The Impact of Virtual Learning On Grade 2 Students' Engagement

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THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ON GRADE 2 STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT
Research Proposal · May 2021

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13842.38089
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THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ON GRADE 2 STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT
IN LIGHT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
by
Anna Hinkley
An Action Research Proposal Presented
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Education
University of the People
May 2021
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 6
Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 6
Reasons for Incorporating Collaborative Learning in IBL ......................................................... 6
Context ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................................ 8
Rationale ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Prior Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 10
Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 11
Significance of the Study .............................................................................................................. 11
LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 13
Students’ Engagement During Virtual Learning .......................................................................... 13
What Impact Does Virtual Learning Have on Student Engagement? ...................................... 14
Collaboration and Inquiry-Based Learning .............................................................................. 15
What Pedagogical Methods Influence Intrinsic Motivation in Online Learning? .................... 15
Impression of ICT and Student Socioeconomic Status ............................................................ 16
Engagement in the Learning Process ........................................................................................ 16
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 17
METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 18
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 18
Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 18

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Study Population ........................................................................................................................... 18
Population Justification............................................................................................................. 19
Intervention ................................................................................................................................... 19
Intervention Plan ....................................................................................................................... 19
Sources of Data ............................................................................................................................. 21
Instrumentation ......................................................................................................................... 21
Research Procedure ....................................................................................................................... 21
Soliciting Participants ............................................................................................................... 22
Informed Consent...................................................................................................................... 22
Data Collection Procedures....................................................................................................... 22
Research Question 1: What Impact does Virtual Learning Have on Grade 2 students’
Engagement in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic? ............................................................. 23
Research Question 2: What Effect do Collaboration and IBL Have on Engagement in a
Virtual Learning Environment? ............................................................................................ 24
Research Question 3: Would Student Agency, Incorporated in IBL, Provoke Intrinsic
Motivation in Grade 2 Students During Virtual Learning? .................................................. 25
Research Question 4: What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on
students’ engagement in virtual learning? ............................................................................ 26
Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................. 26
Considerations During Intervention .......................................................................................... 26
Considerations During Data Collection .................................................................................... 27

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Considerations of Researcher Bias ........................................................................................... 28
Limitations and Challenges....................................................................................................... 28
Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 29
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ........................................................................................... 31
Data Analysis Procedure ............................................................................................................... 31
Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................................. 33
Results ........................................................................................................................................... 33
Descriptive Findings ................................................................................................................. 34
Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 46
Outcome Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 46
What impression has ICT and student socio-economic status made on students’ engagement
in virtual learning? ................................................................................................................ 46
What impact does virtual learning have on grade 2 students’ engagement in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic? .......................................................................................................... 47
What effect do collaboration and IBL have on engagement in a virtual learning
environment?......................................................................................................................... 49
Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning? ................................................................................................................................ 50
Learning Themes ...................................................................................................................... 51
Implications............................................................................................................................... 52
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 52
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REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 54
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INTRODUCTION
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study was to find the best practices on how to engage grade 2
students in the learning process during the COVID-19 and similar pandemics that require
students to engage in distance learning. Furthermore, the author wanted to find strategies for
effectively incorporating Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and increase student agency while
working through a virtual environment, Home-Based Learning (HBL). Keeping students
engaged in the learning process was and continued to be a major theme of discussion between
many educators during professional developments throughout this pandemic and an imperative
conversation to have since many schools have been closed to students for long durations of time.
Effective teachers must use the knowledge and application of the research to become
better educators. They should always search for answers to various problems they observe with
their students or learning environment. Stanovich and Stanovich (2003) pointed out that
reflective teachers must “inquire into their own practice” and investigate the learning
environment to look for answers, what works best for them and their students” (para. 16) to
actively participate in the learning process. Teachers must develop HBL strategies such as
designing engaging learning experiences that are empathetic in nature to prioritize student well-
being over academic progress.
Reasons for Incorporating Collaborative Learning in IBL
The reason behind this study was that lower primary students struggled to participate
actively in virtual learning as it was challenging to keep such young students engaged in online
settings. School Views (2017) identified a considerable benefit of the International Baccalaureate
(IB) programs as they promote the creation of independent thinkers. Students can make
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connections to subject matter while using the IB approach, which allows them to lead various
class activities and discussions with little to no assistance because their confidence is developed
and supported when learning is inquiry-based and student-centered. Most of the products
students create are authentic. Callison (1998) defined authentic assessment as a process of
evaluation that “involves multiple forms of performance measurement reflecting the student’s
learning, achievement, motivation, and attitudes on instructional relevant activities” (p. 1).
Incorporating authentic assessments promote student creativity and problem-solving skills while
using real-life experiences, which allow students to develop a deeper understanding of topics and
develop higher levels of critical thinking and metacognitive skills (IBO, 2012).
All these benefits were reasons for the author’s curiosity; what would be the best
strategy or pedagogical approach of incorporating IBL with encouraging student agency into a
virtual learning environment for young learners of grade two? As there was no answer to how
long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, or even if it will be the last health crisis people will face,
educators must think ahead and improve students’ virtual learning environment. Knips (2020)
supported that idea by stating that “if we cannot find a vaccine for COVID-19 soon, social
distancing,” as well as virtual learning, “will continue for another two years” (para. 1).
Context
Professional teachers must identify pedagogical approaches that encourage students to
feel safe and confident in their new learning environment. Teachers must build strong
relationships with students and parents. Parental support is essential while working through a
virtual environment at this age. This investigation’s focus groups included 15 grade 2 students at
an International School in Cambodia.

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The school was established 14 years ago and received accreditation through the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The students are educated in the Khmer national
curriculum and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). The population of the school is
approximately 500 students. There is an international mix of nationalities in the teaching staff,
the Elementary school has 27 teachers, six specialists, and 13 management staff members. The
school focuses on mainly educating Cambodian children, but there were other nationalities
represented as well.
Statement of the Problem
The problem was that the families’ socioeconomic situations had changed as compared to
before the COVID-19 pandemic and had continued to be in flux and might likely continue to be
uncertain even after the pandemic subsides. Many students did not have electronic devices
(computers, laptops, or tablets) of their own, internet connections at home were not always
stable, did they even exist in the provinces outside of Phnom Penh, where many of our students
have had stayed during the pandemic because grandparents were the only possible caregivers
while parents worked and were unable to care for the children. In other cases, some parents have
used nannies to look after the children at home who were unqualified to or plainly did not care to
support student learning. Perhaps they did not know how to support online student learning.
Pre-K students up to grade 2 were at the highest risk in the virtual learning environment
as they could not work on their own (Knips, 2020). It was also challenging to promote student
agency and collaborative learning through a virtual environment since these students were in the
pre-operational developmental stage. This signified that, it was essential to find the key to and
develop student intrinsic motivation to independent learning. There was no clear path forward,
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no clear idea of what the reopening of school will look like, and the challenges that the next
pandemic might bring, but the use of technology would be essential (Merrill & Gonser, 2020).
Rationale
Cambodia’s main income is from tourism. During the current pandemic, the country, like
others, was experiencing an economic crisis. Many parents owned small businesses or worked
for large companies and still managed to only live from day to day. During the pandemic lock-
down, many businesses were forced to shutter, especially those connected to the tourism
industry, which caused their already very minimal wages to disappear. This has had a trickle-
down effect on other periphery businesses, industries, and schools. As schools began to plan for
this current school year, they were forced to wave registration fees completely and lower tuition
and develop innovative payment plans, allowing parents the ability to pay tuition fees in smaller
chunks or risk permanent shutdown.
Some schools were forced to lower teacher salaries, cut benefits, and let go unqualified
teachers to save money and continue operating fully. As parents struggled to pay tuition fees,
some students were forced out of school, leading to a rapid decrease in their academic
achievement levels. Therefore, this created a problem that must be solved for the sake of the
children’s and Cambodia’s economic future for generations to come. Not all the parents were on
board with virtual learning, whether they did not believe that students will learn this way, so
students did not participate in learning activities at all, or the other extreme was when they
requested a lot of homework. Therefore, schools pressured teachers to elevate virtual learning for
students by providing high-quality online learning experiences and activities.

