Determinants of undergraduate academic achivement and satisfaction with online learning during the covid 19 pandemic

1 E-learning system model Source: Dieu and Nghe 2017 2.1.3 Student satisfaction 2.1.3.1 Definitions During the covid-19 epidemic, it can be said that online learning is the most effect

DO THI HUE DETERMINANTS OF UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ACHIVEMENT AND SATISFACTION WITH ONLINE LEARNING

DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

GRADUATE THESIS OUTLINE MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

CODE: 7340101

SUPERVISOR

Dr PHAM HUONG DIEN

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2021

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING THE STATE BANK OF VIET NAM

BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

DO THI HUE DETERMINANTS OF UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ACHIVEMENT AND SATISFACTION WITH ONLINE LEARNING

DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

GRADUATE THESIS OUTLINE MAJOR: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

CODE: 7340101

SUPERVISOR

Dr PHAM HUONG DIEN

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2021

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING THE STATE BANK OF VIET NAM

BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

Abstract

This study aims to uncover the key factors that affect undergraduate academic achievement and satisfaction with online learning during the covid – 19 pandemics The author focusses on these factors such as technology, learning methods, tuition fee, materials quality which regarded as student’s concern A bilingual questionnaire in both English and Vietnamese was sent with the sample size of around 500 students belong to different universities in Ho Chi Minh city, especially the banking university After collecting a big database and analyzing through SPSS software, the result reveals that 7 variables including learning methods, safety, technology, fee, learning environment, support and interaction have a significant and positive impact on student’s satisfaction This study has both theoretical and practical contributions for the future development of Viet Nam education This research not only provides a solid foundation for following similar studies but also helps students to find out the best way to study online learning effectively Furthermore, this research also offers implications for governments and institutional universities to improve the quality of online learning methods

DECLARATION

I declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that it has not been submitted, in whole or in part, in any previous application for a degree Except where states otherwise by reference or acknowledgment, the work presented is entirely my own The work was done under the guidance of Dr Pham Huong Dien

at the Banking university, Viet Nam

Thesis’s Author

Do Thi Hue

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Throughout the writing of this dissertation, I have received a great deal of support and assistance I would first like to thank my supervisor, Dr Pham Huong Dien, whose expertise was invaluable in formulating the research questions and methodology Your insightful feedback pushed me to sharpen my thinking and brought my work to a higher level In addition, I would like to express my gratitude

to examiners who spending time evaluating my thesis Finally, thanks for all institutions of banking university have created opportunities and facilities for me to conduct the research

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4 1 Demographic and basic information of respondents 30 Table 4 2 The reliability of the scale 34 Table 4 3 Exploratory Factor Analysis – EFA 35 Table 4 4 Excluded variables 36 Table 4 5 Exploratory factor analysis KMO and Bartlett's Test _ 37 Table 4 6 Eigenvalues and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) _ 37 Table 4 7 KMO and Bartlett's Test for Dependent variable SAT 38 Table 4 8 Total Variance Explained 39 Table 4 9 Pearson correlation _ 40 Table 4 10 Linear Model Barley’s Summary _ 41 Table 4 11 Check the fit of the linear regression model ANOVAa _ 42 Table 4 12 The regression results 42 Table 4 13 T-test for Gender and Satisfaction factor 44

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2 1 E-learning system model 13 Figure 2 2 Five components of the service quality scale Servqual 15 Figure 2 3 Research model 20

Figure 3 1 Research flow chart 27

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS TABLE

Number Symbols Detail name

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 The necessity of the topic 1

1.2 Objectives and Questions 2

1.3 Research subjects and Scope 2

1.4 Research methods 2

1.5 Research significance 3

1.6 Thesis structure 3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 Concepts and Definitions 5

2.1.1 Learning theories 5

2.1.2 Online learning during the epidemic season 7

2.1.3 Student satisfaction 13

2.2 Previous empirical studies 15

2.3 Research model 19

CHAPTER 3 THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 27

3.1 Research process 27

3.2 Research methods 28

3.2.1 Qualitative approach 28

3.2.2 Quantitative approach 28

3.3 Sample description 28

3.4 Survey design 29

3.4.1 Scale applied in survey 29

3.4.2 The questionnaire designs 29

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS 30

4.1 Descriptive statistic 30

4.2 Testing the reliability of Cronbach's Alpha scale 34

4.3 Exploratory Factor Analysis – EFA 35

4.3.1 Independent variables 35

4.3.2 Dependent variable SAT 38

4.4 Pearson correlation analysis 39

4.5 Multivariate regression analysis 41

4.6 Robust check 43

4.6.1 T-Test for Gender and Satisfaction factor 43

4.6.2 One-way anova test for universities and satisfaction factor 44

4.6.3 One-way anova test for school year and satisfaction factor 45

4.6.4 One-way anova test for learning device and satisfaction factor 45

4.6.5 One-way anova test for learning software and satisfaction factor 45

4.7 Discussion 46

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION 48

5.1 Implications 48

5.2 Limitation of the study and directions for future research 52

5.2.1 Limitations 52

5.2.2 Future research 52

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

In this section, the author will give brief evidence about the importance of the topic Furthermore, the author also provides background information about the research such as research object, research scope, research questions and research methods

