A new study published in the British Journal of Educational Technology has identified the different needs of students across primary, middle, and high school related to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the study, investigators surveyed 1,170,769 Chinese students from the Guangdong Province of China.

Based on their findings, the researchers recommend that educational authorities and schools provide sufficient technical support to help students overcome potential internet and technical problems, and customize the delivery of online learning tools for students in different school years.

"Utilizing data from a large sample, we identify that student requirements of online learning are not homogeneous. For young children, there is a need for guidance from teachers and parents. In contrast, older students require opportunities to collaborate," said lead author Lixiang Yan, of the Centre for Learning Analytics at Monash University, in Australia. "Our study also showed an overwhelming use of smartphones over other devices by all age groups. This finding has direct implications for the design of online courses in K12 education; however, this can potentially pose a significant limitation for an effective learning experience."

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