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Prior Interventions
During the summer break, school administrators ordered Chromebooks for every student
enrolled from grades two to five so that all students could participate in virtual learning.
Homeroom teachers trained students in grade 2 using Chromebooks and both online Seesaw and
ZOOM applications. The school administration also signed the school up with the Global Online
Academy (GOA). Educators had one class, Designing for Online Learning, that all participated
in, and then they had to choose another from four other courses to join. The researcher picked
Wayfinding as the second course to learn about strategies to improve student engagement in the
lower primary during online learning. The Wayfinding course helped the researcher understand
how to promote student agency, provide students with direction to goals, and even set the goals
together, so they can find their own way to achieve their goals. The objectives of these courses
were to help improve the creating of online learning experiences for students. During orientation
week for the new school year, teachers worked in small groups collaboratively, based on which
online course they participated in, shared what they had learned, and created a presentation to
share with colleagues who participated in other sessions. This way, all knowledge and skills that
teachers gained were shared within the school teaching and administrative team.
Reflective practice, effective communication, and collaboration within the Professional
Learning Community (PLC) must become a part of daily routines if teachers want to improve
teaching approaches, pedagogical methods, and learning experiences. Serviss (2019) supported
this idea by explaining that “PLCs allow teachers an easy way to share best practices and
brainstorm innovative ways to improve learning and drive student achievement” (para. 3).
Therefore, it always works better if teachers can share their experiences, successes, and failures
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with others, whether during their planning process, meetings, or professional development
sessions.
Research Questions
• What impact does virtual learning have on grade 2 students’ engagement in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic?
• What effect do collaboration and inquiry-based learning have on engagement in a virtual
learning environment?
• Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning?
• What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on students’
engagement in virtual learning?
Significance of the Study
The study was conducted in one of the International schools in Cambodia in both face-to-
face and online settings, and the population of this study was a group of 15 grade two students
between age 7-8. According to Agarwal et al. (2012), “applied research not only benefits
students, teachers, and school administrators; it also improves policy and decision making at a
state-level” (p. 12). Teachers benefit from applied research by growing professionally,
collaborating with colleagues, and sharing experiences. Therefore, the researcher can share this
experience with colleagues worldwide to improve online learning experiences in lower primary.
Students benefit by using new applied knowledge, innovative strategies, and material that can
enhance their learning experiences and achievement levels. This study provides evidence of
improvement in student engagement in the virtual learning environment, so students can engage
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and enjoy meaningful learning experiences in Cambodia and around the world. Applied research
focused on educational improvements can help solve problems in virtual education worldwide.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
The increasing use of technologies has changed traditional classrooms into virtual
realities for many students. Hu and Li (2017) stated that as “online learning emerged, people’s
learning methods have changed” (p. 39) because the internet influenced teaching and learning
strategies. Student engagement in virtual learning environments has attracted many researchers,
whose focus was on pedagogical methods to keep students engaged in the learning process.
Florence and Bolliger (2018) mentioned that teachers’ facilitation positively impacted students’
engagement in an online learning environment as well as their achievements.
The spring of 2020 changed education, educational approaches, learning environments,
and affected students’ and teachers’ lives forever. This study determines what impact virtual
learning has on the grade 2 learning process and engagement during the COVID-19 and similar
pandemics that require students to engage in distance learning. Kong (2019) listed some benefits
of distance learning, which provides opportunities for educators to share ideas, techniques,
resources, learning platforms, and collaborate between schools, which in the end, have a positive
effect on student academic achievements as well as teachers’ communication and collaboration.
On the other side, online learning does not provide the mental support that grade 2 students need
most by utilizing collaborative learning and learning by socializing.
Students’ Engagement During Virtual Learning
In this study, the researcher searched for the best practices on how to engage grade 2
students in the learning process during the COVID-19 and similar pandemics that require
students to engage in distance learning by providing answers to the following questions:
• What impact does virtual learning have on students’ engagement?

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• What effect do collaboration and inquiry-based learning have on engagement in a virtual
learning environment?
• Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning?
• What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on students’
What Impact Does Virtual Learning Have on Student Engagement?
Florence and Bolliger (2018) described three forms that influence engagement during
online learning: learner-instructor, instructor to the learner, and learner-learner. They also
pointed out that “interactions with content, peers, and instructors” help online learners engage
students in the learning process as well as motivate them to stay engaged in active online
learning (p. 206). Interactive learning activities and age-appropriate learning experiences
encourage students and keep them engaged in the learning process. Knips (2020) indicated that
“students of Pre-K up to grade 2 are at the greatest risk in the setting” of distance learning as
they cannot work independently (para. 5). Working through a virtual environment, at this age,
without having a healthy and strong relationship with the teacher and parental support is almost
impossible. Stevens and Borup (2015) supported that idea by explaining that “parents can
provide necessary auxiliary instructional support” for the lower primary students. However,
“they typically lack the content expertise to instruct students on a specific course material,”
particularly in upper primary or Middle school as the content is more challenging and complex
(p. 10).
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Collaboration and Inquiry-Based Learning
IB programs promote the foundations of and development of student independence,
communication, collaboration, and creativity (IBO, 2012). It is challenging to promote student
agency and collaborative learning through a virtual environment for grade 2 students, as they are
in the pre-operational developmental stage. Therefore, it is vital to enhance student intrinsic
motivation to independent learning. Florence and Bolliger (2018) argued that to keep students
engaged; teachers must utilize strategies that allow them to participate in ‘active learning
opportunities,’ such as discussions, projects with hands-on activities connected to real-life
situations, where students can participate in cooperative groups and reflect on their own learning.
According to Chanprasitchai and Khlaisang (2016), “to improve online learning, technology-
enhanced environments can be blended with an IBL approach to optimize the design and
development of virtual online learning activities since IBL makes it possible for more
meaningful and self-regulated learning by motivating” students to design strategies to solve
problems (p. 77). Sinha et al. (2015) concluded that online collaboration and inquiry promote
deeper multi-faceted engagement.
What Pedagogical Methods Influence Intrinsic Motivation in Online Learning?
Hu and Li (2017) pointed out that “learners’ motivation, online learning experience, and
self-confidence were the main factors influencing online learning engagement” (p. 41). Any
pedagogical method that utilizes ICT in the learning experience develops students’ intrinsic
motivation and promotes engagement, as they are fascinated by technology (Park & Weng,
2020). Toda et al. (2019) described “the purpose of using gamification in education to motivate
and engage students, to improve their performance and training, and change undesired
behaviors” (p. 48). Still, he also “reported mixed results on the application of gamification in
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education, wherein most of the negative impacts were related to a poor design” (p. 48). Sinha et
al. (2015) proposed that when teachers include students in the planning process, they can develop
particular learning objectives and goals for their learning. So, “they monitor developing an
understanding of content and skills integral for successful learning in activity and adapt their use
of specific learning strategies in response to that feedback” (p. 277).
Impression of ICT and Student Socioeconomic Status
Sinha et al. (2015) stated that “computer-supported collaborative learning environments
provide opportunities for students to collaborate in inquiry-based practices to solve authentic
problems, using technological tools as a resource” (p. 273). Park and Weng (2020) conducted a
study that points out that student achievements depend on family income and student abilities to
work with ICT. In the article, they concluded that teachers could influence the factors of utilizing
ICT and balancing strategies to support all students due to wealth inequality. They have reported
the results of the research on “ICT-related factors and achievement. GDP per capita showed a
significant interaction effect on the relationship between achievement and students’ ICT use for
studying at school, entertainment, and perceived ICT autonomy” (p. 11). This demonstrates that
students from impoverished backgrounds in their own countries “are highly likely to lag
academically due to a lack of ICT or resource availability” (p. 10).
Engagement in the Learning Process
Students’ provocation and motivation depend upon their age groups and various
pedagogical methods, instructional strategies, and learning environments as university students
are motivated differently than early years and lower primary students. IBL, hands-on activities,
and projects in a student-centered environment promote students’ learning and active
engagement in K-12 classes. Grade 2 students are at the pre-operational developmental stage,
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where they learn by socializing, collaborating, and creating products from their imagination. The
easiest ways to engage students at this age are through role-playing, discussions, and learning by
experiencing real-life situations.
This changes as students enter a virtual learning environment. Grade 2 student abilities
with technology are entirely different from those of middle or high school students. Also, the
motivation to learn and interact with people in this kind of environment is not natural for this age
group. The virtual learning process creates a sense of isolation and impacts student participation
in learning experiences and motivation to learn. At this stage, instructional strategies and
pedagogical methods used during online learning are crucial for student engagement. According
to Florence and Bolliger (2018), “student engagement increases student satisfaction, enhances
student motivation to learn, reduces the sense of isolation, and improves student performance in
online courses” (p. 205).
Conclusion
In summary, the impact of Grade 2 students’ engagement in a virtual learning
environment depends on instructor-student and student-student relationships as well as the level
of parental support because students at this age are not yet technologically independent. Teachers
should utilize pedagogical strategies incorporating ICT in the learning experiences to increase
students’ motivation.
Utilizing ICT develops intrinsic motivation to participate and learn on their own,
especially if activities are age-appropriate. Schools can ensure that all students receive the same
opportunities to participate by providing appropriate technology equitably. This study has
focused on finding the best solutions for engaging Grade 2 students in the learning process
during the COVID-19 and similar pandemics that require students to engage in virtual learning.
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METHODOLOGY
Purpose of the Study
The researcher utilized a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research to answer
the research questions, with reasonings to find the best practices for engaging grade 2 students in
the virtual learning environment by incorporating IBL and promoting student agency in
collaborative learning. Terrell (2012) stated the purpose of using the mixed method is to “gain a
broader perspective than could be gained from using only the predominant data collection
method and also address different research questions” (p. 270).
Research Questions
1. What impact does virtual learning have on grade 2 students’ engagement in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic?
2. What effect do collaboration and IBL have on engagement in a virtual learning
environment?
3. Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning?
4. What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on students’
Study Population
Participants of this study were 15 grade 2 students in one of the International schools in
Cambodia in the physical building as well as in an online setting. Seven girls and eight boys
between 7-8 years old were asked to provide demographic information, be observed in-person
and in online environments, shared their perspectives and attitudes, and participated in academic
achievement measures. Thirteen of the participants were of Cambodian nationality, one

