Open Education Studies 2024; 6: 20220215

Research Article

Georgios Lampropoulos*, Wilfried Admiraal

Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with

Traditional Learning in Primary Education:
Primary School Student Perspectives
https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2022-0215 March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared
received November 21, 2022; accepted January 11, 2024 COVID-19 as a pandemic (World Health Organization, 2020).
Abstract: This study aims to explore primary school students’ Almost all sectors were affected. The educational sector and
perspectives of emergency remote teaching and learning community were no exception to that as they were tremen-
during the COVID-19 pandemic and their preferences when dously affected by the severe pandemic with educational insti-
comparing it with face-to-face learning. Data from 114 Greek tutes in 195 countries being suspended in mid-April 2020
primary students showed that students did not find online (UNESCO, 2020). Teachers, students, parents, and the education
learning particularly intriguing, enjoyable, and interactive community as a whole had to adjust to the new challenges and
and felt social isolation due to the lack of communication conditions, find ways to meet the new needs and requirements,
and interactions. Most students preferred traditional learning and overcome the unexpected and unprecedented difficulties.
to online learning as they found it more enjoyable and inter- With the educational process having to rapidly switch from
active, and made it easier to learn, focus on, comprehend, traditional face-to-face to distance learning through virtual
and perform better. They greatly valued the class atmosphere learning environments not only many challenges but also
and the ability to actively participate and freely communi- many opportunities arose (Ferri, Grifoni, & Guzzo, 2020).
cate, and stated that it was easier to devote time to studying, Students’ ability to continue their education in times of
complete their assignments, and get answers to their question emergency is crucial. This is the reason why teachers had
when learning in person. Students believed that despite its to cultivate a new skill set and adapt their didactic methods
disadvantages, online learning might be more broadly used and pedagogical approaches by adopting emergency remote
in the future. Finally, no significant differences were found teaching during the pandemic (Abaci, Robertson, Linklater,
regarding students’ gender, age, and class level. & McNeill, 2020; Lampropoulos, Siakas, & Anastasiadis, 2021;
Whalen, 2020). More specifically, emergency remote teaching
Keywords: online learning, emergency remote teaching, is an unplanned, rapid, and temporary transformation of the
education, COVID-19 pandemic, distance education, tech- teaching process due to extraordinary and urgent circum-
nology-enhanced learning stances whose main aim is to offer temporary access to
instructional support and not to re-create a stable educational
ecosystem (Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust, & Bond, 2020). It is
worth noting that the element of distance in emergency
1 Introduction remote teaching and learning refers exclusively to spatial
distance (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020). As carefully designed
The rapid and global spread of the coronavirus disease
online learning experiences differ significantly compared to
(COVID-19) has drastically affected the whole world. On the
courses offered simply online to cope with a sudden emer-
gency, there is a clear difference between conventional

* Corresponding author: Georgios Lampropoulos, Department of distance education and emergency remote teaching and
Applied Informatics, School of Information Sciences, University of learning (Williamson, Eynon, & Potter, 2020). In both
Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece; Research and Development Laboratory cases, the instructional design models should include
in Education and Psychology, School of Humanities, Hellenic Open responsive, iterative, interactive, reflective, breadth-first,
University, Patras, Greece, e-mail: [email protected]
and top-down characteristics and ensure online security
Wilfried Admiraal: Centre for the Study of Professions, Oslo
Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway
and privacy (Kanakaris, Lampropoulos, & Siakas, 2019;
ORCID: Georgios Lampropoulos 0000-0002-5719-2125; Wilfried Admiraal Karakaya, 2020).
0000-0002-1627-3420

Open Access. © 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
2  Georgios Lampropoulos and Wilfried Admiraal

