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. 2022 Oct 9;45:108662. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2022.108662

Online learning experiences of secondary school students during COVID-19 – Dataset from Vietnam

Dien Thi Bui a,, Thuy Thi Nhan b, Hue Thi Thu Dang a, Trang Thi Thu Phung a
PMCID: PMC9568410  PMID: 36267116

Abstract

This dataset provides an insight into the reality and experiences of online learning as perceived by secondary school students in Vietnam during COVID-related school closures. The dataset addresses four main aspects of online learning, namely (a) students’ access to learning devices, (b) their digital skill readiness, (c) their experience with online learning and assessment activities, and (d) their overall evaluation of the effectiveness of online learning. The survey was administered online via Google Form from September to December 2021 with responses received from 5,327 secondary school students in 5 provinces of Vietnam. The dataset is expected to benefit local educators, administrators, and teachers who are interested in COVID educational practices and pedagogical interventions. The dataset can also benefit international researchers who wish to conduct comparative studies on student online learning or who wish to seek further insight into the responsiveness of an educational system to pandemic situations.

Keywords: Online education, Responsive education, COVID-19 education, Online learning platforms, School closure, Student perceptions


Specifications Table

Subject Social sciences
Specific subject area Education
Online learning
Education during COVID-19
Type of data Tables
Figures
Excel file
Sav file
How the data were acquired The data was collected using a Google Forms online survey. The survey link was distributed to students via their class teachers. Student responses were imported into an Excel spreadsheet and analysed using SPSS Version 25.
Data format Raw
Analysed
Description of data collection The cluster sampling method was used to collect the data. Participating schools were located in 5 provinces, namely Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Quang Binh, Daklak and Can Tho. Targeted respondents for the survey were Grade 6-to-Grade 9 students from 50 secondary schools. A total of 5,327 valid responses were received.
Data source location Institution: The Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences
City/Town/Region: Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Quang Binh, Dak Lak and Can Tho
Country: Vietnam
Latitude and longitude (and GPS coordinates, if possible) for collected samples/data:
Hanoi: 21°1′28.2″N, 105°50′28.21″E
Nam Dinh: 20° 16′ 45.048″ N 106° 12′ 18.533″ E
Quang Binh: 17° 27′ 57.38″ N 106° 35′ 54.226″ E
Daklak: 12° 42′ 36.043″ N 108° 14′ 15.907″ E
Can Tho: 10°2′13.6″N, 105°47′17.7″E
Data accessibility Repository name: Mendeley Data
Data identification number: 10.17632/cn7vtxdm97.1
Direct URL to data: https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/cn7vtxdm97/1

Value of the Data

The dataset is expected to have methodological and practical contributions to the topic of online learning.

  • In practical terms, the dataset provides a large-scale database of online learning experiences of secondary school students in Vietnam. This can inform Vietnamese educators, administrators, and teachers of the reality and effectiveness of online learning from students’ perspectives, which then can inform the development of action plans, pedagogies, adjustments, or interventions to best support online teaching and learning.

  • In methodological terms, the dataset provides a survey tool that local educators and researchers can use to evaluate the effectiveness of online learning or seek means to enhance students' online learning experience. The survey tool in particular and the dataset, in general, can benefit international educators and researchers interested in online education and in the responsiveness of an educational system, particularly in relation to the context of COVID-19 or similar pandemic situations.

1. Data Description

The dataset uploaded and referenced at Mendeley data [5] informs the online learning reality of secondary school students in Vietnam during school closures due to COVID-19. It comprises a student questionnaire with 64 items and a raw datafile with 5,327 responses. The questionnaire is structured into four groups, namely (a) demographic information of participating students (3 items), (b) their online learning conditions (16 items), (c) their experience with online learning and assessment activities (37 items), and (d) their overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning (8 items). Demographic items were in the form of selected responses and the remaining items were in the form of 5-point Likert statements.

The first group of information collected was concerned with students’ gender, school grade, and location of residence (Table 1). This demographic information was used to explore correlation with other items in the questionnaire.

Table 1.

Distribution of student participants by gender, grade, and location.

Gender
Grade
Location type*
Total 5327 Male Female Grade 6 Grage 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Urban areas Rural areas Mountainous areas
2429 2898 1069 1563 1398 1297 2234 2675 418

Note.

