Is it better to learn in the virtual or in-person mode? Perceptions of students at a public university in Peru

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the differences in perceptions of learning in virtual and in-person modalities experienced during and after the COVID-19 pandemic in a group of pre-service teachers at the National University of the Altiplano (Puno - Peru). The method used was the hypothetical-deductive approach, of a descriptive nature, with an intrinsic comparative design, and data collection was conducted cross-sectionally. The sample consisted of 116 students from the fifth to the tenth semester during the academic period of 2022-II. A validated instrument with an internal consistency of 0.978 on the Cronbach's alpha was employed. Data processing was carried out using descriptive statistics and Student's t-tests to determine significant differences. The results reveal the presence of significant differences in the perception of learning between virtual and in-person modalities, with an average score of 3.20 and 2.88, respectively, on a scale of 1 to 4. The study suggests that students in public universities tend to lean toward in-person learning, while students in private universities tend to gravitate more toward virtual learning. In conclusion, these findings imply that, at least during the academic period of 2022-II at this institution, students experienced more effective and satisfying learning in the in-person modality. This could be attributed to several factors, such as direct interaction with teachers and peers, access to physical resources on the university campus, and greater structure in in-person classes.