Capturing and comprehending the opinions of involved of opportunities to socialize and interact and the increased
stakeholders is essential to successfully cope with similar time spent on digital screens. Lau and Lee (2020) explored
situations that might arise. Due to their young age and the Chinese parents’ viewpoints. According to their findings, stu-
lack of day-to-day experiences, primary school students dents needed help to carry out their tasks as they experienced
were drastically affected by the changes made to their several difficulties including lack of learning interests and
way of learning, communicating with their peers, and going limitations in their home environment. Moreover, parents
through significant for their development of social experi- were dissatisfied with their children’s overall learning experi-
ences (Bond, 2020). Similarly, the parents of these children ence and support from school. Daniela, Rubene, and Rūdolfa
were also influenced by these changes (Misirli & Ergulec, (2021) and Haller and Novita (2021) conducted studies
2021). Many of the experiences faced by both children and regarding Latvian parents’ perspectives. Based on the find-
parents might have consequences in the future. Conse- ings, parents tried their best to support their children as
quently, the aim of this study is to comprehend primary their involvement was necessary. Therefore, parents’ digital
school students’ viewpoints and perceptions of their emer- literacy skills and digital competence were essential for
gency remote teaching and their learning experiences and students’ effective online learning experience. Hikmah, Wur-
preferences compared with traditional face-to-face learning. yandani, Zubaidah, Herwin, and Jhon (2021) examined Indo-
nesian teachers’ opinions. Based on their results, teachers
came up with several difficulties concerning the prepara-
tion, conduction, and evaluation of the learning activities.
2 Related work Despite this fact, they tried to use several learning platforms
and media and implement various educational strategies.
Several studies have been carried out trying to better Finally, teachers highlighted that communication and colla-
assess the impact of emergency remote teaching in educa- boration were key parts of online lessons. Polydoros and
tion. In this view, emphasis has been put on compre- Alasona (2021) analyzed Greek teachers’ viewpoints. The
hending the viewpoints of the public as well as of parents, need for teachers to be trained in using digital technologies
teachers, and students of primary education. and the necessity for implementing proper teaching meth-
Regarding primary education, Alkinani (2021) conducted odologies were highlighted. Redmond, Smart, Powell, and
a study involving Saudi Arabian students, parents, and tea- Albion (2021) examined the confidence level of primary edu-
chers. The findings showed that although students received cation teachers regarding their ability to implement digital
support from their teachers, parents, and schools and were technologies in the curriculum. Based on their findings,
comfortable with distance learning, they still believed that it although teachers did not have particularly deep knowledge
could not replace traditional learning. Furthermore, teachers of key curriculum constructs and digital and technical skills
had difficulty in preparing their material due to their lack of of high level, they were able to and confident of performing
training and knowledge in online classes. Parents expressed low-level tasks. The need to provide teachers with access to
negative attitudes towards distance education while stating high-quality learning resources and material and opportu-
that they preferred face-to-face learning. Ewing and Cooper nities to train and develop their digital skills and knowledge
(2021) examined the viewpoints of Australian teachers, stu- was evident.
dents, and parents. Based on their results, there was a clear In the case of K-12 education, Potyrała, Demeshkant,
lack of social interaction, parents were unengaged with tea- Czerwiec, Jancarz-Łanczkowska, and Tomczyk (2021) exam-
chers, and students regarded distance learning as challenging ined primary and secondary Polish head teachers’ perspec-
and less personalized when compared to traditional learning. tives. Based on their results, students, parents, and teachers
Furthermore, in the context of primary education, can cultivate digital skills through online learning. More-
Seabra, Abelha, Teixeira, and Aires (2021) analyzed Portu- over, despite the clear lack of standards for quality and
guese parents’ viewpoints. Parents were moderately satis- control, specific educational goals can be met. Several posi-
fied with emergency remote teaching and believed that tive and negative effects deriving from emergency remote
their workload increased. Additionally, the need to pro- teaching were highlighted. Topkaya, Benli, and Cerev (2021)
mote and increase parents’ digital literacy was highlighted. carried out a study focusing on Kenyan parents’ experi-
Misirli and Ergulec (2021) examined Turkish parents’ perspec- ences. According to their findings, mostly due to technical
tives and concluded that although students cultivated their difficulties and lack of digital equipment, most learners did
self-regulated learning skills, emergency remote teaching was not benefit from online learning. This fact amplified the
unsuitable for young students and students with special educational inequality. Limited student participation and
needs. It was also evident that parents deprecated the lack parents’ supervision and guidance were also observed.
 Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with Traditional Learning  3