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Vietnamese, and one Korean. Therefore, all of them were English as an Additional Language
Learners (EAL), as they speak Khmer, Chinese, Vietnamese, or Korean.
Population Justification
The researcher sent a letter to parents as an invitation to participate in the study to all 30
grade 2 students and parents. This study population was 15 grade 2 students due to the pandemic.
The researcher has had access to only 30 grade 2 students and parents. As not all of them
provided consent to participate in this study, the researcher was able to get 15 permissions. All of
the students were EAL learners as there were not native English speakers in grade 2 this year.
The researcher did not choose the participants; the participants decided to be a part of the study
independently so that the researcher avoided being biased through selecting just the higher
achievers.
Intervention
To incorporate IBL and collaborative learning, students were split into small groups in
each of the ZOOM sessions called breakout rooms. They shared their prior knowledge and
utilized their skills to build on their strengths to develop the desired products. Wrenn and Wrenn
(2009) stated that teachers “desire their students” to apply the theory which they have learned
and then put it into practice, therefore demonstrating their knowledge and skills they have
developed throughout the course using Bloom’s Taxonomy (p. 258). The researcher used
performance-based assessments, as they were the most practical formative assessments for EAL
students.
Intervention Plan
The research began by utilizing detailed and precise instruction using visual and audio
resources.
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• Week one, students participated in role-plays while answering survey questions.
One of the students role-played the teacher’s role and asked the survey questions to help students
with lower reading ability understand each question’s meaning and to answer it.
• Week two, students participated in brainstorming activities while creating graphic
organizers to represent their thoughts on the presented topic, such as KWL- charts and mind
maps.
• Week three, students discussed their ideas, shared them in the breakout rooms
during the ZOOM session, and wrote what they had learned in their journals.
• Week four, students played interactive educational games, read leveled books
focused on the presented topic. They also shared their understanding of what they had learned
the following day.
• Week five, students created stories together, wrote the stories using paragraphs,
and illustrated them. They presented their stories in front of the whole class the following week.
• Week six, students answered the questionnaire about virtual learning, which was
incorporated into two online interactive activities in the SeeSaw application.
The researcher incorporated various presentations (oral, drawings, or written), so all
students were able to use their abilities to express themselves, their thoughts, and ideas. Colorín
Colorado (2019) pointed out that if we use “performance-based assessments, it is important to
establish clear and fair criteria from the beginning” (para. 7). Therefore, the researcher ensured
that students understood the rubric or checklists developed for each special assessment,
describing the expectations and evaluation.

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Sources of Data
The research study process began with a quantitative approach from using student
surveys to compare and contrast student engagement during virtual and in-person learning. To
get a better picture and a clearer understanding of students’ perspectives, the researcher included
a qualitative method by designing a standardized interview and a questionnaire document.
Students’ interviews and questionnaires supported the collected data in order to answer all four
questions and draw conclusions with reasonings.
Instrumentation
In this study, the researcher utilized a mixed qualitative and quantitative research method
using various sources.
• Student surveys and observations allowed the researcher to measure students’
engagement levels in both in-person and virtual settings while using IBL strategies and
collaboration in small groups as well as without incorporating IBL.
• Students’ interviews and questionnaires added personal perspectives and feelings that
supported the lack of evidence from surveys to get a clear picture and give the researcher
sought answers.
Research Procedure
Before the research started, the researcher acquired permission from the campus leader to
be allowed to use school premises as well as a virtual learning environment to conduct the study.
Therefore, the researcher created an applied research informed consent form with a short
introduction of what the study was about and discussed it in person with the campus leader. They
also discussed the structure of an appropriate announcement for parents. Because not all the
parents speak English, the letter for parents has been translated into the Khmer language by the
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researcher’s Khmer co-teacher and proofread by the campus secretary. After the campus leader
gave permission, the letter to parents has been sent out via email, Seesaw, and ClassDojo online
applications.
Soliciting Participants
Students were informed about the study in person in the classroom, where the researcher
explained the study, issue, and reasons for the research. The researcher used age-appropriate
language to explain the importance of this study and that the students became an essential part of
the study, so they felt important and their voice valued. The researcher wanted to excite them
about trying something new. It was made clear that all their personal information was kept
confidential, and the researcher used numbers instead of real names to protect their identities,
and that there were not personal benefits for participation as it was voluntary based.
Informed Consent
The study participants were 7-8-year-old students. Therefore, the researcher needed
parents’ consent to be able to collect the data from their children. The researcher presented a
letter to parents via email, ZOOM session, ClassDojo, and SeeSaw applications to inform them
about the study and student expectations. For example, they were asked to provide demographic
information, permission to be observed in an online setting, shared opinions, attitudes, and
participated in measures of academic achievement. The parents were informed that there were no
personal benefits to them from their participation in this research. However, the results might
help to improve virtual learning experiences for lower primary students in the future.
Data Collection Procedures
The researcher presented the data collection according to the research questions so that
the steps taken were clear and easy to follow.