Location types are defined in the Vietnamese Government's Decision No. 1211/2016/UBTCQH13 and Decision No. 33/2-2-QĐ-TTg based on localities’ population size and economic indicators. Mountainous areas refer to localities with significant socio-economic disadvantages, with at least 15% of the population belonging to ethnic minority groups and at least 10% of the households living under the national poverty line.

The second group of information was concerned with students’ conditions for online learning. Students were asked whether or not they had access to learning devices, such as tablets, smartphones, or computers connected to the Internet. They were also asked to self-assess their ICT skills, for example, their ability to use online learning platforms and apps to participate in online activities. The data collected was presented in Fig. 1 and in Table 2, Table 3, Table 4. Table 5 presents the data on barriers to students’ online learning.

Fig. 1.

Fig 1

Students’ self-rated ICT skills by location type.

Table 2.

Students’ access to learning devices by location type.

Urban areas
Rural areas
Mountainous areas
N % N % N %
An Ipad/Tablet with Internet connection 772 34.6 378 14.1 64 15.3
A smart TV with Internet connection 329 14.7 543 20.3 88 21.1
A smartphone with Internet connection 1650 73.9 2390 89.3 356 85.2
A laptop with Internet connection 1318 59.0 716 26.8 164 39.2
A PC (with camera and microphone) with Internet connection 505 22.6 326 12.2 60 14.4
A PC (without camera and microphone) with Internet connection 255 11.4 259 9.7 62 14.8

Table 3.

Statistical differences in self-rated IT skills of male and female students.

Group Statistics
Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Self-rated IT skills Male 2429 3.19 1.028 .021
Female 2898 3.05 .982 .018

Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances
t-test for Equality of Means
F Sig. t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Difference Std. Error Difference 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Lower Upper
Self-rated IT skills Equal variances assumed 24.537 .000 5.098 5325 .000 .141 .028 .087 .195
Equal variances not assumed 5.077 5074.987 .000 .141 .028 .086 .195

Table 4.

Students’ proficiency in online learning platforms and applications.

Novice
Advanced Beginner
Intermediate
Proficient
Expert
N % N % N % N % N %
Navigating through online learning platforms (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.) 272 5.1 211 4.0 1321 24.8 2672 50.1 851 16
Using learning platforms or software (e.g., Shub, Kahoot, Menti, etc.) to complete assigned activities 328 6.1 914 17.2 1519 28.5 2019 37.9 547 10.3
Using social networking sites and applications to communicate and interact with teachers and peers 304 5.7 197 3.7 1061 19.9 2684 50.4 1081 20.3

Table 5.

Barriers to online learning by location type.

M (Mean ratings on a 5-point Likert scale)
Urban areas Rural areas Mountainous areas
Poor Internet connection 2.23 2.19 2.29
Lack of online learning facilities 1.55 1.87 2.01
Lack of ICT skills 1.57 2.00 2.07
Lack of (teacher/ school/ parent) support 1.56 1.94 1.96
Health issues 1.42 1.51 1.56
Psychological issues 1.60 1.56 1.66

The third group of information was concerned with students’ online learning experiences, such as their participation in class activities, their interaction with teachers and peers, their experience with assessments, and the forms of teacher support they received. The fourth group of information informed students’ overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning. Statistical analyses showed strong positive correlations between students’ online learning experiences, the level of teacher support, and students’ overall satisfaction of online learning (Table 6).

Table 6.

Correlations between students' online learning experiences, the level of teacher support, and students' overall satisfaction of online learning.

Self-rating of IT skills Barriers to online learning Online learning experiences Teacher support for online learning Overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning
Self-rating of IT skills Pearson Correlation 1 -.253⁎⁎ .151⁎⁎ .135⁎⁎ .154⁎⁎
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 5327 5327 5327 5327 5327

Barriers to online learning Pearson Correlation -.253⁎⁎ 1 -.098⁎⁎ -.099⁎⁎ -.117⁎⁎
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 5327 5327 5327 5327 5327

Online learning experiences Pearson Correlation .151⁎⁎ -.098⁎⁎ 1 .826⁎⁎ .788⁎⁎
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 5327 5327 5327 5327 5327