Scarpellini et al. (2021) conducted a study involving Italian results, the use of the lesson study model positively affected
parents of primary and secondary school students. Based the pedagogy and content knowledge in the educational pro-
on the parents’ viewpoints, distance education was negatively cess and led to higher quality teaching and lesson planning
viewed due to its nature and the fact that it increased depri- while effective time management, environmental conditions,
vation and social inequalities. Routines became unstable, les- and lack of experience and knowledge were the main chal-
sons less organized and learning quality lower and students lenges faced.
showed restlessness, aggressiveness, and lack of focus and Košir et al. (2020) examined the experiences of Slove-
enthusiasm. Abuhammad (2020) examined Jordanian par- nian K-12 teachers and counselors regarding online educa-
ents’ opinions by analyzing Facebook groups. According tion during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the
to the results, although parents tried to actively assist their results, the participants who were more accustomed to
children in coping with online learning, several personal, using ICT were more positively disposed to distance educa-
technical, financial and logistical barriers and issues arose. tion and experienced less stress. Despite this fact, high
Simpson (2020) analyzed the viewpoints of students (of stress levels were noticed by the participants who were
4th–12th grades) and parents in the United States. Various also taking care of their own young children during the
teaching methods were applied having different success school closure. Ninković, Ninković, Lazarević, and Adamov
results. Communication was defined as a significant factor (2021) explored the relationship between ICT self-efficacy
while the need for more personalized and increased feed- and perception of online learning and assessment of Ser-
back and support was highlighted. bian K-12 teachers. Although teacher self-efficacy was not a
Moreover, Takacs and Pogatsnik (2021) studied the predictor for the instructional strategies used, it greatly
viewpoints of Hungarian students in K-12 settings. The influenced their views of online learning and the engage-
monotonous nature of online learning, the lack of daily ment of their students. Letzel, Pozas, and Schneider (2020)
personal contact with peers and teachers as well as social explored German teachers’, parents’, and students’ experi-
isolation in general were proven to be the main disadvan- ences and perspectives regarding homeschooling during
tages of online learning. Tomasik, Helbling, and Moser the pandemic. Based on their results, this experience did
(2021) examined Swiss primary and secondary students’ affect not only the educational domain, but also the social
opinions. Although distance learning was viewed as an and psychological states of the involved stakeholders.
effective educational tool in emergency situations and The need for inclusive education and equal opportunities
did not affect the learning gains of secondary education in online learning environments was highlighted. Escola,
students, primary education pupils faced difficulties which Lopes, Catarino, and Aires (2022) examined Portuguese tea-
resulted in their learning being slowed down and learning chers’ viewpoints regarding the integration of Microsoft 365
discrepancies being increased. An et al. (2021) looked into as an educational tool to assist online learning during the
the feelings, experiences, and perspectives of teachers during pandemic. According to the findings, teachers were familiar
the early stages of the pandemic. In particular, the main with using this tool, and they stated that they found it satis-
challenges identified were students’ lack of engagement and factory and appropriate to use. The need to integrate digital
active participation, parental support, access to technology, tools to facilitate the educational process during distance
students’ well-being, lack of interactions, and work–life bal- education was pointed out. Csachová and Jurečková (2020)
ance. The necessity for increased technology training and went over Slovenian teachers’ experience and opinions
access, online learning development, and communication of distance education. Teacher and school preparedness to
and access plans to be better prepared for the future was adapt their practices and transition to online learning
evident. Bergdahl and Nouri (2020) analyzed Swedish tea- varied topically. Most teachers positively viewed this
chers’ experience regarding the transition to distance educa- transition and were willing to adapt their practices and
tion. Their findings showed that schools focused mainly on integrate different digital tools to improve their teaching
technical issues and that there was a clear lack of appropriate quality. The key role that parents played in children’s
pedagogical approaches being used. In addition, video-based education was highlighted.
communication, student interaction and communication, dis- As can be seen, the overall online learning experience
tribution and sharing learning material and exercises as well varies from country to country and greatly depends on the
as examination and assessment were highlighted as the main context, the prior experiences, and whose perspectives are
pedagogical activities that took place during emergency dis- being taken into consideration (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021).
tance education. Aykan and Yıldırım (2021) investigated the Particularly, the studies examined showcased that parents’
views of Turkish teachers concerning the integration of a and teachers’ roles and digital literacy skills greatly affected
lesson study model in distance education. Based on the the successful adoption of online learning and students’
4  Georgios Lampropoulos and Wilfried Admiraal