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Research Question 1: What Impact does Virtual Learning Have on Grade 2 students’
Engagement in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic?
To answer this question, a survey and a questionnaire were utilized. Therefore, a mixed
method of qualitative and quantitative approaches were incorporated. The questionnaire provided
an opportunity to understand the issue from the students’ point of view, which provided
contextual details and supported the answers from the survey (Saint-Germain, 2002). The
students also expressed their feelings about the posted issue, which was not possible in
quantitative research.
Watson (2015) stated that quantitative research focused on facts can be measured because
it has the “ability to formally test theories by formulating hypotheses and applying statistical
analyses” (p. 2). The researcher compared and contrasted students’ engagement levels in various
IBL activities in the classroom and virtual learning environments, without incorporating IBL
strategies. This statistical analysis helped draw correlations between the two learning
environments, allowing for valid comparisons to be drawn on students’ engagement level.
Watson (2015) pointed out that “Quantitative studies produce numbers which should be
interpreted before conclusions may be drawn” (p. 10).
Student surveys were sent to students via the researcher’s designed SeeSaw activity on
January 5th and collected by the researcher online by January 12, 2021. They allowed the
researcher to measure student engagement levels in both in-person and virtual settings,
comparing and contrasting their engagement level in various learning activities in the classroom
and during virtual learning in ZOOM sessions.
Student questionnaires were sent to students via the researcher’s designed SeeSaw
activity on January 22nd and collected by the researcher online by January 29, 2021. Study
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participants added personal perspectives and feelings that provided supportive evidence to
survey answers to get a clear picture, and the researcher’s sought answers.
Research Question 2: What Effect do Collaboration and IBL Have on Engagement in a
Virtual Learning Environment?
The survey was split into two parts. One of the survey sections, mentioned above,
measured students’ engagement levels in both in-person and virtual settings while using IBL
strategies. While looking for answers to this question, the researcher utilized observations to
compare students’ engagement before and after incorporating IBL and interviews, which
provided opportunities to speak with each participant face to face and discover their views on
strategies used to include IBL and student agency in an online environment and why. Interviews
supported the data collected from the survey, added students’ perspectives on collaboration, and
incorporated IBL strategies. The mixed method of quantitative and qualitative research allowed
answering this question with supportive evidence that could be compared to and contrasted by
the students’ gender before and after applying IBL into virtual learning.
Student surveys were sent to students via the researcher’s designed SeeSaw activity on
January 5th and collected by the researcher online by January 12, 2021. The surveys allowed the
researcher to measure students’ engagement levels in both in-person and virtual settings, with
and without, using collaborative learning in IBL strategies.
Students’ interviews were conducted from January 7, 2021, until the end of January 2021.
Each interview lasted approximately 20 minutes per student, one interview per day, via recorded
Seesaw activity in person so that the researcher could record unbiased answers to collect facts.
This timeline allowed the researcher to have a couple of extra days to complete those interviews
if someone was sick or unable to participate in the scheduled session. During the interview
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sessions, one on one, students also added personal perspectives and feelings that supported the
answers from surveys to develop a clearer picture of responses to the researcher’s questions.
Research Question 3: Would Student Agency, Incorporated in IBL, Provoke Intrinsic
Motivation in Grade 2 Students During Virtual Learning?
While seeking answers to this question, the researcher compared students’ past intrinsic
motivations, as observed in class, to a virtual environment by using questionnaires and
interviews, both qualitative methods. Saint-Germain (2002) stated that the goal of qualitative
research is to acquire an in-depth comprehension of a particular “organization or event, rather
than a surface description of a large sample of a population” (para. 1). Saint-Germain (2002) also
pointed out that it gives direct support to the composition, order, and “broad patterns found
among a group of participants” (para. 1). Therefore, both interviews and questionnaires provided
opportunities to answer not only all the research questions but also ascertain the reasons behind
their findings.
Student interviews were conducted from January 7, 2021, through the end of January
2021. Each interview lasted approximately 20 minutes, one interview per day, via scheduled
sessions in-person and recorded on the Seesaw activity so that the researcher could analyze
unbiased answers and stay focused on the collected facts. This timeline allowed the researcher to
have a couple of extra days to complete those interviews if someone was sick or unable to
participate in the scheduled session.
activity on January 22nd and collected by the researcher online by January 29, 2021. Both student
interviews and questionnaires added personal opinions and feelings to provide a clear picture of
the answers to the researcher’s questions.

26
Research Question 4: What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on
students’ engagement in virtual learning?
To investigate this query, the researcher incorporated specific questions into student
surveys sent to students via the researcher’s designed SeeSaw activity on January 5th and
collected by the researcher online by January 12, 2021. They allowed the researcher to measure
student engagement levels in both in-person and virtual settings during Home-Based Learning
(HBL), compare and contrast their engagement level in the classroom with a good internet
connection and at home.
activity on January 22nd and collected by the researcher online by January 29, 2021. Student
participants added personal perspectives and reasons that provided evidence and supported the
answers from surveys to get a clear picture, and the researcher’s sought answers to whether the
socioeconomic status impacted student engagement during HBL.
Ethical Considerations
Houghton et al. (2010) stated that the moral challenges that are relevant to research
studies “concern the issues of informed consent procedures, the researcher-participant
relationship, risk-benefit ratio, confidentiality, and the dual role of the teacher-researcher” (p.
15). Therefore, the researchers utilized a method suggested by Harvard Catalyst (2016) in which
comparison and analysis of the risks vs. benefits were performed to minimize the participants’
potential risk and informed them of any predictable and logical risks or distress.
Considerations During Intervention
Harvard Catalyst (2016) stated that “common potential risks include potential breach of
confidentiality, violation of privacy, validation of bad behavior, emotional, or psychological

27
distress” and more (p. 5). This study required 15 grade 2 students’ participation in IBL
promoting student agency and collaboration. Before starting to collect data to create the study,
the researcher utilized appropriate methods of incorporating IBL and collaboration in an online
setting to minimize possible discomfort or social embarrassment. These were the potential risks
regarding this research study.
Considerations During Data Collection
According to the University of Oregon (n.d.), the “risks may be a consequence of the
methods of recording, maintaining, or reporting data,” which might “obtain informed consent”
(para. 4). This study required 15 grade 2 students to participate in an online survey,
questionnaire, and interviews. Before starting the data collection to create the study, the
researcher thought of appropriate collecting data strategies and ways to protect participants’
confidentiality. Student participants in grade 2 might felt discomfort to openly discuss the impact
of virtual learning on their personal participation due to feeling embarrassed if they were not able
to participate due to not having an appropriate device to work on, parental or technical support
(internet), or even took the role of a caretaker of younger siblings. To minimize the risk, the
researcher conducted the interviews one on one, then used appropriate methods to collect and
store the data to protect students’ privacy. For example, password-protected files send data via
internet or keep the files locked in a drawer (The Evergreen State College, 2020). Students might
also feel discomfort in collaborating in small groups in virtual learning due to shyness or prefer
individual work. Therefore, the researcher allowed them to pick a partner or created groups of
student choices to reduce the risk and work efficiently.
In order to reduce the risk, the Harvard Catalyst (2016) proposed to “obtain a Certificate
of Confidentiality, ensure adequate consent processes, restrict access to data, waive

