PUBLIC PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

ABSTRACT

The study examined public perception on the effect of covid-19 pandemic on the academic performance of student. The objective of the study was to examine the public perception on the effect of covid-19 pandemic on academic performance of student; to investigate the effect of social distancing on student attitude to class attendance; to examine higher institution student’s attitudes toward learning during COVID-19 pandemic and to examine the perceived challenges of applying e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic. The cross sectional research design was adopted for this study. 383 copies of questionnaire were distributed to 383 students in the University of Benin. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count, percentages and mean, with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 24.0. The empirical result revealed that agreed that student are open to learn about new things regarding online learning; that online learning would improve my learning process and that that learners will most likely face internet connectivity problems, accessing classes, and downloading courses’ materials problems and that online learning and teaching in Nigeria requires improvement to be done. The study recommends that Schools should provide platforms for online learning with easy access and usage for students. Also, Colleges of Education should collaborate with non-governmental agencies to provide students with electronic devices that they can use to easily access the internets and that there is need for government and institutions to adopt and institutionalize elearning which will help to close the gap in school emergency situations. Keywords: online learning, COVID-19 pandemic, public perception, academic performance