overall learning experience (Daniela et al., 2021; Haller & 2. RQ2: What were Greek primary school students’ per-
Novita, 2021; Hikmah et al., 2021). Lack of motivation, of spectives concerning emergency remote teaching and
equipment, of personalized experiences and of daily per- learning compared to traditional face-to-face learning?
sonal contact and interactions as well as increased technical
issues, deprivation, social inequalities and social isolation,
were some of the barriers and drawbacks that were observed
(Abuhammad, 2020; Ewing & Cooper, 2021; Lau & Lee, 2020; 3 Methods
Scarpellini et al., 2021; Takacs & Pogatsnik, 2021; Topkaya
et al., 2021). Students greatly preferred traditional learning This study followed a quantitative research approach and
to online learning as it was more familiar and suitable for used an ad hoc paper-based questionnaire to retrieve stu-
them (Alkinani, 2021; Misirli & Ergulec, 2021; Seabra et al., dents’ opinions regarding their emergency distance learning
2021). Despite the drawbacks of online learning, there are experiences. This particular approach and such instruments
several merits that can be yielded when properly integrated were used in the majority of similar studies (Khan, 2021;
and used as a supportive tool to the existing educational Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). The questionnaire used and the
methodologies (Capone & Lepore, 2021; Potyrała et al., 2021). study in general did not pose any physical or psychological
Therefore, teachers, parents, and students should be provided risks of the participants. No personal details were recorded,
with the necessary training to cultivate their digital skills and the students gave their consent, and only anonymized per-
familiarize themselves with the modalities of online learning ceptions were used and analyzed. Besides students, all edu-
(Polydoros & Alasona, 2021). cation stakeholders (e.g., principal, teachers, and parents)
As primary education students were drastically affected also gave their consent prior to the conduct of the study.
by this abrupt transition and since most of them did not A total of 114 students from a public primary school in
have similar prior experience with online learning, it is Thessaloniki, Greece, participated in the study by completing
crucial to understand their perspectives. To this end, Bond the questionnaire anonymously. The participants involved
(2020) highlighted the need to expand the research into pri- were 57 female and 57 male students whose mean age was
mary education. Since most studies put emphasis solely on 10.7 and who were from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The
viewpoints regarding the effectiveness of online learning detailed distribution of the students based on their gender and
during the pandemic, little is known concerning students’ grade is displayed in Figure 1.
perspectives and preferred ways of learning, after having Since the target group of this study involved young
experienced both distance learning and traditional face-to- students, a paper-based questionnaire was selected over
face learning. Presenting the experiences and viewpoints of an online one. Another reason for the paper-based question-
students from different countries and backgrounds is vital naire selection was to ensure that it would be filled in by the
to comprehend the impact of online learning and to adjust students themselves and not by somebody else (e.g., parents,
and prepare for potentially similar future emergency situa- guardians, etc.). The instrument developed consisted of 28
tions. In the case of Greece, although there are studies that items that assessed students’ viewpoints and perceptions.
focus on primary education, these studies involve kinder- Particularly, closed-ended questions were used in addition
garten pupils (Foti, 2020), teachers (Chalari & Charonitis, to Likert scale questions based on a scale from 1 (Strongly
2022; Polydoros & Alasona, 2021; Tzafilkou, Perifanou, & disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). The items will be presented as
Economides, 2022), and principals (Gkoros & Bratitsis, part of the results section. Due to the age of the participants,
2022). As a result, there is a clear lack of studies focusing simple vocabulary and comprehensible concepts were used.
on Greek primary education students. To facilitate the data acquisition process as well as
Consequently, comprehending Greek primary school stu- students’ completion of the questionnaire, the same experi-
dents’ viewpoints and perceptions of their emergency remote enced educator, who was not the main teacher of the par-
teaching and their learning experiences as well as their pre- ticipating classes, was present in each classroom along
ferences compared with traditional face-to-face learning is with one of the researchers and presented each question
the main aim of this study. For that reason, a 28-item while explaining possible unknown words to the students
paper-based questionnaire was developed and distributed and answering their questions. To facilitate the educator’s
to students to complete while in the classroom. The following role and ensure the understanding of the more compli-
two Research Questions (RQ) were set to be explored: cated terms by the students, slides for the more complex
1. RQ1: What were Greek primary school students’ opi- terms were prepared for the educator to show in case
nions regarding the emergency remote teaching and explaining them verbally was not effective. It is worth
learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic? noting that the slides were presented in the students’
 Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with Traditional Learning  5