28
documentation of consent if appropriate… and employing appropriate safeguards to protect data”
(p. 6). Therefore, it was essential to obtain the applied research informed consent form provided
by the University of the People, which contained two parts. One part had to be signed by the
school principal to agree to conduct the research on school property or during virtual learning.
The second part was consent for participants or their legal guardians, for under-age students, to
decide whether they want to participate in the research, as it is voluntary participation (Mack et
al., 2005). The researcher ensured that personal student information stayed confidential and
protected, and they also used numbers instead of real student names to keep the records,
collected data, and results confidential.
Considerations of Researcher Bias
Pannucci and Wilkins (2011) stated that bias could occur in research “when a systematic
error is introduced into sampling or testing by selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer
over others” (p. 1). They also pointed out that it can happen “at any phase of research, including
study design or data collection, as well as in the process of data analysis and publication” (p. 1).
To prevent biased behavior during the creation and designing phases of the study, the
researcher produced a standardized questionnaire and structured interviews similarly for
everybody participating in this research to focus on the facts and to remain unbiased. The
researcher collected data online to prevent and minimize the number of observers (Pannucci &
Wilkins, 2011).
Limitations and Challenges
As the researcher assumed that there might be some limitations to this study or challenges
while writing the first part of the research proposal, there were a couple of them. One of the
limitations and challenges was that four of the 15 student participants were in the second grade 2
29
classroom with another homeroom teacher. Therefore, the student observations were limited to
eleven students from the researcher’s classroom, while all 15 students completed the surveys and
questionnaires.
Another challenge was that three of the students dropped out before the interviews were
completed. All 15 student participants completed the surveys and questionnaires, and 12 of them
participated in the interviews. Structured interviews were designed to get a clearer picture and
students’ feelings to support the survey’s questions and questionnaires, so the researcher
believed that the study results are valid and reliable even only 12 student participants completed
the interviews.
One of the assumed limitations that students might not complete the surveys and
questionnaires on time because they needed parents’ support actually did not happen. As the
researcher designed the surveys and questionnaires as interactive scaffolded two Seesaw
activities, students could complete all of it within a week in the class without their parents’
support.
Summary
The research study process began with a quantitative approach, followed by a qualitative
approach to get a better picture and a clearer understanding of students’ perspectives, which
provided reasonings and explanations to various questions. All sources utilized during this
research offered supportive evidence to answer the research questions and concluded the
researcher’s answers as the researcher was looking for practices to improve grade 2 student
engagement levels in virtual learning and increase their intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation
is the key to active learning in the classroom as well as during online learning. Therefore, the
researcher hypothesized that student identification of effective IBL strategies while using
30
collaborative group work might provoke intrinsic motivation, leading to higher engagement and
active participation in virtual learning.

31
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
The researcher explained what happened after the data were collected in this section data
analysis procedure and arranged the results according to the research questions so that the steps
taken were straightforward and easy to follow. The data analysis began with the quantitative
method of analyzing the surveys, then moved into the qualitative approach by analyzing answers
from questionnaires and interviews supported by class observations.
Data Analysis Procedure
The researcher downloaded the students’ data by taking screenshots of the Seesaw
activities from each student participant and organized the collected data into three categories.
Then, the researcher created folders for each category and named them: Surveys, Questionnaires,
Interviews. Each student’s data was saved in a separate folder, marked by student numbers,
color-coded red for girls and blue for boys, and stored under the three big categories folders into
OneDrive.
The process began with the quantitative method, the survey data analysis after collecting
students’ data from two online Seesaw activities. The researcher first created a table with student
answers and connected the responses to four research questions. Number one was related to the
questions about socio-economic status. Number two was related to engagement in online
learning activities before and after incorporated collaborative learning and IBL. Number three
was related to students’ independence and student agency, and number four was connected to
intrinsic motivation (see Table 1).

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Table 1
Survey answers color-coded for boys-blue and girls-red
Note. The table content was designed precisely according to the survey answers Y- Yes, N- No,
broke down according to research questions connected to 1. Socio-Economic Status 2. Learning
experiences 3. Student Independence 4. Students Motivation
After creating Table 1, the researcher scrutinized survey results, created four sub-
categories according to the research questions, and designed Tables 2-5. Table 3 was separated
into parts 3.1 and 3.2 because it reflected students’ engagement in HBL before and after
incorporating collaborative and IBL. Then, the researcher analyzed each table’s questions and
compared the answers to find out the sought answers for each research question. For more
information, see Tables 2-5 in the Results section.

33
Qualitative data analysis was focused on individual participants following their
explanations to answer the research questions using data collected from questionnaires and
interviews into one cohesive piece of information. The researcher designed sub-categories
according to students’ answers related to 1. socio-economic status, 2. engagement in online
activities, 3. student’s independence, 4. intrinsic motivation, and created five bar graphs to
present the answers visually. Doing so allowed the analysis process to move straightforward to
explain and support the survey answers by citing student reasons and expressing their feelings
about their participation in virtual learning.
Validity and Reliability
The researcher ensured that the results were valid and reliable by letting student
participants record their answers to surveys and questionnaires into assigned two SeeSaw
activities. The researcher also recorded answers to students’ interviews word by word to avoid
any biases and presented the results by reading the precise data collected in this study by citing
students’ responses. The researcher also ensured that these data could not lead to anyone
identifying individual participants by giving each student participant a number.
Results
The results section was also organized according to the four research questions and
provided clear followed procedural steps while seeking outcomes.
1. What impression has ICT and student socioeconomic status made on students’
2. What impact does virtual learning have on grade 2 students’ engagement in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic?
34
3. What effect do collaboration and IBL have on engagement in a virtual learning
environment?
4. Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning?
The process began with the quantitative approach and was followed by the qualitative
method of presenting the collected and analyzed data.
Descriptive Findings
After creating Table 1, four sub-categories were designed with the collected data being
presented in Tables 2-5 following the research questions. Table 3 included two parts, according
to students’ engagement in HBL before and after incorporating collaborative learning and IBL
activities to observe and compare if student engagement was impacted or not, and whether the
students’ intrinsic motivation influenced engagement in HBL when it included student agency.
For more information, see Tables 2-5.
Students’ answers in Table 2 were connected to the use of ICT and socio-economic
status. They provided feedback on how students engaged in HBL and what type of technology
they needed to participate in virtual learning.
Table 2
Survey Analysis According to Research Question: What Impression has ICT and Student Socio-
economic Status Made on students’ Engagement in Virtual Learning?
Socio-economic Status Impacts the Students’ Engagement Yes No
Q.2 Using school Chromebook to complete HBL activities 93.33 6.67
Q.3 Have a good internet connection at home 66.67 33.33
Q.6 Live in town 73.33 26.67
Q.7 Live in a house 100.00 0.00
Q.8 Have own room 33.33 66.67
%= X/Z*100 X represents students variables Z represents the entire student population
Note. Survey answers about: How do ICT and socio-economic status impacted students’
engagement?
35
Fourteen of 15 students used the school-provided Chromebooks to be able to participate
in virtual learning. Ten of 15 students had access to a good internet connection at home, as
eleven students from fifteen lived in the town. All 15 participants lived in a house, but only five
of them claimed to have their own room.
The answers to survey questions in Table 3.1 were connected to engagement in learning
experiences during virtual learning before incorporating collaborative learning and IBL.
Table 3.1
Survey Analysis According to Research Question: What Effect do Collaboration and IBL have
on Engagement in a Virtual Learning Environment?
Students’ Engagement Before Collaborative & IBL Yes No

Q.1 Enjoy HBL 73.33 26.67
Q.21 Enjoy Working independently 66.67 33.33
Q.16 Enjoy ZOOM activities with interactive games 93.33 6.67
Q.19 Enjoy online projects 46.67 53.33
Q.15 Pretend to be a teacher online 46.67 53.33
Q.17 Enjoy online stories with the following creation 80.00 20.00
Q.9 Enjoy doing homework online 80.00 20.00
Note. Survey answers connected to engagement in HBL before incorporating collaborative and
IBL.
Eleven students from 15 enjoyed virtual learning, and 10 of them preferred working
independently. Fourteen from 15 students liked ZOOM activities that incorporated interactive
games. Eight from 15 students enjoyed online projects, and also, eight from 15 answered that
they would like to role-play the teacher in an online setting. Twelve of 15 students enjoyed story-
based learning with following subsequent hands-on activities or online projects, and 12 of them
wanted to complete homework online, which could also answer the question: What impression
has the use of ICT on students’ engagement in virtual learning?