1.1 The necessity of the topic

Covid-19 pandemic have a profound effect not only on economic but also on education The Vietnamese governments have also decided to keep schools closed after the Lunar New Year break to prevent the spread of covid-19 pandemic That is the reason why the school institutions have to replace the traditional learning method to online-learning platform Although, e-learning is not novel, students are still familiar with offline class Consequently, students may be confused to adapt new learning environment When students and schools do not carefully prepare in terms of both material and technological expertise, they have to face many difficulties in applying the online learning method Therefore, this research hopes to find out the factors that affect student’s satisfaction when taking online courses which helps improve service in certain aspects to bring satisfaction about the quality

of teaching as well as supported services Indeed, online learning is gradually becoming popular in some countries around the world But in Vietnam, it only happens when the outbreak of the covid season leads to a social distance, the Vietnamese education system will accept this form of learning for all educational levels, especially university level So, realizing the urgency on the above issue to find out the solutions which helping improve the quality of education, the author decides to conduct the research:

“DETERMINANTS OF UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ACHIVEMENT AND SATISFACTION WITH ONLINE LEARNING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.”

1.2 Objectives and Questions

_ Firstly, the research objective is to find the decisive factors which affecting student’s satisfaction

_ Secondly, the research also measures the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable

_ Lastly, the research gives timely improvements during the covid-19 season

so that students can have effective studying hours to achieve high academic results Therefore, this research attempts to answer the following questions:

What are the factors affecting student’s satisfaction and performance in the

1.3 Research subjects and Scope

The research subjects are students who are actually experiencing online classes during the covid-19 epidemic season

The scope of the study: The research focuses on the students who are studying

in some universities at Ho Chi Minh city such as The Banking University, The Economic university and Ho Chi Minh university of Technology and Education

1.4 Research methods

The research combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods After studying the underlying theory, basing on previous studies and actual observations to build a research model Next, the author will conduct a survey and collect data through google questionnaires software And then, using SPSS software

to analyze and give the results

1.6 Thesis structure

Chapter 1: Introduction

In this section, the author will give brief evidence about the importance of the topic Furthermore, the author also provides background information about the research such as research object, research scope, research questions and research methods

Chapter 2: Literature review

In this chapter 2, the author will focus on learning about the theoretical overview and related previous studies This step plays an important role in helping the author better understand the concept and research area, which helps to provide theoretical frameworks or theoretical basis The study gives theories related to the online learning model, disrupted education, student’s satisfaction and a number of previous studies related to online learning

Chapter 3: The research methodology

After having a solid theoretical foundation, the author proceeds to build a research model and research methods In this section, the author also provides information about the stages in the research process and detailed questionnaires to conduct the survey

Chapter 4: Data analysis

The study is analyzed through SPSS software In addition, this chapter focuses

on building measurement scales in research and methods to assess the reliability of the scale through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analysis EFA After the factor analysis is completed, the theoretical model will be calibrated according to the results of factor analysis and continued to analyze multiple linear regression The research results will show the impact of the independent variables

on the dependent variable, the correlation relationship between the variables, and compare the differences between the observed variables Finally, there is a discussion of the results of the data analysis

Chapter 5: Conclusion

In this last chapter, based on the previous analysis results, the author will make recommendations to improve and enhance students' satisfaction with online learning platform Moreover, the author also points out the limitations of the research and gives a future vision, the contributions that the research brings to society

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter 2, the author will focus on learning about the theoretical overview and related previous studies This step plays an important role in helping the author better understand the concept and research area, which helps to provide theoretical frameworks or theoretical basis The study gives theories related to the online learning model, disrupted education, student’s satisfaction and a number of previous studies related to online learning

2.1 Concepts and Definitions

2.1.1 Learning theories

Online training (E-Learning) plays an increasingly important role in the development of education and training, especially in the era of industrial revolution 4.0 Online education in its various modes has been growing steadily worldwide due

to the confluence of new technologies, global adoption of the Internet, and intensifying demand for a workforce trained periodically for the ever-evolving digital economy (Shailendra Palvia, 2018) Effective teaching and learning are always a top concern for teachers and learners For teachers, learning theories help teachers determine the capacity of learners to orient and choose appropriate teaching methods For learners, learning theories help learners understand their own abilities so that they can choose effective learning methods In terms of learning definitions, Schunk (2020) wrote in his book that “learning is an enduring change in behavior, or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion, which results from practice or other forms of experience” He also added that learning “involves acquiring and modifying knowledge, skills, strategies, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors” and that “people learn cognitive, behavioral, linguistic, motor, and social skills” Comprehensive understanding of learning definitions which leads educational researchers to establish learning theories So, Lefrançois (2019) wrote that the aim of learning theory is to “systematize and organize what is known about

human learning” He argued that a robust learning theory seeks to explain behavior,

to anticipate it and even to shape or change learner behaviors

Here are some learning theories cited from highly authoritative articles:

_ Behaviorism learning theory: Behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning which states that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment through a process called conditioning (Saul, 2020) Taking an actual example to explain more about behaviorism is positive reinforcement When students receive encouragement or rewards from teachers, they will tend to put in their best efforts to achieve high academic achievement Conversely the student who receives no praise is experiencing negative reinforcement, they can easily give up and have negative thoughts

_ Cognitive Load Theory (CLT): This theory focuses on the way people thinking It’s the theory that’s all about understanding human thought and how the brain responds as people learn (Daniel Brown, 2019) The original development of the CLT is credited to Educational Psychologist, Jean Piaget Coined this term in

1936, Piaget developed the CLT to suggest that knowledge is actively constructed

by learners, based on previously-learned knowledge (Jackman, 2020) Daniel Brown (2019) also added that “Cognitive learning strategies aim to improve a learner’s ability to process information in a deeper way” Cognition encourages students to “think about their thinking” as a means to help them uncover a concept

or subject they struggle with or remain into long- term memories

_ Constructivism learning theory: This theory tends to draw their own learning from previous valuable experiences Constructivism was defined as “an approach to learning that people actively construct or make their own knowledge and that reality

is determined by the experiences of the learner” (Elliott, et al., 1993) So, learners can absorb new knowledge on the foundations of their existing knowledge (Saul Mcleod, 2019) They help them create their own process and reality, based on their

own past It not only helps store old knowledge but also expand more deeper- insight understanding about lessons

2.1.2 Online learning during the epidemic season

2.1.2.1 Covid-19 pandemic seriously affects education

Nowadays, the world has witnessed a catastrophe of epidemics which affecting all aspects of residential life and all walks of life, especially interrupting the process of education The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) The virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, however the reasons which lead to disastrous have remained a controversial debate As of 31 May 2021, more than 170 million cases have been confirmed, with more than 3.54 million confirmed deaths attributed to COVID-19, making it one of the deadliest pandemics

in history (Wikipedia, 2021) The virus’s symptoms are respiratory and seem to start with a fever, cough, and shortness of breath gradually However, it can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and death in serious cases Vietnam’s health ministry has further stated that the fatality rate of the virus is 2 percent as compared to the 9.6 percent of the SARS virus in 2002-2003 (Dezan Shira and Associates staffs, 2021) People remain contagious for up to 20 days, and can spread the virus even if they do not develop any symptoms Even though Viet Nam is not the country which suffered the most damages compared to other nations such as USA, Japan, Indian, Korea, this outbreak has also brough a lot of losses Currently, although many countries have developed vaccines to prevent epidemics,

it is still difficult to control the epidemic due to the potentially powerful variation of the virus Despite all resources employed to counteract the spreading of the virus, additional global strategies are needed to handle the related mental health, economic and education issues

It is undeniable that Vietnam is one of the few countries that has largely succeeded in controlling the outbreak because the governments have issued regulations on epidemic prevention immediately such as keeping distance, wearing mask and health measurement However, in some serious periods of pandemic when the virus is spreading rapidly and out of control, the governments enforce some policies to halt the disease including outbreak announcements, medical measures, blockade of the schools, social isolation, financial supports, and other measures (Anh, et al., 2021) As the result, most governments have decided to temporarily close educational institutions in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 At its peak, more than 188 countries, encompassing around 91% of enrolled learners worldwide, closed their schools to try to contain the spread of the virus (UNESCO, 2021) Similarly, school closing may also affect students because of the disruption

of teacher and students’ networks, leading to poor performance The related stressors that included economic stressors, effects on daily-life, and academic delays were positively associated with the level of anxiety symptoms (Wenjun Cao, Ziwei Fang, and Guoqiang Hou, 2020) There are also some adverse consequences of school closures for disadvantaged children and their families, causing interrupted learning, compromised nutrition, childcare problems, and consequent economic cost to families who could not work (UNESCO, 2019) Because Vietnam is just a developing country, medical facilities are still lacking compared to other countries, so it is difficult to fully support in terms of equipment

COVID-19-In response to school closures, UNESCO has recommended the use of distance learning programs that schools and teachers can use to reach learners remotely and limit the disruption of education Additionally, UNESCO also guides

on distance learning solutions support the efficacy of learning experience (UNESCO, 2020) However, this massive and mandatory shift has been accompanied by a global surge of research production on various aspects of the emergency remote and online education dictated by the pandemic in order to find

out the most effective solutions for learning improvement That's also one of the reasons why research was born

2.1.2.2 E-learning methods

Although online learning may not be novel with many developed countries in the world, Vietnamese educations have a lot in favors of traditional learning methods A report from Cyber Universities in 2018 showed that 80 percent of universities in the US used online training The figure was 90 percent in Singapore