Figure 1: Students’ grade and gender distribution.

native language using simple terms, definitions, examples, from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Table 2 pre-
and images. Due to the COVID-19 protocols and safety mea- sents the results which are further explained in Figure 2.
sures, the students of each class were divided into smaller Specifically, Figure 2 uses diverging stacked bars to visualize
groups and the process was the same for all groups and the distribution of the responses to each question based on
carried out by the same educator. In addition to the efforts the Likert scale (Strongly disagree to Strongly agree) using the
of the educator, the questions were easy to understand and frequency and percentage of the related responses and the
answer, and this is justified by the fact that all the respon- mean Liker scale value as the distribution reference point.
dents provided valid answers to all the questions. It is The majority of students agreed that online learning helps
worth noting that the data acquisition process was conducted save time (52.7%) and assists in developing digital skills
approximately one and a half years after emergency distance (44.7%), whereas it requires more concentration (60.5%),
learning was introduced and students were back in their gets affected by technical issues and difficulties (77.2%), gets
classrooms. The particular time period meant that students affected by the prevailing home conditions (54.5%), and leads
had already acquired quite enough experience in online to social isolation (56.2%). The majority of students were neu-
learning while also having experienced traditional face-to- tral regarding the interactive (36%) and intriguing (29.8%)
face learning before and after the lockdown. Therefore, nature of online learning and the potential it offers students
they were able to compare and contrast their learning experi- to learn at their own pace (33.3%). Finally, the majority of
ences. In order to analyze the quantitative data, the Statistical
Package for the Social Sciences statistical software suite was
used to conduct descriptive statistics analysis.
Table 1: Students’ viewpoints regarding their online learning experience
and social interactions

Question Not at all A little A lot

4 Results freq. pct. freq. pct. freq. pct.

Did you like the 31 27.2% 63 55.3% 20 17.5%

As can be seen in Table 1, most students (55.3%) had mixed
experience of online
feelings regarding emergency remote teaching and learning learning?
experience, and most students (72.8%) missed their class- Did you miss 6 5.3% 25 21.9% 83 72.8%
mates and their social interactions and communication a lot. interacting with your
To assess students’ experience regarding online classmates during the
period of online
learning during the pandemic, several simple questions
learning?
were administered. These questions followed a Likert scale
6  Georgios Lampropoulos and Wilfried Admiraal

Table 2: Students’ viewpoints regarding online learning

Statement Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

freq. (pct.) freq. (pct.) freq. (pct.) freq. (pct.) freq. (pct.)

[…] requires more concentration 14 (12.3%) 17 (14.9%) 14 (12.3%) 43 (37.7%) 26 (22.8%)

[…] is interactive 19 (16.7%) 22 (19.3%) 41 (36.0%) 26 (22.8%) 6 (5.3%)
[…] is interesting 21 (18.4%) 23 (20.2%) 34 (29.8%) 26 (22.8%) 10 (8.8%)
[…] is enjoyable 30 (26.3%) 34 (29.8) 24 (21.1%) 19 (16.7%) 7 (6.1%)
[…] gets affected by technical issues 3 (2.6%) 9 (7.9%) 14 (12.3%) 46 (40.4%) 42 (36.8%)
[…] helps save time 15 (13.2%) 12 (10.5%) 27 (23.7%) 46 (40.4%) 14 (12.3%)
[…] causes social isolation 11 (9.6%) 14 (12.3%) 25 (21.9%) 36 (31.6%) 28 (24.6%)
[…] gets affected by the prevailing home conditions 8 (7.0%) 18 (15.8%) 26 (22.8%) 41 (36.0%) 21 (18.4%)
[…] allows students to learn at their own pace 13 (11.4%) 35 (30.7%) 38 (33.3%) 24 (21.1%) 4 (3.5%)
[…] assists in developing digital skills 9 (7.9%) 21 (18.4%) 33 (28.9%) 38 13 (11.4%)