36
Students’ answers in Table 3.2 exhibited engagement in learning experiences during
virtual learning after incorporating collaborative learning and IBL as well as introducing student
agency.
Table 3.2
Survey Analysis According to Research Question: What Effect do Collaboration and IBL have
on Engagement in a Virtual Learning Environment?
Collaborative & IBL Impacts the Students’ Engagement Yes No

Q.18 Activities with conducting research online 73.33 26.67
Q.21 Prefer independent work 66.67 33.33
Q.22 Prefer collaborative work in small groups or pairs 46.67 53.33
Q.23Enjoy online English problem-solving activities 100 0
Q.24 Enjoy online projects connected to real-life situations 73.33 26.67
Q.20 Enjoy creative online activities 86.67 13.33
Note. Survey answers connected to engagement in HBL after incorporating collaborative and
IBL.
Eleven students from 15 liked conducting research in online learning experiences. Ten
from 15 participants preferred to work online independently, but seven of them expressed that
they enjoy working with a partner or in small groups. All the participants revealed enjoyment in
English learning experiences with problem-solving. Thirteen participants preferred online
experiences that promote creativity, and 11 of them would like to have more online projects
connected to real-life situations.
The survey answers in Table 4 were connected to students’ independence and its impact
on students’ engagement in virtual learning.

37
Table 4
Survey Analysis According to Research Question: What Impact does Virtual Learning have on
Grade 2 Students’ Engagement in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Students’ Independence Impacts Students’ Engagement Yes No

Q.1 Enjoy HBL 73.33 26.67
Q.4 Working during HBL independently 46.67 53.33
Q.5 Complete HBL activities every day 66.67 33.33
Q.10 Enjoy completing HBL activities with support 53.33 46.67
Q.22 Prefer to work in small groups 46.67 53.33
Q.25 Would like to share and teach friends about what you know 66.67 33.33
Note. Survey answers - what impact does students’ independence have on their engagement in
virtual learning?
Seven participants from 15 worked independently during HBL, while eight participants
completed their work with the guidance and support of siblings or parents. Ten of 15 participants
completed all learning tasks every day, from which seven people preferred to work in pairs or
small groups. Ten participants enjoyed sharing their knowledge and led the small group activities
online.
Students’ answers in Table 5 illustrated whether promoting students’ agency and IBL
impacted students’ intrinsic motivation to engage in virtual learning.
Table 5
Survey Analysis According to Research Question: Would Student Agency, Incorporated into IBL,
Influence Intrinsic Motivation in Online Learning?
Student’s Intrinsic Motivation Impacts Students’ Engagement Yes No
Q.11 Enjoy ZOOM activities led by the teacher 73.33 26.67
Q.12 Participate in HBL because enjoying it 53.33 46.67
Q.25 Enjoy sharing and teaching friends 66.67 33.33
Q.14 Enjoy online stories 80.00 20.00
Q.13 Think that HBL is easy 60.00 40.00
Note. Survey answers connected to students’ intrinsic motivation and student agency.
38
Eleven from 15 students preferred ZOOM activities with interactive games lead by a
teacher, and eight of them participated in HBL because they enjoyed it. Ten of all participants
enjoyed role-playing as the teacher in designed small group activities. Thirteen of all the
participants wanted to continue story-based learning experiences. Seven of all participants
enjoyed small group online tasks, whereas 10 preferred independent work if possible. Eleven of
15 students liked HBL activities, as nine of them thought HBL was easy.
Qualitative data analysis was focused on individual participants following their
explanations using data collected from questionnaires and interviews into one cohesive piece of
information. The researcher created sub-categories according to students’ answers related to
socio-economic status, engagement in online activities, student’s independence, and intrinsic
motivation. This way, the analysis process moved towards explaining the survey answers by
citing student reasons and expressing their feelings about their engagement in virtual learning.
Figure 1 showcased students’ answers according to their socio-economic status connected
to their needs to participate in HBL.

39
Figure 1
Variables Connected to Students’ Socio-economic Status
Student
participants
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Variables Socio- Using Need Good Using Living
economic Status Chromebook Internet Space in House
to Learn
Note. Bar graph representing variables of students’ engagement in virtual learning connected to
students’ socio-economic status.
Fourteen of 15 students said they use the school Chromebook as the primary technology
to participate in online learning. Five of them added iPads and headphones, and one of them also
used a phone. Student number five answered the question: What do you need to participate in
HBL every day? “I need Chromebook, Seesaw, ZOOM, tape, color paper, sometimes scissors,
paper, pencil, eraser, and a glue stick.” Student number three responded, “Chromebook, English
dictionary, and sometimes translator.” Five student participants mentioned a good internet
connection. Only one student added an online translator; even students three and 11 claimed not
to speak the English language at home. Student three answered, “preferred language at home as
Korean,” and student eleven, “Khmer.”

40
Five students of all the participants claimed to have their own room to work in, and
everybody else was using living spaces around their house. Five students from 15 described that
their learning area was the living room. Student eight answered, “living room because I like it.”
Student 15 explained, “in the living room because my mom’s office is in the living room.”
Student 13 added: “in the living room because it is easy for my mom or cleaner to help me.”
Three participants used sibling’s rooms. Student number six explained that: “in sister’s room
because the house is noisy.” Student number four said, “brother’s room because my little brother
cries.”
Figure 2 demonstrated students’ responses according to their learning experience in HBL
before collaborative and IBL were incorporated.
Figure 2
Variables Connected Experiences Before Incorporating Collaborative and IBL Learning
Student
participants
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Variables Enjoyed Enjoyed Need More
Participation in Learning Creative Time to
Online Learning Based on Projects Complete
Stories Work
Note. Bar graph representing variables of students engagement in virtual learning connected to
students’ activities before incorporating collaborative and IBL learning.
41
Thirteen of 15 students enjoyed online activities based on stories. Student number 12
explained, “I like story time because it is easy to do, and I like to listen to stories. Student
number 11 said, “I like story time because I like to watch stories.”
Thirteen of 15 students preferred projects with hands-on activities as they can create
things. Student number one said, “I like them; they are fun.” Student number eight said, “I like
occasional projects. It is fun.” Student number 13 explained, “I like them because I do it last, and
I can take my time.” Student number five stated, “Create something is fun and good for your
brain.” Student number six pointed out, “creating videos even it is harder, and we don’t know,
we can learn from it.”
Nine of the student participants claimed they need more time to complete the work during
HBL. Student number one said, “I am a little bit slow.” Student number two explained, “We
need help from mom and dad.” Student number 13 said, “sometimes I need help, and sometimes
I do it all by myself.” Student number six described, “I have a lot of homework; it takes time.”
Students were also asked, what time is the best time for you to complete your online homework?
Student number one explained, “evening works better because it takes time.” Student number 10
stated, “evenings, mom let me do it then.” Student number three pointed out, “evenings; my
mom helps my sister in the afternoon and me in the evening.”
Figure 3 projects students’ perspectives after incorporating collaborative and IBL while
incorporating student agency.

42
Figure 3
Variables Connected to Experiences After Incorporating Collaborative and IBL Learning
Student
participants
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Variables Projects Enjoy Variety of Variety of
Participation in Connected to Collaborative Completing Completing
Collaborative, IBL Real-life Learning in Small Tasks by Tasks by
Learning Situations Groups (ZOOM) Creating Following
Videos Worksheets
students’ activities after incorporating collaborative and IBL learning.
Eleven from 15 participants expressed enjoyment and wish to continue projects
connected to real-life experiences. Student number five said, “I like projects because I will learn
more.” Students number one, six, 13, and 14 agreed that they like projects because they are fun.
Student number seven explained, “I don’t like it because it takes a lot of hard work.”
Eight from 15 students expressed enjoyment in online small group activities with
reasonings. Student number one said, “I like it a little because it is fun.” Student number five
expressed, “I like small groups because it is fun, it is boring when only two people.” Student
number six typed her answer, “I like it because they can help me.” Student number three pointed
out, “I like it, but I don’t like limited situations as I don’t speak English. I prefer to do it alone
because of language problems.”

