A study by the University of Macau (UM) showed that the number of negative opinions towards online teaching expressed by Weibo users the Chinese social network equivalent to Twitter rose from 4.6 per cent before the pandemic to 51.6 per cent.

The percentage of Weibo users with neutral opinions about online teaching dropped to 33.04 per cent while negative opinions increased to 51.6 per cent, during the pandemic and with different outbreaks, according to the Study Monitoring of the Public Opinion on Online Teaching during Covid-19 in China.

The publics perceptions of online teaching were, before the pandemic, mostly neutral (79 per cent) and only 4.6 had a negative perception, the study pointed out.

In the event of an outbreak of covid-19, with measures of confinement and suspension of face-to-face classes, adopted in China, the number of topics on the Chinese social network reflected widespread concern about schools, teachers, students and curricula.

For example, the main topic in that [outbreak] period included terms like prevention and control, pandemic and China, reflecting a close relationship between online teaching and the external environment. The second topic was more related to online teaching users, teachers and students, indicated the research.

Thirdly, the most common topic was related to personal disposition and growth, while in fourth there were school-related issues such as homework, course, among others, he added.

On the other hand, in outbreaks, the negative opinion of women about online education increased from 5.5 per cent to 19.1 per cent and the situation did not go down much beyond the situation (16.2 per cent).

Comparatively, men seemed to maintain a positive view of online teaching, regardless of the stages. Women with a negative view of online teaching during an outbreak was nearly twice as high as men, the study described.

The director of the UM Education Research Center, Zhou Mingming, told Lusa that students of all levels of education in Macau use the teaching platform recommended by schools without difficulty and most are able to participate in virtual classes.

However, parents are concerned about issues such as childrens self-regulation and whether virtual classes will be as effective as face-to-face learning. Some parents are required to supervise virtual classes and homework, she added.

Due to the outbreaks of covid-19, online education has increased in China, which has 176 million students, up to the age of 18, leading to a development of tools for virtual teaching, with the Internet registering about 800 million Chinese users, according to the study.

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Macau study shows rise in negative opinions towards online teaching - Macau Business