Reflective Essay

The influence of online learning on the learning motivation of primary school students

1. Introduction
With the sudden onslaught of COVID-19, primary schools across the country have been

facing unprecedented challenges. To control the spread of the pandemic, normal teaching

activities are refrained from taking place, causing a great impact on students' learning.

Education is vitally important for a country’s future, and it cannot be delayed for a moment.

Therefore, schools of all levels and types across the country were adopting to online mode.

Though online teaching is not a new type of education, it was the first time that the country

has launched online courses on a large scale.

Previously, research on online teaching focused more on college students than on

primary and secondary students, and even less on primary students (Meng, 2021). However,

nearly all primary schools conducted online education during this pandemic. Considering the

unique characteristics of primary students, it is meaningful to investigate problems and

explore relevant solutions of online teaching in primary schools. One of the problems needing

to be considered is students’ learning motivation. The students’ eagerness to learn, to achieve

and to succeed are mostly related to their motivation. Therefore, this paper will focus on the

influence of online education on primary students’ learning motivation.

2. Literature Review
Due to the rapid development of information technology, online teaching is highly valued by

the education sector. Domestic scholars have also started to conduct in-depth research on this

teaching mode. Most scholars (Huang & Feng, 2020) consider online teaching as a

convenient and efficient way for teachers to conduct educational activities for they can be

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delivered anywhere and anytime. However, online teaching also has many problems. Some

scholars (Kang & Shao 2020) identified problems with online teaching, including a lack of

teaching resources to meet teachers' needs, difficulties in organizing and managing teaching

due to limited real-time interaction and a decline in teaching quality due to teachers' own

limited modern information skills. To address the problems that arise from online teaching,

scholars have made many constructive suggestions. Zhang (2020) advocates the principle of

simplicity and 20-minute online teaching, where teachers improve the effectiveness of their

teaching through simplified objectives, content and process. Moreover, Huang & Feng (2020)

also advocate the development of school-based special programs to showcase the innovative

nature of the school.

Foreign research on online teaching mainly focuses on online teaching connotation and

application. Scholars have different understandings of the definition of online teaching. Some

scholars (Moore et al., 2011) compare the three concepts of e-learning, distance education

and online teaching, and they believe that online teaching is a new teaching mode in which

educators teach through the Internet and corresponding teaching equipment. In terms of

promoting the application of online teaching, foreign scholars (Shepherd & Bolliger, 2011)

also suggested that the use of electronic portfolio tools in the teaching process could provide

support for students.

In summary, most scholars at home and abroad have focused on the connotation and

application of online education. However, less research has been conducted on the impact of

online education on learners. Therefore, this paper will explore the impact of this educational

model on students in terms of their motivational performance in online learning.

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3. Online learning motivation
There are many problems with online teaching in primary schools, such as teachers' inability

to conduct real-time monitoring, students' lack of self-control, and the unstable nature of

online teaching platforms. All the problems that arise from online teaching can directly or

indirectly undermine students' motivation to learn.

Motivation is a dynamic process, which means to trigger or provoke behavior (Dörnyei,

1998). Motivation is expressed as learning motivation when it occurs within the learning

domain and many studies have shown that motivation is not only generated by intrinsic

demands of the individual but is also influenced by the external environment (Cook & Artino,

2016; Pintrich, 2000).

In this study, online motivation and motivation for learning are essentially the same in

that they are both internal motivators that trigger and sustain individuals to learn. However,

there is a clear distinction between the two. Normally individual motivation is mostly found

in offline schooling, where all teaching and learning activities are based on direct contact

situations. In contrast, online education that takes place at home is a non-direct contact

activity, which changes the context as well as the motivation of individuals. In summary, this

study defines online learning motivation as the internal motivation that motivates and sustains

individuals to learn and direct their learning behavior towards learning goals in an online

learning context.

4. Factors that influence primary students’ online education motivation

Motivation, as well as the factors that influence it can be examined through the lens of many

theories and principles. This paper uses activity theory (Yrjö Engeström et al., 2007) as the

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grounding theory to examine the main factors that affect primary students' learning

motivation. Activity theory can be used to describe educational system through six elements:

Object (teaching objective), Subject (learners), Community (teachers), Tools (learning

environment), Division of labor (teaching tasks), and Rules (teaching regulations). The

relevant influencing factors can be summarized as three dimensions: teachers, students, and

family.

5. Strategies for improving primary students’ online motivation

5.1 Student

In activity theory, student refers to the subject of teaching design. Whether online teaching

can be conducted successfully mainly depends on students' autonomy. When students are

having online courses, although the content is still the same, students’ learning is not as

effective as it used to be. Without the supervision of the teacher and the company of their

parents, autonomy becomes particularly important. Since primary students are far from

physical and psychological maturity, the development of their autonomous learning ability

requires the joint efforts of teachers and parents. And those students who obtain high

autonomous ability are more likely to have a better learning effect in offline as well as online

courses. Regarding how to help children improve their autonomous learning ability, many

scholars have given specific strategies and methods.

From teachers’ perspectives, students should be given more empowerment while

teachers designing their courses (Jones et al, 2012). Because students will be more active and

autonomous when they perceived that they have control over some aspects of their learning.