students did not enjoy the overall online learning experi- concentrate better (87.7%), dedicate more time to studying
ence (56.1%). (79.8%), communicate with teachers (91.2%) and classmates
Furthermore, students were asked to select whether they (86.8%) better, and get answers to their questions more easily
prefer traditional face-to-face learning to online learning (94.7%). Moreover, students consider lessons that take place
through several statements. Table 3 and Figure 3 depict stu- in the classroom to have a better atmosphere (88.6%) and to
dents’ related answers. The overwhelming majority of stu- be more easily comprehensible (96.5%), more enjoyable
dents preferred traditional learning as it enables them to (87.7%), and more interactive (80.7%). Finally, the vast
learn (98.2%) and perform better (90.4%), complete assign- majority of students find it more difficult to pay attention
ments more easily (72.8%), participate more actively (92.1%), to lessons that take place online (85.1%).

Figure 2: Students’ viewpoints regarding online learning with the frequency and percentage of each point of the Likert scale response.
 Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with Traditional Learning  7

Table 3: Students’ preference regarding in class or online learning

Statement School Online learning

freq. pct. freq. pct.

I perform better at/on […] 103 90.40% 11 9.60%

I complete my assignments more easily at/on […] 83 72.80% 31 27.20%
I participate more actively in the lesson at/on […] 105 92.10% 9 7.90%
I concentrate better at/on […] 100 87.70% 14 12.30%
I dedicate more time to studying at/on […] 91 79.80% 23 20.20%
I communicate with my teachers better at/on […] 104 91.20% 10 8.80%
I find it more difficult to pay attention to my lessons at/on […] 17 14.90% 97 85.10%
I communicate with my classmates better at/on […] 99 86.80% 15 13.20%
My questions are answered more easily at/on […] 108 94.70% 6 5.30%
I feel the class atmosphere better at/on […] 101 88.60% 13 11.40%
Lessons are more easily comprehensible at/on […] 110 96.50% 4 3.50%
Lessons are more enjoyable at/on […] 100 87.70% 14 12.30%
Lessons are more interactive at/on […] 92 80.70% 22 19.30%
I learn better at/on […] 112 98.20% 2 1.80%

Figure 3: Students’ preference regarding in-class or online learning.

8  Georgios Lampropoulos and Wilfried Admiraal

Table 4: Students’ preferred learning environment

Question Face-to-face learning Online learning Blended learning

freq. pct. freq. pct. freq. pct.