Teacher support for online learning Pearson Correlation .135⁎⁎ -.099⁎⁎ .826⁎⁎ 1 .787⁎⁎
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 5327 5327 5327 5327 5327

Overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning Pearson Correlation .154⁎⁎ -.117⁎⁎ .788⁎⁎ .787⁎⁎ 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 5327 5327 5327 5327 5327
⁎⁎

Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Statistical differences were found in the level of student participation, teacher support, and overall satisfaction for students from different grades. In particular, Tables 7 and 8 show that students in junior grades (Grade 6 and Grade 7) were more engaged in online learning activities and received more teacher support than those in senior grades (Grade 8 and Grade 9). In the same manner, Table 9 shows that junior students rated more positively their overall experience with online learning than senior peers.

Table 7.

Online learning experiences of students by grade.

Descriptives
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Grade 6 1069 3.8722 .82493 .02523 3.8227 3.9217 1 5
Grade 7 1563 3.8489 .84363 .02134 3.8071 3.8908 1 5
Grade 8 1398 3.7964 .82884 .02217 3.7530 3.8399 1 5
Grade 9 1297 3.7683 .74387 .02066 3.7278 3.8088 1 5
Total 5327 3.8202 .81340 .01114 3.7983 3.8420 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Online learning experiences Based on Mean 2.715 3 5323 .043

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 8.458 3 2.819 4.269 .005
Within Groups 3515.308 5323 .660
Total 3523.766 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 4.477 3 2863.933 .004

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

Table 8.

Level of teacher support for online learning by grade.

Descriptives
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Grade 6 1069 3.7825 .81342 .02488 3.7337 3.8313 1 5
Grade 7 1563 3.7910 .82684 .02091 3.7500 3.8320 1 5
Grade 8 1398 3.7400 .80596 .02156 3.6978 3.7823 1 5
Grade 9 1297 3.6960 .75069 .02084 3.6551 3.7369 1 5
Total 5327 3.7528 .80133 .01098 3.7313 3.7743 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Teacher support for online learning Based on Mean 1.809 3 5323 .143

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 7.632 3 2.544 3.968 .008
Within Groups 3412.320 5323 .641
Total 3419.951 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 4.154 3 2862.605 .006

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

Table 9.

Students’ overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning by grade.

Descriptives
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Grade 6 1069 3.8182 .78447 .02399 3.7711 3.8653 1 5
Grade 7 1563 3.7935 .81971 .02073 3.7528 3.8342 1 5
Grade 8 1398 3.6999 .81613 .02183 3.6571 3.7427 1 5
Grade 9 1297 3.6347 .74045 .02056 3.5944 3.6751 1 5
Total 5327 3.7352 .79608 .01091 3.7139 3.7566 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning Based on Mean 1.307 3 5323 .270

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 27.503 3 9.168 14.577 .000
Within Groups 3347.821 5323 .629
Total 3375.324 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 15.405 3 2870.246 .000

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

When location types were factored in, statistical differences were also found in the level of teacher support, student participation, and students’ overall satisfaction with online learning, as shown in Table 10, Table 11, Table 12.

Table 10.

Online learning experiences of students by location type.

Descriptives
Online learning experiences
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Urban 2234 3.8789 .77573 .01641 3.8467 3.9111 1 5
Rural 2675 3.8022 .81920 .01584 3.7712 3.8333 1 5
Mountainous 418 3.6213 .92975 .04548 3.5319 3.7107 1 5
Total 5327 3.8202 .81340 .01114 3.7983 3.8420 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Online learning experiences Based on Mean 11.188 2 5324 .000

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 25.088 2 12.544 19.089 .000
Within Groups 3498.678 5324 .657
Total 3523.766 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 16.435 2 1132.344 .000

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

Table 11.

Level of teacher support for online learning by location type.

Descriptives
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Urban 2234 3.8133 .77882 .01648 3.7810 3.8456 1 5
Rural 2675 3.7353 .79647 .01540 3.7051 3.7655 1 5
Mountainous 418 3.5415 .90500 .04426 3.4545 3.6285 1 5
Total 5327 3.7528 .80133 .01098 3.7313 3.7743 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Teacher support for online learning Based on Mean 9.723 2 5324 .000

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 27.653 2 13.826 21.700 .000
Within Groups 3392.299 5324 .637
Total 3419.951 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 18.661 2 1134.599 .000

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

Table 12.

