Abstract
Due to COVID-19, in March 2020, higher level classes in Mexico migrated from face-to-face to virtual modality. Currently, in 2022, there is a process of returning to presential classes. One of the aspects that contrasts between both modalities is the social interaction during classes. This research seeks to describe the meanings that Mexican higher education students give to social interaction in the classroom, either virtual or face-to-face, since they have experiences in both. The theoretical/interpretive approach that is assumed is the symbolic interactionism, which postulates that people construct the meanings of the objects based on the interaction they have with the objects themselves and other subjects in their social environment; in addition, those meanings can change depending on specific situations. This research is qualitative, a questionnaire of open questions was applied to 90 students from various public higher education institutions in Mexico. It was found that there is a preference for face-to-face classes, due to the interaction possibilities they offer both with teachers and with other students, giving the opportunity of establishing dialogues of academic or non-academic issues; also, the importance of the face-to-face relationship and non-verbal language is highlighted. All of these, generates environments of greater trust and understanding in the presential classroom. On the other hand, students perceive that in virtual classes communication is difficult and there is a greater distance between the members of the classroom. All these aspects influence the motivation and willingness to learn of the students, which varies according to the modality.
Presenters
Elí Orlando Lozano GonzálezTeacher/Researcher, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, Mexico
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Higher Education, Virtual Education, Face-to-Face Education, Student, Symbolic Interactionism, Meanings