43
Eight students from 15 pointed out that creating their own videos to answer homework
questions is “easier, fast as well as nice.” Student number five said, “I like creating videos
because it helps me learn.” Student number 14 expressed, “It is fun to say something.” Student
number 12 explained, “creating videos is faster than worksheets.”
Five students from all participants preferred worksheets as it is easier for them to
complete them. Student number three typed answer, “worksheets are easier as I cannot do
videos.” Student number 11 said, “worksheets are cool.” Two students like both of the ways to
complete their work.
Figure 4 manifested students’ answers connected to students’ independence and
expressed feelings about student agency during HBL.
Figure 4
Variables Connected to Students’ Independence and Promoting Student Agency
Student
participants
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Variables Work with Work with Prefer Work Prefer Work Want to Lead Want to Teach
Students' Support Every Support 1-2 in Small Independetly Activity and Share
Independence Day or almost Times a Week Groups Knowledge
Every Day
students’ independence and promoting student agency.

44
Thirteen of 15 students worked with guidance or support from home. Six students every
day and seven students 1-2 times a week. Four boys and two girls claimed to needed help with
homework at home every day, while two boys and five girls needed support 1-2 times a week. In
the following question, students pinpointed subjects they needed help with and why. Three boys
agreed that “Khmer because it is hard.” Student two explained, “Khmer because dad helps me
with Khmer language and Math.” Student six said, “Khmer, English, and IPC because sometimes
it is hard.” Three of the girls explained Math, IPC, Khmer. Student one said, “IPC and Math are
hard.” Student three typed answers, “English, IPC, and questions for Math because I don’t know
English well.” Student five pointed out, “Khmer and Khmer IPC because the language is hard,
and I need help with reading.”
Seven from 15 students expressed if they prefer working in pairs or small groups online.
Student number two said, “With a partner, they will help you to find things.” Student number six
pointed out, “more people is more fun, and I want to be smarter.” Student number 13 pointed
out, “with a partner; I don’t like groups.” Student number 13 continued explaining that, “a
partner because if there is lots of people, we must wait until they finish.”
Seven of 15 students agreed to lead an online activity in small groups, but 10 expressed
interest when they answered a question: Do you like to share and teach your friends about what
you know? A question connected to promoting student agency was: How do you feel if someone
is learning from you and why? Student number six expressed, “good because I want them to be
smart like me.” Student number 12 said, “good because if they don’t know the stuff, they can
learn from me.” Student number 14 explained, “good because I helped someone.” Student
number two pointed out, “good because they learn stuff they don’t know, and then they can do it
by themselves.” Student number 13 expressed, “I feel happy because it is fun to teach someone.”
45
Student one said, “It is ok because they do not know.” Student number five explained, “yes,
because all of it makes me smarter makes me learn a lot, so when I grew up, I want to be a
teacher.”
Figure 5 presents results connected to students’ intrinsic motivation.
Figure 5
Variables Connected to Students’ Intrinsic Motivation
Student
participants
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Variables Want to Work Want to Share Enjoy HBL and
Intrinsic in Pairs or Their Knowledge Want to Learn
Motivation Small Groups to Help people Online
students’ intrinsic motivation
What would motivate students to engage in the learning process during virtual learning?
Eleven of 15 students enjoyed HBL. Ten of them felt comfortable sharing their knowledge with
others, and eight students prefer online learning in pairs or small groups.
When students were asked about the benefits of HBL, they expressed their feelings which
supported their answers connected to the previous figure about student’s independence and in
Figure 3 about online learning experiences. Student number 10 expressed, “I like online games.”
46
Student number fourteen said, “It is fun.” Student number two said, “It is fun to learn and talk
online.” Girls’ perspectives on online learning were similar to boys’. Student number three
explained, “I learned more English. It helps to understand better; I can see the content of the
class (including ZOOMs) several times. Student number 13 said, “ It is good if there is a good
internet connection.” Student number five expressed, “Online is good because we do stuff like
Wordsearch. I like breakout rooms because we can hang out with friends.”
When the researcher asked a question about the negatives of HBL, student number 10
expressed, “I feel alone because it is only two of us: me and my brother.” Student number two
said, “ It hurt my eyes, sometimes.” Student number seven explained, “I do not like it because I
do not see friends.” Student number three pointed out, “Everything is focused on learning.”
Student number six said, “slow internet and blackouts.”
Discussion
The study uncovered areas that worked well and areas for improvement, and the
researcher discussed analyzed data of quantitative and qualitative methods and interpreted the
results according to the research questions.
Outcome Analysis
What impression has ICT and student socio-economic status made on students’ engagement
in virtual learning?
According to the students’ answers, ICT and student socio-economic status influenced
students’ engagement in virtual learning. The school support positively impacted student
engagement in virtual learning as 93% of all participants used the Chromebook provided by the
school. Sixty-seven percent of the study population claimed to have a good internet connection at
home, which could be affected by living in areas outside the town. Given that only 33% of all
47
student participants used their own room as a learning space, this privilege did not affect the
engagement in virtual learning.
Students’ socio-economic status and the use of ICT impacted students’ engagement in
virtual learning. As the results of this study indicated, the school administrators’ approach to
provide Chromebooks for the primary students from grade 2 up was the right choice. Ninety-
three percent of students could participate in online learning because they used their school
devices and were trained to use them in the classroom. The study Park and Weng conducted in
2020 supported this notion by proposing that student achievements depend on family income and
student abilities to work with ICT.
What impact does virtual learning have on grade 2 students’ engagement in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic?
The survey outcomes demonstrated that virtual learning influenced grade 2 students’
engagement during COVID19-Pandemic, given that 73% of the study populations generally
enjoyed HBL (40% of girls compared to 33% of boys). These results supported the findings of
Florence and Bolliger (2018), as mentioned in the literature review, that the relationship and
interaction between learner-instructor and learner-learner could influence students’ engagement
and help increase students’ intrinsic motivation in virtual learning.
Ninety-three percent of the student population identified one of the successful online
learning experiences, ZOOM activities with interactive games. It included a gamification
element, as proposed by Toda et al. (2019), and student number 10 expressed, “I like online
games; it is fun!” The gamification effect could provoke students’ intrinsic motivation and help
build their self-confidence to engage in virtual learning, as supported by Hu and Li (2017) and
Park and Weng (2020).

48
Designing learning experiences based not only on student knowledge but skills as well
proved to be very useful and successful (Sinha et al., 2015), even the researcher did not measure
the learning outcomes. Student observation showed evidence of grade 2 students’ skills
improvement by creating their own video presentations, where they incorporated online research,
drawings, use of online images, and recording their voice-over slides while supporting each other
in breakout rooms.
Overall, the study results exposed that virtual learning was challenging for grade 2
students as they needed additional support. Only 47 % of the study population (20% of girls
compared to 27% of boys) worked independently or needed support one to two times a week, but
53 %, evenly spread between boys and girls, argued they could not complete their daily tasks
without support at home. These findings provided evidence to support Stevens and Borup’s
(2015) statement that parents’ help for grade 2 students is necessary to participate virtually.
The student study population expressed their feelings about HBL, as student number two
said, “It is fun to learn and talk online.” Conversely, student number 10 expressed sadness by
explaining, “I feel alone because it is only two of us: me and my brother.” Sixty-seven percent of
the study population, evenly spread between boys and girls, wanted to help and support their
peers during online learning. Student number 13 expressed feelings after assisting peers to
complete tasks, “I feel happy because it is fun to teach someone.” Given that, incorporating
collaboration and IBL into virtual learning could be a solution to improve grade 2 student
independence and enjoyment during HBL in the future, which brings us to the analysis of the
following research question.

49
What effect do collaboration and IBL have on engagement in a virtual learning environment?
To analyze answers to this question, the researcher compared the results before and after
incorporating collaborative and IBL. Eighty-seven percent of the student population indicated
they wanted to continue participating in IBL with creative learning activities, and 73% enjoyed
learning experiences with online research. The enjoyment of HBL after including collaborative
and IBL increased about 7 % of the student population, as they claimed to enjoy more HBL
activities using their creativity than story-based learning, and 7 % claimed to enjoy it less if
conducting research was included. Twenty percent more of the student participants expressed
their wish to help peers in pairs or small group activities, as student number five explained their
reason behind enjoying helping others, “because all of it makes me smarter makes me learn a lot,
so when I grew up, I want to be a teacher.” The results of this study strongly supported Florence
and Bolliger’s statement (2018) that “student engagement increases student satisfaction,
enhances student motivation to learn, reduces the sense of isolation, and improves student
performance in online courses” (p. 205).
Comprehensive online student observation of 11 students brought more light to these
statistical numbers, as only one student started engaging in online activities randomly compared
to collaborative small group activities in person. The researcher could not observe four of 15
students in an online setting and compared it to in-class participation as these students were from
the other grade 2 classroom. Therefore, even the results identified that collaboration and IBL
showed increased levels of engagement in virtual learning, taking into consideration that the
results could be skewed based on the limitations mentioned above.