In Vietnam, online education has only been used by schools since the Covid-19 epidemic broke out and students have stayed off school (Linh, 2020) The development of technology in the 4.0 era has contributed to changing the trend of global education Researchers are constantly exploring and applying technology to teaching methods to make lessons more engaging For example, the advent of computers and the internet has brought a global library to help students expand their knowledge and integrate into the world quickly The origin of online learning is also

an evolution in technology The origin of distance education was in the mid-1990s with the spread of the internet and the World Wide Web However, one of the first instances of online learning in the world can be traced back to 1960, at the University of Illinois, USA (Sarkar, 2020) Most of this learning method is only popular with developed countries with strengths in technology and facilities such as the US, France, Germany, etc It helps students in remote areas to have access to Education background and homeschooling methods

The term e-learning has been widely used in education for several decades (Byoung-Chan Lee, 2009) There are various definitions of online learning According to Engelbrecht (2004), e-learning is the process of delivery of teaching materials through an electronic media such as internet, Intranet, extranet, satellite broadcast, audio/video tape, interactive TV and CD-ROM and learning anywhere and anytime Simply, online learning refers to learning and other supportive resources that are available through a computer (Carliner, 2004) In terms of other

view, William Horton provides a succinct definition of e-learning: “E-learning is the use of information and computer technologies to create learning experiences” (Horton, 2006, p 39) Besides, other researchers have different perspectives of online learning platforms which as “ E-learning incorporates numerous tools that provide academic institutions efficient and effective ways to store, manage, share its academic resources and knowledge and supplement their traditional way of teaching” (Rashida, n.d.) Indira Dhull and Sakshi had conducted the research about online learning and they defined this as “a range of technologies such as the worldwide web, email, chat, new groups and texts, audio and video conferencing delivered over computer networks to impart education” (Sakshi, 2017)

Like any other educational technology, there are many advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of e-learning (A Schroeder, 2010) Although e-learning helps to build social relationships among learners, promote self-regulated learning, develop strong collaboration among learners and between learners and instructors, and improve problem-solving skills (Manuela Paechter & Brigitte Maier, 2010) Especially, currently, due to the covid-19 pandemic, it is impossible

to continue a traditional learning method As a result, in order to ensure the health

of the community and not disrupt the process of learning, e-learning is considered

as the most effective solution Due to its convenience and flexibility, the resources are available from anywhere and at any time (Smedley, 2010) In this regard, Rudy (2007) enumerated some of the advantages, which include lack of dependence on time limitations, the ability to ask questions freely and the access to materials at any place According to the research about Students' Attitudes towards Web-based Independent Learning, these authors supposed that “All the positive changes in students’ attitudes towards taking responsibility for their own learning can be interpreted as initial steps in the development of learner autonomy.” (Pekel, 2002)

So, instead of receiving direct instruction from teachers, students have the opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge on their own that also leads to absorb independence in study In an interview about online training during the Industrial

Revolution 4.0, master Truong Tien Tung said that with e-learning, we also build two skills including organizing time or personalizing the plan and realizing multi-task with smart means (computer, phone, television, etc.) (Tung, 2017) Even though the potential benefits of e-learning may be significant, there are a number limitations and challenges to e-learning practices that cannot be ignored It is indisputable that e-learning can break the barrier of geographical distance but online learning is not effective in terms of direct interaction between students and teachers

In the same way, Valentina Arkorful argued that E-learning as a method of education makes the learners undergo contemplation, remoteness, as well as lack of interaction or relation (Arkorful, 2014) For example, in the lessons, there are issues that need to be discussed, which is difficult to communicate from a distance and easily leads to misunderstandings Additionally, E-learning generally requires a high upfront cost, new pedagogical skills, and learners’ self-discipline and motivation (Cantoni et al.,2004) Tung also commented on the difficulty of applying e-learning because of the volume of technology investment (Tung, 2017) Because technology is usually outdated and changes very quickly, it is necessary to find ways to continue investing the new ones or repairing and updating This is a huge barrier and challenge Moreover, it is also easy to lead to an unsafe situation about the level of information security Security issues such as cyber-attacks and hacking

to e-learning systems are of concern to the learners and service providers (Levy, 2006) In administering online tests, authenticating test-takers is one of the major challenges due to the inability to directly monitor the exam takers Accordingly, in the research about advantages and disadvantages e-learning adoption, Valentina Arkorful remarked that “since tests for assessments in e-learning are possibly done with the use of proxy, it will be difficult, if not impossible to control or regulate bad activities like cheating (Arkorful, 2014) Despite these weaknesses, e-learning systems have become an essential part of delivering the modern university curriculum (Manuela Paechter & Brigitte Maier, 2010), especially during a sudden outbreak of the covid-19 disease Although this sudden change because of covid-19

pandemic puts a lot of pressure on educational institutions because the lack of preparation, no training and in sufficient bandwidth, it is also a good opportunity to develop a distance education system for developing countries like Vietnam Wang Tao who is the Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Vice President of Tencent Education shared in an interview that “I believe that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated and that online education will eventually become an integral component of school education” (Cathy Li & Farah Lalani, 2020)