Students’ overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning by location type.

Descriptives
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Lower Bound Upper Bound Minimum Maximum
Urban 2234 3.7405 .79603 .01684 3.7075 3.7735 1 5
Rural 2675 3.7562 .78188 .01512 3.7266 3.7859 1 5
Mountainous 418 3.5730 .86688 .04240 3.4896 3.6563 1 5
Total 5327 3.7352 .79608 .01091 3.7139 3.7566 1 5

Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Overall perception of the effectiveness of online learning Based on Mean 10.264 2 5324 .000

ANOVA
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 12.245 2 6.123 9.693 .000
Within Groups 3363.078 5324 .632
Total 3375.324 5326

Robust Tests of Equality of Means
Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 8.306 2 1143.310 .000

a. Asymptotically F distributed.

2. Experimental Design, Materials and Methods

The COVID-19 pandemic has globally affected all aspects of life, including education [10]. Many countries have had to change their education strategies and plans, including shifting from face-to-face learning to online learning to ensure safety for students, educators as well as wider communities [11]. The large-scale, long-term implications of online learning are unprecedented. This highlights the significance of data on online learning to help define appropriate steps to respond to the pandemic and similar situations in the future [2,7].

This dataset was one outcome of a research project conducted to propose an adaptive educational model for schools in the context of a pandemic. The main data collection tool was a questionnaire developed by the research team based on the Online Education Framework and Theories [9] and an extensive review of studies on online education and influencing factors in the context of education in the pandemic (such as [1,3,4,6,8,11,12]). The questionnaire considered Vietnam's practical school settings and was validated with expert judgements and piloted before being implemented on a large scale. It focused on the practical experience of Vietnamese students in online learning, factors influencing their online learning conditions, and teachers’ pedagogical and assessment modalities used in online teaching strategies. The targeted research participants were school students in Grades 6 to 9 – These grades are the last level of compulsory education in the Vietnamese educational system and serve as an important learning period before students decide to pursue further education or work. To ensure the currency and validity of the data collection tool, the questionnaire was informed by a literature review and consulted with experts. It was then adapted into the format of an online survey with a combination of mandatory and optional questions to be administered on Google Forms. The questionnaire was piloted on 80 students and revised for wording and number of items before being distributed to local Departments of Education and Training to seek approval for being administered on a large scale. The questionnaire has high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.954.

Five provinces were chosen for the survey, namely Ha Noi, Nam Dinh, Quang Binh, Dak Lak, and Can Tho. These provinces are representative of Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam and experienced heavy school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 50 public schools from the provinces participated in the survey, representing schools with different closure and online teaching policies and schools from different locality types, namely rural, urban, and mountainous schools. Participation from each school, on average, was about 100 students in Grade 6 to Grade 9. The project information and consent forms were sent to students’ parents via class teachers. After parents’ consent was received, the online link to the survey was distributed directly to students. Reminders were sent one week later via class teachers who acted as a communication channel between the research team, students, and parents. A total of 6,380 responses were collected, 1,053 of which were removed due to systemic missing data. The response rate was 83.4%, which was a good response rate considering the survey was conducted online and on a voluntary basis. 5,327 responses were analysed using IBM SPSS Version 25.

Ethics Statements

The procedure for conducting this research was approved and monitored by the Ethics Committee of the Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences (the ethics approval number- B2021-VKG-01.GRANTED).The procedure for collecting data strictly adhered to the ethical guidelines and regulations of the committee in charge. Students, class teachers, and parents were informed of the research and provided parents’ consent before students’ responses were collected.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Dien Thi Bui: Methodology, Writing – original draft, Supervision. Thuy Thi Nhan: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. Hue Thi Thu Dang: Methodology, Writing – review & editing. Trang Thi Thu Phung: Software, Data curation, Validation.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank all the educational managers, teachers, and students who participated in this research.

This article is part of Project “A responsive educational model for schools in Vietnam”, Code: B2021-VKG-01 funded by the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training according to Decision 3813/QD-BGDĐT.

Data Availability

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Associated Data

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Data Availability Statement


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