Filipino students are ready in terms of computer or internet self-efficacy - that is their ability to demonstrate proper computer and internet skills. However, they are not ready in terms of learner control. 

This is based on the results of the study on “Assessment of Filipino Higher Education Students’ Readiness for e-Learning During a Pandemic: A Rasch Technique Application,” from a team of researchers from the Institute of Statistics- University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).

The research investigated the level of e-learning readiness among Filipino students in higher education during the pandemic in terms of five dimensions: computer/internet self-efficacy, self-directed learning, learner control, motivation for learning, and online communication self-efficacy.

Results showed that gender significantly differentiates e-learning readiness under learner control and self-directed learning. Learner control refers to the student’s control over his or her efforts in directing his or her own learning, while self-directed learning refers to the student’s responsibility for learning contexts to reach learning outcomes.

“It is important to emphasize that there are students with responsibility in their own family. How would they be able to balance their responsibility from home and from academics?” This perspective was posed by one of the participants in the study.

The study also finds that male students feel that they are less likely to repeat online instructional materials based on their needs compared to females. Females, on the other hand, are more comfortable than males in seeking assistance when faced with learning difficulties.

Further, graduate students have more confidence in gathering information online compared to undergraduate students. Perhaps since the undergraduate belong to the “net” generation or those called digital natives, they are more confident in terms of skills in managing e-learning platforms.

The research, which was participated in by 290 student participants from UPLB, in which 80% are undergraduate and 20% are graduate students, also finds that although 97% of UPLB students have tablets or smartphones, and 89% have desktops or laptops, only 58% have access to a fairly fast and reliable internet connection.

Although e-learning is centered on students, teachers play an important role in achieving course learning goals. The team recommends that the course design should uphold the principles of empathy, understanding each learner’s situation and differences as shown in the differential item functioning (DIF) results, and inclusivity by considering the learner’s needs.

The research team further recommends that the study guides should include a detailed schedule of activities for the entire semester so that students will be able to manage their time well. Prediction of any future behavior (of technology usage) is not part of the goals of this paper, but future researches may investigate possible associations of academic performance with e-learning readiness.

Although e-learning has already been incorporated into the Philippine education system, as attested through the establishment of the University of the Philippines Open University in 1995, its enforced adoption has put the country in an entirely different situation. School administrators, teachers, and most especially students were caught unprepared for this new setup. 

As an emergency response to the pandemic, e-learning became the modal solution for various academic institutions. But as pointed out in another related study, this situation resulted in a decrease in national student enrollment in 2020 by 3 million from 27.7 million in the previous year, in both private and public schools, due to the lack of resources and preparedness for the new system.

The complete discussion and results of this study is available and can be downloaded for free from the Philippine Journal of Science (PJS), Vol. 150 No. 3, June 2021. For updates, visit the PJS website at https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph and PJS Facebook page. The PJS is the Philippines’ oldest peer-reviewed scientific journal, published by the Department of Science and Technology- Science and Technology Information Institute (DOST-STII). (S&T Media Service, Geraldine Bulaon-Ducusin)