2.1.2.3 E-learning system model

There is no doubt that the e-learning system connects the teacher and learners through a learning management center (LMS), all thanks to the integration of modern technology The system not only uses remote teaching software such as face-to-face machines, but also builds an education management system Currently, there are many universities that combine online learning and traditional learning in study programs However, online learning is only created as a learning aid such as providing video lectures or evaluating learning performance with online tests Therefore, in order to get a complete online education program, universities also have to be interested in investing in technology such as improving software to be able to manage remotely as well as enhance the quality of online learning for students Here is the structure of a basic model (Dieu & Nghe, 2017):

Figure 2 1 E-learning system model

Source: Dieu and Nghe (2017)

2.1.3 Student satisfaction

2.1.3.1 Definitions

During the covid-19 epidemic, it can be said that online learning is the most effective method for students to continue their study program Student’s satisfaction about online learning plays an important role in achieving the highest results in learning Education is a process that crystallizes the intellectual quintessence of humanity, learners need to make an effort and motivation achieve high results In addition to their own efforts, there are many other aspects that contribute to student satisfaction Initially, there are a variety of definitions of student’s satisfactions The Oxford Dictionary (2007) defines satisfaction as “a feeling of achievement.” In an academic context, satisfaction refers to a feeling of adequacy that the students experience through their interaction with school environment Susan Aldridge & Jennifer Rowley (1998) interpreted that the excellent quality of education provides better learning environment and opportunities and the levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction strongly affect the student’s success or failure of learning performance The satisfaction of students with the education in general and online

learning in particular is very much interested and explored by experts Thus, IMS Weerasinghe and R L Fernando (2017) defines students’ satisfaction as a short-term attitude resulting from an evaluation of students’ educational experience, services and facilities Nowadays, much of the demand for a university education is serving economic purposes, so the student is also seen as a customer who is experiencing educational services Universities are very interested in improving student satisfaction about the quality services they provide in order to attract more students to enroll Customers will satisfy when services fit with their expectation (Lucas, et al., 2006) According to Rodie and Klein (2000) posited that if an institution possesses fundamental educational facilities with effective teaching and training staff, the student will most likely be more motivated, loyal and good performers in their academic As the result, student’s satisfaction plays an essential role in education So, institutes and educational researchers have to determine which factors affecting on their satisfaction to help them improve the result of academic performance

2.1.3.2 The link between student satisfaction and learning performance

It can be found that the positive relationship between student’s satisfaction and learning outcomes According to the research about the study also finds that satisfaction promotes both academic achievement and student retention (Mahad & Nor h, 2016) The relationship between student’s satisfaction and academic performance is important in contemporary higher education, attracting much attention by teaching practitioners and academics because it may reinforce powerful synergies at work in students’ educational experience

2.1.3.3 Servperf model about satisfaction

Education is now also seen as a service industry as schools are constantly changing and improving their curriculum and facilities to enhance student satisfaction However, it is difficult to measure the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction Servperf model was born to evaluate the factors

of service quality affecting customer satisfaction (Sanjay K Jain & Garima Gupta, 2004)

Source: Sanjay K Jain & Garima Gupta (2004) However, this model may not be suitable for research because there are both internal and external factors which participating in this research Not only does it take on the one side that schools and teachers provide educational services, but it also has student who plays an equally important role in the results of the study Therefore, using the servperf model to analyze the factors that affect student satisfaction in the form of online learning may not bring the desired exact results

2.2 Previous empirical studies

When the idea of e-learning was born and applied to reality, a lot of research have been conducted to improve learning efficiency Most studies focused on how students feel about this modern technology learning model such as acceptance, academic attitude or quality of education and learning software There have not yet the research focusing on analyzing the factors affecting student satisfaction with online learning, especially in an epidemic environment when students are required

to switch from traditional learning methods to new forms of learning The sudden

Figure 2 2 Five components of the service quality scale Servqual

change and in the context of the world is facing the disastrous epidemic, many factors change and affect the learning efficiency as well as the teaching process Here are some previous studies and the results of the study process:

Firstly, the research about “Students’ adoption of e-learning in emergency situation: The case of a Vietnamese university during COVID-19” was written by Nguyen Thi Thao Ho and other authors Thao and other authors (2020) stated that this study concentrated on looking for these factors which affect the students’ acceptance of e-learning during the Covid-19 period by using a technology acceptance model (TAM) The results of the structural model show that computer self-efficacy (CSE) has a positive impact on perceived ease of use (PEOU) There is also a positive relationship between system interactivity (SI) and PEOU Surprisingly, the authors documented that PEOU has no significant impact on students’ attitudes (ATT) The results show that SI can moderately affect ATT Finally, it is noted that the social factor (SF) directly affects the student’s attitudes (ATT) However, it also contains some limitation which may be not suitable in specific situation For example, the sample of this study just focuses on undergraduate programs in just two universities of Viet Nam Furthermore, their findings are generated within the context of one type of e-learning, conducted via Google Meet, so it will not be possible to express a different opinion when the program is improved on many software

