Charlyn S.

Charlemagne

Vieux-fort Comprehensive Secondary School

Academic English

November 19, 2021

Is having school online really that beneficial for the youth?

Have you ever wondered about the impact of virtual school on a student’s performance?

Is at home doing more harm than good to those students? Or is the reverse true? Is online

school better than the traditional classroom? You may have already known that online schooling

has become the ideal way of school since Covid-19. In fact, many schools were forced to begin

courses online. Having school online came with tremendous benefits. It is cost effective, it

provides better schooling choices, and lessens potential peer pressure.

Having school at home is more economical. Many people overlook the cost effectiveness

of attending classes online in the comfort of your home. While online schoolers pay the same

per-credit tuition rate as on-campus degree-and-certificate seekers, according to Broderick T.

(n.d.) they do not have the additional cost of housing which can range from $6,000 US to

$15,000 US per year. In an article created by Powell(2016) it was estimated that:

“The typical living cost for a full-time student attending college during the 2016-2017

academic year ranges from $11,810 on a low budget to $17,620 on a moderate spending

plan. The nonprofit finds that more than 50 percent of a college student's budget is spent

on housing.” (para. 4).

A student who attends Vieux-fort Comprehensive Secondary School and lives in Micoud would

pay $10 daily, $650 termly and $1,950 yearly would all be saved if schooling was virtual.

Furthermore, the availability of online schooling help saved finances which would have gone

towards airfares and airport taxes if university of choice is off--island. Virtual schooling is

indeed cost-effective, but it also allows for more schooling options.

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 The availability of virtual schooling provides better schooling choices. Not many people

realize that a wide range of choices now available due to online schooling. Although some of

these choices were available before, now there are much more because Covid-19 made it a

requisite for schools to go virtual. According to admissionsly (2020), before Covid-19,

approximately 65% of universities have supported distance learning over the years. However,

since 2020, 98% of universities have offered online classes. A university student in Saint Lucia

who wants to be a doctor and wishes to study at a university in England or any other university

in the world can do so via a website. This allows for a wide variety of better schools to choose

from as well as reducing pressure from peers.

The reduction of face-to-face classes also reduces peer pressure on students. Many may

not have observed that online schooling allows students who are not of a high socioeconomic

status to feel less pressured from their peers in regard to the way they dress. In a survey

conducted by Bursztyn & Jensen(2015) they found evidence that students in face to face settings

were more concerned about the way they were perceived by their peers. This was also proven in

an article ‘latimes’(1989) uploaded stating the following:

“The county’s high schools are as diverse as its demographics, with different schools

representing different styles. But the majority of teens asked recently to describe peer

pressure at their school say there is a subtle code that dictates everything from hair styles

to behavior, with most of the scrutiny applied to clothing and cars. Break the code and

you’re labeled ‘uncool’.”(para. 3)

A student who is not from a high socioeconomic background would feel pressured in the

traditional school environment since the clothes they wear will be judged by their peers, since

their outfit may not be the latest in fashion. As opposed to a student who is in a virtual

classroom would not be pressured by their peers since their clothes will scarcely be seen. In this

case, virtual classrooms allow for less pressure on students which will allows them to be more

relaxed to concentrate on their schoolwork.

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 It can be concluded from the information gathered that the use of the virtual platforms

for schools is the way forward during this present pandemic and in the future because of its

significant benefits. There at their fingertips, students can choose to attend any school around

the world on their computers to their advantage. Online schooling will as a result benefit society

since more students would have access to a higher education which will allow for more

university qualified work force without having to worry about the cost of housing and

transportation or about being pressured by their peers.

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Reference list

Broderick T. (n.d.). 7 Advantages To Taking Online Classes. OEDb-Open Education Database.

https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/10-advantages-to-taking-online-classes/

Bursztyn, L. & Jensen, R. (January 4, 2016). How Does Peer Pressure Affect Educational

Investments?. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4698889/

Online Education Statistics – How COVID-19 Changed the Way We Learn?. (2020, November

21). Admissionsly. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://admissionsly.com/online-

education-statistics/

Powell, F. (July 5, 2016). Estimate Living Expenses to Determine College Affordability. US

news. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2016-07-

05/estimate-living-expenses-to-determine-college-affordability

Young, K. N. (May 5, 1989). You Are What You Dress, Some Teen-Agers Discover at School. Los

Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-05-li-2408-story.html