50
Would student agency, incorporated into IBL, influence intrinsic motivation in online
learning?
The researcher’s intention of incorporating collaborative and IBL with the promotion of
student agency into online learning to enhance student intrinsic motivation was realized. It even
exceeded their expectations as 86% of the student population claimed that they enjoyed
participating and wanted to continue with the creative learning experiences connected to real-life
situations; as Florence and Bolliger (2018) suggested, it might help engage young learners
virtually. Chanprasitchai and Khlaisang’s (2016) proposal of engaging young learners and
incorporating IBL with learning experiences connected to problem-solving activities proved to
be successful advice as 100% of the student population expressed enjoyment and asked to
continue these types of activities online.
According to the students’ answers, 87% of student participants, evenly spread between
boys and girls, claimed to enjoy creative online activities while incorporating student agency.
Student number 14 said, “It is fun.” Student number two said, “It is fun to learn and talk online.”
Student number three explained, “I learned more English. It helps to understand better; I can see
the content of the class (including ZOOMs) several times. Student number 13 said, “ It is good if
there is a good internet connection.” Sixty-seven percent of the student population, evenly spread
between boys and girls, started enjoying collaborative learning activities while supporting each
other.
These study results showed that promoting student agency while incorporating IBL
positively influenced students’ intrinsic motivation to engage in HBL. Sixty percent of students
(40% of girls compared to 20% of boys) thought that HBL was easy, and 53 %, evenly spread
between boys and girls, claimed that they engaged in online learning because they enjoyed it.
51
Student number five pointed out, “online is good because we do stuff like Wordsearch. I like
breakout rooms because we can hang out with friends.”
Learning Themes
The results of the study were surprising due to the study population (67%) who wanted to
help and support their peers during online learning, which led the researcher to hypothesize that
the course of action towards students’ independence during the HBL might change and less
support at home might be needed moving forward.
The researcher realized that some questions incorporated into interviews and
questionnaires were too difficult to be answered by second graders; therefore, those questions
were discarded from the collected data. Here are examples of discarded questions: What are your
interests? What would you like to learn more about? How would you improve HBL for grade 2
(suggestions)? What types of activities would you like to participate in more, and why? The
reason behind posting these questions was to find styles of learning experiences that would
provoke students’ intrinsic motivation to engage in HBL. But most of the students replied “I do
not know” or named school subjects, as they did not understand the questions.
While reflecting on the results, the researcher thought about ways to approach this study
differently, especially while designing the structured interviews and questionnaires so that
students could understand the reasoning behind the questions better and would be able to answer
the research questions straightforward. Designing the surveys, questionnaires, and interviews as
interactive Seesaw activities for second-graders was a good idea as all the participants were
engaged and completed their parts on time.

52
Implications
The purpose of the study was to find a solution to the problem of how to improve
engagement in virtual learning for grade 2 students as lower primary students struggled to
participate in online learning actively. This research provided supportive evidence that
incorporating collaborative and IBL improved engagement in HBL and helped the researcher
deepen their understanding and knowledge of the study participants, how their backgrounds,
culture, and developmental level affected their engagement in virtual learning. The next step
could be to design a rubric on measuring the engagement over time and conduct further research
on what impact collaborative learning and IBL have on grade 2 learning outcomes during virtual
learning? The researcher will share this experience with co-workers and colleagues in the lower
primary to help improve student learning experiences and increase students’ engagement while
learning virtually. Designing meaningful learning experiences that are age-appropriate and
according to student developmental levels is crucial to be able to foster independent student
learning in a student-centered environment in-person or virtually.
Conclusion
The reason behind this research study was that young learners struggled to participate
actively in HBL, and it was challenging to keep them engaged in online settings. Based on the
findings, both quantitative and qualitative methods successfully helped answer each of the
research questions and addressed improving engagement in virtual learning for grade 2 students.
Incorporating collaborative and IBL with the promotion of student agency into age-appropriate
learning experiences was the answer to three of the research questions as it provoked students’
intrinsic motivation, increased the students’ independence, and encouraged learning from each
other by actively participating in online learning. The school’s decision to purchase

53
Chromebooks for all students from grade 2 up and training students to use them in class was a
solution to the fourth question. The high percentage of the study population that wanted to help
and support their peers during online learning was surprising and led the researcher to
hypothesize that the course of action towards students’ independence during the HBL might
change, and less support at home might be needed consequentially. These findings could lead to
new research moving forward; What impact do online collaborative and IBL have on grade 2
learning outcomes? What influence do online collaborative and IBL have on grade 2 students’
independence over time?

54
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THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ON GRADE 2 STUDENTS' ENGAGEMENT

Research Proposal · May 2021

Applied Research Proposal View project

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THE IMPACT OF VIRTUAL LEARNING ON GRADE 2 STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT

IN LIGHT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

An Action Research Proposal Presented

Of the Requirements for the Degree

University of the People

Purpose of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 6

Reasons for Incorporating Collaborative Learning in IBL ......................................................... 6

Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................................ 8

Prior Interventions ........................................................................................................................ 10

Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 11

Significance of the Study .............................................................................................................. 11

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 13

Students’ Engagement During Virtual Learning .......................................................................... 13

What Impact Does Virtual Learning Have on Student Engagement? ...................................... 14

Collaboration and Inquiry-Based Learning .............................................................................. 15

What Pedagogical Methods Influence Intrinsic Motivation in Online Learning? .................... 15

Impression of ICT and Student Socioeconomic Status ............................................................ 16

Engagement in the Learning Process ........................................................................................ 16

Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 18

Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 18

Study Population ........................................................................................................................... 18

Intervention Plan ....................................................................................................................... 19

Sources of Data ............................................................................................................................. 21

Research Procedure ....................................................................................................................... 21

Soliciting Participants ............................................................................................................... 22

Data Collection Procedures....................................................................................................... 22

Engagement in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic? ............................................................. 23

Research Question 2: What Effect do Collaboration and IBL Have on Engagement in a

Virtual Learning Environment? ............................................................................................ 24

Research Question 3: Would Student Agency, Incorporated in IBL, Provoke Intrinsic

Motivation in Grade 2 Students During Virtual Learning? .................................................. 25

students’ engagement in virtual learning? ............................................................................ 26

Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................................. 26

Considerations During Intervention .......................................................................................... 26

Considerations During Data Collection .................................................................................... 27

Considerations of Researcher Bias ........................................................................................... 28

Limitations and Challenges....................................................................................................... 28

DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ........................................................................................... 31

Data Analysis Procedure ............................................................................................................... 31

Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................................. 33

Descriptive Findings ................................................................................................................. 34

Outcome Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 46

in virtual learning? ................................................................................................................ 46

COVID-19 pandemic? .......................................................................................................... 47

What effect do collaboration and IBL have on engagement in a virtual learning

Learning Themes ...................................................................................................................... 51

Purpose of the Study

working through a virtual environment, Home-Based Learning (HBL). Keeping students

being over academic progress.

Reasons for Incorporating Collaborative Learning in IBL

Professional teachers must identify pedagogical approaches that encourage students to

an International School in Cambodia.

Statement of the Problem

chunks or risk permanent shutdown.

students by providing high-quality online learning experiences and activities.

Reflective practice, effective communication, and collaboration within the Professional

• What effect do collaboration and inquiry-based learning have on engagement in a virtual

engagement in virtual learning?