Secondly, Babar Zaheer Butta and Kashif ur Rehmanb had researched about topic “A study examining the student’s satisfaction in higher education” Babar and Kashif (2010) supposed that the study focuses on the factors like teachers’ expertise, courses offered, learning environment and classroom facilities The results of regression analysis reveal that all attributes have significant and positive impact on students’ satisfaction in higher education though with varying degree of strength However, teachers’ expertise is the most influential factor among all the variables, therefore it requires special attention of the policymakers and institutes

Thirdly, the research about “Online learning performance and satisfaction: do perceptions and readiness matter.” was conducted by Huei-Chuan Wei & Chien Chou Huei-Chuan Wei and Chien Chou (2020) commented that after giving questionnaires for 356 undergraduate students and analyzing the data, the results showed that students’ computer/Internet self-efficacy for online learning readiness had a mediated effect not only on online learning perceptions and online discussion score but also on online learning perceptions and course satisfaction

There have been many previous studies on online learning, but most of them are foreign studies Therefore, the learning environment and human subjects are completely different from the context in Vietnam Moreover, the study wants to find out new things in the unexpected situation because of the covid epidemic, in which Vietnamese education is forced to switch from the traditional form of learning to the application of online learning technology Vietnam is a developing country, so the condition of facilities such as technology has not been advanced compared to developed countries, so it faces many difficulties

The study considers previous models and inherits some observed variables Below are some of previous modeling:

According to Babar Zaheer Butta and Kashif ur Rehmanb had researched about topic “A study examining the student’s satisfaction in higher education” They build the theoretical framework including some important educational services like teachers’ expertise, courses offered, learning environment and classroom facilities which can affect the student satisfaction with the quality of education offered by different private and public sector universities in Pakistan The conceptual framework of student satisfaction with different educational services is presented here

The conceptual framework of the study and reviewed literature suggest some imperative relationship between different educational offerings and students satisfaction On the basis of such evidence following hypotheses are developed: H1: Teachers Expertise is positively related to students’ satisfaction

H2: Courses Offered is positively related to students’ satisfaction

H3: Learning Environment is positively related to students’ satisfaction

H4: Classroom Facilities is positively related to students’ satisfaction

Moreover, the research about “DETERMINANTS OF STUDENT SATISFACTION IN ONLINE TUTORIAL: A STUDY OF A DISTANCE EDUCATION INSTITUTION” was written by Meirani HARSASI and Adrian SUTAWIJAYA

H1: Course structure will positively influence student satisfaction

H2: Online tutorials flexibility will positively influence student satisfaction H3: Online tutorials quality will positively influence student satisfaction H4: Technology quality will positively influence student satisfaction

2.3 Research model

After consulting some previous studies and practical experiences in the process of online learning during the covid epidemic season, several factors can be viewed as considerations for student’s satisfaction about the covid-19 pandemic:

Figure 2 3 Research model

Source: Self-illustrated author Based on some previous research models by different authors, the author has inherited the factors that affect students' satisfaction about online learning, and at the same time a research model is built, according to current actual conditions in Vietnam In this model, it shows that students' satisfaction about online learning is influenced by two environments including internal and external factors External factors are in terms of schools and teachers such as learning methods, safety, cost, support, interaction, technology, environment Internal factors are in terms of students themselves such as technical skills, self-disciplined, financial background The question is how do these factors affect students' satisfaction about online learning?

Learning methods: In many cases, the result of emergency online learning was

a substantial compromise to the quality of the learning experience (DeVaney, J., Shimshon, G., Rascoff, M., & Maggioncalda, J , 2020) Teaching and learning methods can be very different from traditional forms of learning Beyond the goal

of improved student learning, improved teaching methods may have important implications for student retention (Anon., n.d.) (Rebecca Komarek & Angela R Bielefeldt, 2015) Educational activities create service quality through the capacity, professional qualifications of teaching, knowledge, enthusiasm of staff, teachers and ability to make students trust to choose products and services (Nguyen , 2018) This suggest that when lecturers apply teaching methods suitable for online learning and study materials are provided adequately, students will feel more satisfied with the quality of service and improved learning outcomes Thus, the first hypothesis of this study was formulated:

H1: Does “Learning methods” of online learning affect positively on student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Safety: Currently, while the vaccine is still in research, an epidemic can emerge at any time without tight control Therefore, online learning is gradually being applied more widely so as to ensure safety and avoid community Nowadays, the priority is to ensure the safety and progress of the educational process (Anner Mahmoud Sindiani and other authors, 2020) The more students feel safe about their health status during the alarming epidemic situation, the more they satisfy with online learning, focusing 100% on learning to achieve high academic performance Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated for this study:

re-H2: Does “Safety” of online learning affect positively on student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Fee: Additionally, Online learning tuition brings a lot of controversy from students and parents When studying at home, they have to pay for electricity, water, internet, but the tuition fee is unchanged The calculation of online teaching fees currently different in each place, where the fee is equal to the tuition fee when teaching face-to-face, while others are doing it freely for students (Chung, 2020) Additionally, Indira Dhull and Sakshi's research also shows that the benefit of e-learning is cost-effectiveness They said that “online Learning is cost effective because less money is spent in travelling and buying books So, these types of learning may be less costly than learning at traditional methods.” (Sakshi, 2017) Moreover, according to Suha Omar of De Montfort University in UK, he investigated about the research which names “The impact of tuition fees on student satisfaction, customer value, service quality and recommendation” Initial results suggested that significant differences exist in evaluations of satisfaction, value and recommendation between groups of students paying varying tuition fees Therefore, these observations suggest that current tuition rates negatively affect student satisfaction Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H3: Does “Fee” of online learning affect negatively on student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Support: The results of Elham Husein, Sumaya Daoud, Husam Alrabaiah and Rawand Badawi (2020) showed that almost 47% of the respondents found this learning method effectively, and the list of positive aspects including location flexibility, accessibility of wideband internet and the availability of technology, time and effort efficiency, while inadequate support from instructors and colleagues was cited as the most challenging hurdle Institutional support (IS) was found to be

an important factor in this study and had the relationship with PE (measure of satisfaction of students) (Maheshwari, G, 2021) Equally important, although online learning is not new, the rapid transformation leads to a lack of preparation in the way it is received Moreover, Vietnamese students have not really experienced much with technology-integrated learning methods, so they may face many

difficulties So, if students get more support mentally and academically from teachers and schools, they can have the best online learning experience Thus, the following hypothesis was formatted:

H4: Does “Support” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Interaction: One of the important components of the lesson is the interaction between the teacher and the students or between the students In addition to receiving one-way lessons from the lecturer, students have the right to ask questions, exchange and give their own opinions or disagree with a point of view Furthermore, Wei and chou supposed that online learning improves the quality and quantity of interaction among students, instructors, and peers through synchronous and asynchronous communicational technologies Student-to-instructor and student-to-student interactions are vital elements in the design of a Web-based course (Fulford & Zhang, 1993; Kumari, 2001; Sherry, 1996) because learners can experience a “sense of community,” enjoy mutual interdependence, build a “sense

of trust,” and have shared goals and values (Davies & Graff, 2005; Rovai, 2002) However, this is a non-direct interaction that can also lead to a lot of difficulties in expressing opinions or can lead to misunderstandings Therefore, if the lecturer creates more opportunities for students to interact in the learning process, leading to good knowledge exploitation, students will achieve high results in learning, bringing satisfaction with online learning Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H5: Does “Interaction” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Technology: The internet and technological devices are two important components of the online learning process Gibson (2010) surveyed the student satisfaction literature and found strong evidence for the effect of physical facilities

on satisfaction Similarly, Helgesen and Nesset (2007) established a significant

relationship between ‘facilities and satisfaction, and Arambewela and Hall (2009) found a positive association between physical infrastructure and satisfaction among international postgraduate business students in Australia Therefore, the technology factor can be considered as one of the essential facilities that contribute to student satisfaction in online learning Therefore, if students are provided with effective and modern teaching support software, students will increase their interest in online learning Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H6: Does “Technology” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Learning Environment: Online learning provides learners a more flexible and convenient learning environment to conduct self-paced and customized learning (Huei-Chuan Wei & Chien Chou) In fact, the changing learning environment also has its advantages and disadvantages However, in the current epidemic situation, learning at home is probably the safest environment for students and the community Educational environment is the physical and mental conditions that affect the educational, learning, training and development activities of learners (Nguyen , 2018) Therefore, the more comfortable the learning environment, the more modern facilities, especially creating a sense of security during the epidemic season, the more satisfaction students feel Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H7: Does “Environment” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Financial background: This is considered as a new factor brought by the author in the research In fact, there have been previous studies on financial factors affecting students' intention to leave school In this regard, Darkenwald & Merriam (1982) and Johnstone & Rivera (1965) stated that External factors such as organizational supports, financial problems, and time constraints have been known

to be crucial obstacles to adults’ participation in learning because adult learners are

associated with various roles in their lives (Darkenwald & Merriam, 1982; Johnstone & Rivera, 1965) It is true not only in traditional adult learning programs but also in online learning programs However, in this study the author wants to consider the financial support from the family for students to continue studying online In fact, in Vietnam, a lot of students have to work part-time to make ends meet and pay tuition fees, but the outbreak of the pandemic has led to layoffs and lack of living expenses Thus, it is hypothesized that if students have financial support from their families, will it help them to be more effective in their online learning experience

H8: Does “Financial background” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Self-disciplined: Self-regulated learning refers to those active and volitional behaviors on the part of individuals to achieve in their learning These behaviors help students to be more active in goal setting, time management, task strategies, environment structuring, and help-seeking (Lucy Barnard-Brak, Valerie Osland Paton and William Y Lan) Accordingly, several studies have investigated self-efficacy beliefs towards tasks such as computers and IS-related behaviors (Compeau & Higgins, 1995; Compeau et al., 1999) It is worth noting that, in the study written by Kuo et al (2013), self-regulated learning did not contribute to students’ course satisfaction In other words, this finding is contrary to previous research that found self-regulation to be a critical variable to student satisfaction Although there are many conflicting opinions about the self-study factor, the author hypothesized that if students have independence in learning, promoting their own inquiry and research, that personality will contribute to good academic results, and positive influence on online learning satisfaction

