الملخص الإنجليزي
The global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid
transition to online education, profoundly impacting students worldwide. This study
focuses on a crucial aspect of this shift—the experiences of Arabic speakers
engaging in distance education, an uncharted territory for many. Utilizing Twitter as
a primary data source, we conducted manual content and sentiment analysis on 1183
tweets to gain nuanced insights into how Arabic users perceive and navigate this
educational transformation.
Our research delves into the unique challenges faced by Arabic speakers who are
navigating distance education for the first time. By employing manual content
analysis, we identified key themes, including health and safety concerns, academic
obstacles, and psychological impacts. User roles were discerned through Twitter
bios, revealing perspectives from parents, students, teachers, and others. The findings
indicate a marked preference for distance education, with overwhelmingly positive
sentiments dominating the discourse on Twitter.
Key findings encompass diverse themes, including the prioritization of health and
safety in the online learning environment, the identification of obstacles hindering
academic achievement, and a nuanced exploration of the psychological impacts of
distance education. The overwhelmingly positive sentiments expressed on Twitter
underscore a prevalent acceptance and preference for online learning within the
studied demographic. This marked preference reflects not only the adaptability of
Arabic speakers to the new educational landscape but also signals a potential
paradigm shift in their attitudes toward distance education.
This research significantly contributes to the ongoing discourse on online learning
technologies by offering valuable insights into the preferences and sentiments of
Arabic speakers. As educational landscapes continue to evolve in response to the
pandemic, our findings provide a foundation for further discussions on refining and
enhancing online learning methodologies to align with the needs and preferences of
Arabic-speaking students.