Which kind of learning environments do you prefer? 99 86.8% 4 3.5% 11 9.6%

When asked about their preferred learning environ- recent studies which found that students’ gender might
ment after having experienced both face-to-face and online influence their perspectives (Rayhana & Al-Batayha, 2022).
learning, the vast majority of students selected face-to-face The majority of students had mixed feelings regarding their
learning (86.8%), followed by blended learning (9.6%) and emergency remote teaching experience. This is in line with
online learning (3.5%) as can be seen in Table 4. Finally, as other studies reporting neutral (Çelik & Íşler, 2020; Rayhana
presented in Table 5, students mostly agreed (32.5%) or & Al-Batayha, 2022), positive (Dedić, & Jokić, 2021; Zheng
were neutral (30.7%) that online learning will be more et al., 2022), and negative perspectives (Stojkovic & Jelic,
widely used in primary education in the future. 2021). In addition, students felt social isolation due to the
lack of communication and interactions with their peers
and teachers. Although positive points of online learning,
such as the development of digital skills, learning at one’s
5 Discussion own pace, and saving time, were highlighted, several draw-
backs, such as technical issues, home conditions, social iso-
Education is an integral part of one’s life and development lation, and the need to be more focused and concentrated,
and this is particularly true for young children. Therefore, were observed. Several studies that focused on primary
being able to provide education of high quality even during education have reported similar results concerning the
emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is main benefits and drawbacks that arose (Çelik & Íşler,
essential. The education community tried to address the 2020; Dedić, & Jokić, 2021; Lenka, Beáta, & Radmila, 2021;
several challenges and difficulties that arose during the pan- Stojkovic & Jelic, 2021; Zheng et al., 2022).
demic by rapidly transitioning from face-to-face to online When comparing students’ learning experiences after
learning. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of emergency remote having experienced both face-to-face and online learning,
teaching and learning activities varied greatly between coun- it was quite clear that the vast majority preferred tradi-
tries, schools, and even different classrooms of the same tional learning and did not find the overall online learning
school (Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). It is worth noting that the experience particularly intriguing, enjoyable, and interac-
emergency integration of online learning at schools is not tive. Specifically, they regarded face-to-face learning as
equivalent to the purposeful and organized adoption of more joyful and interactive and the courses taught in
online learning and technologies in education (Ewing & person as easier to learn, focus on, comprehend, and per-
Cooper, 2021). form better. They highly valued the class atmosphere, the
The results obtained in the present study which demon- ability to actively participate, and the ability to freely com-
strate the viewpoints of primary school students from a municate with their teachers and classmates during face-
public primary school in Thessaloniki, Greece confirm and to-face learning. Students also stated that it was easier for
further expand those of the available literature. Particularly, them to devote time to studying, complete their assign-
no significant differences were found regarding students’ ments, and get answers to their questions when the lessons
gender, age, and class level. This is in contrast with other took place in person. Students’ preference for traditional

Table 5: Students’ opinion regarding online learning in the future

Question Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

freq. pct. freq. pct. freq. pct. freq. pct. freq. pct.

Do you believe that online learning will be more widely 12 10.5% 25 21.9% 35 30.7% 37 32.5% 5 4.4%
used in the future?
 Comparing Emergency Remote Learning with Traditional Learning  9

learning over online learning and its merits have also been More specifically, students regarded face-to-face learning as
highlighted in recent studies (Khan, 2021; Mseleku, 2020; more interactive, interesting, and enjoyable and made it easier
Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021). Finally, students believed that to comprehend, devote time to studying, focus on, complete
despite its disadvantages, online learning when used in a their assignments, perform better, get answers to their ques-
student-centered manner and following a purposeful inte- tions, and learn. In addition, they highly valued their ability
gration might be more broadly used in the future. The use to be actively engaged in the educational process while com-
of online learning as a supportive tool to the existing edu- municating and interacting with their teachers and peers.
cational methodologies has been pointed out in the results Despite the drawbacks that were observed, there are
of recent studies (Capone & Lepore, 2021; Potyrała et al., several benefits that can be yielded when implementing
2021). Consequently, it can be inferred that despite the purposeful and organized online learning. Understanding
shortcomings experienced during the pandemic, if the edu- what was correctly or wrongly done and what could be
cation community and policy-makers capitalize on the improved is essential to better prepare for potentially
digital competencies cultivated and implement technolo- future emergency situations. This study provided the per-
gical applications in a student-centered manner, tech- spectives of students as an opportunity to reflect upon the
nology-enhanced learning will be more widely adopted practices used. Government, society, the education commu-
and better integrated to meet the educational needs of nity, and the involved stakeholders should work together
modern learners (Lampropoulos & Admiraal, 2023). and make joint efforts to overcome the difficulties, provide
The fact that all the participants were from the same education of high quality, and adopt effective teaching and
school in which the same teaching approaches and methods learning approaches even during emergency situations.
were used can be regarded as a limitation of this study. The
study involving only students from grades 4 to 6 might be Funding information: No funding was received for this
considered as an additional limitation. The future goals of study.
this study involve the inclusion of more students from dif-
ferent schools, areas, and countries and the conduct of Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.
cross-country comparisons. Future research should aim to
highlight the impact of online learning on students, tea-
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