Online Learning is a Rollercoaster: Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities Navigate the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Learning disability quarterly Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 166 - 179
• Main Authors: Goegan, Lauren D., Le, Lily, Daniels, Lia M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.08.2023; SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Academic Accommodations (Disabilities); Barriers; College students; COVID-19; Distance learning; Electronic Learning; Emotional Response; Foreign Countries; Higher education; Interaction; Learning Disabilities; Learning environment; Medical research; Online Courses; Pandemics; People with disabilities; Persistence; Resilience (Psychology); Student Adjustment; Student Attitudes; Student Experience; Students; Students with Disabilities; Teaching; Undergraduate Students; Canada; COVID-19; phenomenology; learning disabilities; postsecondary education; undergraduate; online learning
• ISSN: 0731-9487; 2168-376X
• DOI: 10.1177/07319487221090912

Most of what researchers know about the challenges students with learning disabilities (LDs) experience during postsecondary education is based on experiences during face-to-face learning on campus. Less is known about challenges students with LD face during learning online—the mode of instruction students had to navigate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of our research was to examine the lived experience of undergraduate students with LD during their first full semester of online instruction as a result of the pandemic. We interviewed six students in Western Canada and used a phenomenological approach to analyze their experiences. Overall, we extracted six main themes from their interviews. Two of these themes, (a) the broad impact of having LD and (b) accommodations during COVID-19, were specific to being a student with LD. The remaining four themes were more generally related to their overall student experience: (c) online learning is different, (d) the role of others, (e) emotional impact, and (f) resilience and perseverance. We discuss these results in terms of recommendations for future research and teaching in online learning environments.