H9: Does “Self-disciplined” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

Technical skills: Sahin and Shelly (2008) proposed that if students have professional skills in computers and use online technology software, it helps a lot in the learning process and brings satisfaction to the form of online learning Similarly, Kuo et al (2013) indicated that Internet self-efficacy was a good predictor of student satisfaction in an online course Moreover, (Jen-Her, et al (2009) commented that one’s confidence in using a computer properly may play an important role in affecting their self-assessment of the ease of accepting and using

an e-learning system Online learning is implemented through technological devices such as computers and software, so it requires basic technology skills When students have fluent computer skills, it will help students have more effective online lessons Thus, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H10: Does “Technical skills” of online learning affect positively student’s satisfaction and academic achievement during covid-19 epidemic?

After modeling the research hypotheses, hypothesis testing methods are applied to answer the questions in the hypothesis Frequency statistics show the frequency of occurrence of variables of qualitative or quantitative variables and descriptive statistics analysis show the characteristics of the collected data Crouchback ’s Alpha is a statistical test used to assess the reliability of each variant

in the model and make timely corrections to continue in-depth analysis Regression analysis shows the relationship between factors, the level of contribution much, little, no contribution of each independent factor to the change of the dependent variable The data analysis process will give results to answer the questions for the research hypotheses

CHAPTER 3 THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Chapter 3 will present the research methodology A detailed description of the research process including qualitative and quantitative research, and a description of the research sample In this chapter, the author also designs the research model and builds the survey questionnaire

3.1 Research process

Below is the research process from the initial basic steps of proposing a research problem to building a theory and setting up a model Then there is the data processing and analysis of research data to draw conclusions

Figure 3 1 Research flow chart

Source: Self-illustrated author

3.2 Research methods

3.2.1 Qualitative approach

Qualitative research: performed to define concepts research, build questionnaires, scales and collect necessary information related to the research object to serve the quantitative research part The author discusses with professor and refers various previous studies to get opinions from undergraduate who experiencing online learning platform to identify factors they consider to affect their satisfaction Besides, group discussion also explores the scales to measure the research concept

3.2.2 Quantitative approach

Quantitative research: using SPSS software

Stage 1: The topic will conduct a test survey of 40 questionnaires to check the reliability of the scale with Crouchback’s Alpha coefficients to adjust the questionnaire

Stage 2: The research will conduct an empirical survey for 500 students who using e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic However, after collecting the data, some survey questionnaires were rejected due to ineffective evaluation data The survey aims to assess the online learning status of students from universities in Ho Chi Minh City; Testing the reliability of the scale by Crouchback’s Alpha coefficient, using EFA exploratory factor analysis and then regression analysis 4 linear to determine the factors affecting student’s satisfaction in the process of experiencing this new form of online learning

3.3 Sample description

The survey subjects are students who are experiencing online learning during the epidemic season at some universities in Ho Chi Minh City Therefore, the research sample are collected through an online survey The study samples are

originally intended to be about 500, but through the process of surveying and removing non-standard samples, only about 407 samples are remained

3.4 Survey design

3.4.1 Scale applied in survey

A five-point Likert scale which is the most popular type of scale, adopted for analysis Likert scale questions require survey respondents to select their level of agreement to a statement including (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Normal, (4) Agree, (5) Strongly agree

3.4.2 The questionnaire designs

Based on the proposed research model and some previous survey samples, the questionnaire is divided into 2 main parts

Part 1: Basic information about survey subjects

Part 2: Building a questionnaire to assess the level of research subjects' opinions on factors affecting student satisfaction when using the online learning model during the epidemic season according to standard scales

The questionnaire was designed to be completed within about ten minutes The author uses google form to create the form with an easy-to-use interface to shorten the time to complete and sent to respondents quickly The survey questionnaires are sent via social networking sites such as Facebook, zalo and forum pages of some universities Such forms allow the entry of data, which are saved in a text file These text files are subsequently extracted and inputted into an Excel database, for subsequent analysis Initial drafts of the questionnaire are piloted for around 20 students In the next stage, the survey form is edited and 50 samples continue to be sent Finally, the amount of data which collected through the survey is a total of 500 samples

At the end of the last main section of the questionnaire students are invited to make any further comments

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS

Chapter 4 focuses on data processing methods through SPSS software by different testing methods This chapter will also present the contents of descriptive statistical analysis, test the reliability of the scale through Crouchback ’s Alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), regression analysis, test the Hypothesis of the research model, comparing the difference in customer satisfaction assessment

4.1 Descriptive statistic

Sample characteristics by gender, university, education level, and some shared information about online learning such as learning equipment, computer skills, learning software, are presented, according to the table 1 below:

Table 4 1 Demographic and basic information of respondents