For example, students should be given opportunities to express their opinions and their

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opinions should be carefully considered (Reeve, 1996); Students should have choices

regarding the topics they can study, the materials they can use, the strategies they can

implement (Ryan & La Guardia, 1999).

In addition, family education is equally important. Parents are the closest people to their

children so they should show trust and understanding which is beneficial for students’

autonomy (Zhao, 2017). Moreover, as the first teacher of their children, parents should also

guide them to set reasonable learning goals and plans based on their personality traits and

strengths and weakness (Zhong, 2007).

5.2 Teacher

In online teaching, students' motivation is greatly affected by teaching design and assessment.

For most teachers who have been accustomed to traditional classroom teaching, how to

improve their online teaching skills has become a great problem.

Before class, teachers should fully consider the differences in online learning when

making teaching plans. They need to create teaching situations that are closer to students'

lives and incorporate more interesting content in the teaching plans. In a word, teachers

should make full preparations and constantly generate new ideas to motivate their students.

While teaching online, it is recommended that teachers first create a pleasant learning

atmosphere which is good for students’ thinking and learning, and then demonstrate clear

objectives and concise content which will make the learning process more efficient.

Sometimes competitive competitions can also enhance learning motivation.

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 After class, teachers should assess their students from multiple perspectives. Teachers

should evaluate students’ daily learning not only in terms of their knowledge, but also in

terms of their learning methods, learning abilities, and learning habits (Yue, 2021). In this

way, students will know how they come here and where they will go.

5.3 Parents

Students’ motivation to learn is also affected by their parents. A supportive environment for

children, such as providing facilities and infrastructure to facilitate online learning, can foster

a sense of enthusiasm for learning and encourage students to do assignments from the teacher

(Alfarimba et al., 2021). However, this is not enough. Parents can promote their children's

motivation to learn online in many ways.

For example, parents can regulate and optimize their children's study place (Lei，2020).

Providing a quiet and undisturbed environment, as well as ensuring that the student's desk is

free from unrelated items, is a great way for parents to help their child with his or her studies.

It is suggested that at least one of the parents can spend time actively with their child and

always keep an eye on his learning as well as mental state. Therefore, problems can be

identified in a timely manner and feedback provided to the teachers when necessary.

6．Reflection

Every mode of teaching has its strengths and weaknesses, and online teaching is no

exception. With the rapid development of information technology, online education is

increasingly prevalent and is now occupying an important position in the field of education.

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Some educators believe that the advantages of online education are numerous even though

there are also many challenges and difficulties for us, while others consider it as one of the

most efficient ways to teach students. However, never have we thought more seriously than

now about the impact that online education has had on us. Any major event that occurs

triggers us to think deeply. The large-scale online teaching during the epidemic provides us

opportunities to analyze and reflect the problems in our education.

Education is a large and sophisticated system, and the whole body is affected by one

hair. Therefore, the change of teaching mode is not confined to the change of the way of

teaching, it also includes the change of teaching content, teaching method, teaching design

and teaching assessment. Meanwhile, the change of learning mode is not only the change of

the way of learning, but also the change of learning environment, learning initiatives, and the

interactivity of learning

It is the changes that the online model has brought to our daily teaching that has led us to

revisit the issues that are easily overlooked in offline learning and areas that need to be

optimized. The first problem exposed was the unfamiliarity with the online teaching model

which shows that teachers must not only have strong subject teaching skills, but also master

various multimedia network technologies. There is no one best way to teach students. Rather,

we need to master various teaching methods and select the most appropriate one according to

different contexts.

During this epidemic, students’ autonomy issues were also exposed. Though lower

grade students are generally less self-motivated, there are still some primary students who can

make very good study plans and execute them in a structured way. This is a good justification

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that the ability to learn independently can be developed from an early age, and once this

ability is developed, students will be able to achieve the desired learning outcomes regardless

of the situation.

Apart from school education, family education should also receive the same attention.

As the first teachers of the children, parents’ educational concepts and methods greatly affect

their lives as well as studies. Normally the teaching work is mainly done by schoolteachers

through the form of classroom teaching, and the role of parents is not so prominent. However,

the war of epidemic has pulled all educators related to children's development into a circle of

friends. Therefore, parents are also taking on the responsibility of education and are starting

to look deeper into what classes are scheduled at school, what teachers require, and how well

their children are doing with their schoolwork.

The online teaching carried out in this epidemic is like a mirror that reflects the

educational problems in different families. What kind of family education can lead children

properly and effectively has become a problem that every parent has to face and solve.

Though there are many parents who are devoting more attention to their children's learning,

strengthening family education is a long-term process. Epidemic will end one day, but good

family education needs to be sustained constantly.

7. Conclusion

In summary, online teaching has a significant impact on the learning motivation of primary

school students, which is influenced by teachers, parents, and students themselves. Education

is not the action of a single individual, but the result of the joint action of teachers, parents,

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and children. Online teaching during this epidemic brings not only challenges but also

opportunities. It provides us opportunities to reflect problems in our education system：

imperfect family education, weak autonomous ability of students and the lack of online

teaching skills of teachers. The maturity of online education for primary students will take a

long time and require our joint efforts. With the rapid development of Internet teaching, this

is bound to be the future trend of education.

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