research played a huge role in this IRP and presented
major findings including, how HSC student’s feel unmotivated as seen in Graph 10, pg. 15. The drive in which
students had once perceived was fading away due to the immense amount of pressure, stress and work given
online. HSC students are negatively impacted from online learning, although society is becoming more
technologically advanced and online learning is a significant aspect within education, it still has limitations and
barriers which prevent the positive effect on students. However, accessing resources is flexible and easily
viewed on any device which makes online learning efficient but contradicts the hypothesis.

From the collection of data, if there was a wider target research audience, it would’ve offered the researcher
an enhanced view of other’s perceptions. The similar trends found within the questionnaires and interviews
displayed that there is a common shared belief and emotion that online learning has negatively impacted HSC
students.

The hypothesis, “Online learning impacts HSC students negatively on their emotional health and ability to
learn,” is proven and accurate. Gathering from the research conducted throughout the entirety of this IRP, it is
indeed that the use of online learning negatively impacts HSC students and their performance within school.
However, the results did not only show that it was negative as some found online learning to be a positive
learning experience where they were able to learn individual skills and time management which was deemed
effective for the selection of people who viewed it positively. Although the majority of the results claimed that
online learning does in fact negatively impact one, there is no specific answer that speaks on behalf of all HSC
students. Every individual perceives things differently and can be effected in various and distinct ways.
Therefore, the researcher’s hypothesis stated in the Abstract, Introduction etc. was accurate for this IRP.

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Bibliography/Referencing

- How Effective Is Online Learning? What the Research Does and Doesn't Tell Us
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/23/how-effective-is-online-learning-what-the.html
Source: Website, Author: Susanna Loeb

- Most teaching is going remote. Will that help or hurt online learning? | Inside Higher Ed
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/03/18/most-teaching-going-remote-
will-help-or-hurt-online-learning
Source: Article

- How COVID-19 is impacting HSC students

https://www.theeducatoronline.com/k12/news/how-covid19-is-impacting-hsc-students/271174
Source: Article

- What works in Online/Distancing Teaching and Learning?

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/what-works-in-online-distance-teaching-and-learning
Source: Website

- The Covid-19 Pandemic has changed education forever. This is how.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-
learning/
Source: Article

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Appendix

Appendix 1.1 - Questionnaires

Appendix 2.1 – Interview 1 Consent Form
Appendix 2.2 – Interview 1
Appendix 2.3 – Interview 2 Consent Form
Appendix 2.4 – Interview 2

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APPENDIX 2.1 – INTERVIEW 1 CONSENT FORM

I, _______________________________________________ give permission for my

interview with __________________________ to be recorded and written down with
my name and other details provided within the interview, for further use within their
Community and Family Studies Individual Research Project. I expect this information to
not be disclosed for purposes aside from the use of this project, and for all personal
information to be kept private.

Sign: __________________________ Date:____________________

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APPENDIX 2.2 - INTERVIEW 1:

Interviewer: Calista Cheng

Participant: Eugene Quach

Age: 17

Interviewer: Hey Eugene, thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this interview. How
are you?
Eugene: All good, I am alright thanks.
Interviewer: That’s good. Have you ever experienced online learning (e-Learning)?
Eugene: Yes I have.
Interviewer: How do you feel being in your HSC year?
Eugene: I feel a little stressed and a lot of pressure put on me.
Interviewer: How do you find online learning? Effective or Ineffective?
Eugene: I find it to be ineffective because I tend to get more distracted at home then at school.
Interviewer: What are some of the advantages of online learning?
Eugene: I think it would be that I am able to access resources anywhere and that I get to stay home.
Interviewer: What are some of the disadvantages of online learning?
Eugene: I get very distracted from online learning and I feel like there are no rules like at school which
makes me slack off.
Interviewer: Online learning or face-to-face? Why?
Eugene: I would definitely prefer face-to-face because I am quite social and enjoy being around my
friends physically.
Interviewer: Where do you feel most supported in school?
Eugene: I feel most supported with my friends and some teachers who I am closer to.
Interviewer: As an HSC student, do you feel online learning has affected your ability to exceed?
Eugene: Yes I do, I felt that the moment we had online learning and weightings for assessments
started to change and stuff, I missed a lot of school.
Interviewer: Lastly, What impact does online learning have on you?
Eugene: I would have to say, negative because I didn’t have a good experience with online learning
and I got way too distracted.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for being a part of this interview, have a good day.
Eugene: All good, you too.

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APPENDIX 2.2 – INTERVIEW 2 CONSENT FORM

I, _______________________________________________ give permission for my

interview with __________________________ to be recorded and written down with
my name and other details provided within the interview, for further use within their
Community and Family Studies Individual Research Project. I expect this information to
not be disclosed for purposes aside from the use of this project, and for all personal
information to be kept private.

Sign: __________________________ Date:____________________

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APPENDIX 2.2 - INTERVIEW 1:

Interviewer: Calista Cheng

Participant: Emily Luc

Age: 17

Interviewer: Hey Emily, thank you so much for taking the time to participate in this interview. How
are you?
Emily: My pleasure, I am good thanks.
Interviewer: That’s good. Have you ever experienced online learning (e-Learning)?
Emily: Yes.
Interviewer: How do you feel being in your HSC year?
Emily: I feel overwhelmed being in our HSC year because of all the pressure from my family and stuff.
Interviewer: How do you find online learning? Effective or Ineffective?
Emily: I find it to be both because it’s a good way to get my resources from school but I do lose
motivation from the amount of work given.
Interviewer: What are some of the advantages of online learning?
Emily: I was actually able to develop self-learning techniques which I haven’t don’t before so that’s an
advantage for me.
Interviewer: What are some of the disadvantages of online learning?
Emily: I easily get distracted and I lose motivation fast. The amount of work teachers upload makes
me not want to do anything and there’s no consequence when I am alone.
Interviewer: Online learning or face-to-face? Why?
Emily: I mean I love staying home rather than going to school but I would definitely prefer face-to-
face for my friends and to actually learn.
Interviewer: Where do you feel most supported in school?
Emily: My friends support me the most in school.
Interviewer: As an HSC student, do you feel online learning has affected your ability to exceed?
Emily: Online learning has definitely affected my ability to exceed because I am more motivated in
school but being at home makes me not want to do any work.
Interviewer: Lastly, What impact does online learning have on you?
Emily: Online learning has impacted me negatively, I feel like I lost a lot of in class time to actually be
taught by a teacher.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for being a part of this interview, have a good day.
Emily: No worries, you too.

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