University students' perceptions of teaching during lockdown period in Spain: a qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to provide relevant information on the educational processes experienced by university students in Spain during the period of compulsory confinement. To this end, the key factors of the emergency educational model implemented by the country's universities have been analysed.

Design/methodology/approach

The study investigated, through qualitative, exploratory research and 30 in-depth interviews, how university students have lived the process of change to alternative forms of education during the crisis, what training experiences stand out and what factors related to virtual education they identify as relevant keys.

Findings

Participants usually focus on three main topics: (1) The impacts of changes in training development with regard to methodologies and forms of assessment; (2) The facilities and difficulties in this new modality of online training; and (3) The consequences of the crisis on higher education in the medium and long term.

Originality/value

Students participating in the study offer relevant and critical information on the adaptations developed by Spanish universities during the Coronavirus crisis. This information can be fundamental for the conscious decision making of the institutions, so that they can develop educational processes more adequate to the needs and possibilities of the university students in times of crisis.

Citation

Gajardo, K., Lobo de Diego, F., Campos Cancino, G.A. and Díez-Gutiérrez, E.-J. (2024), "University students' perceptions of teaching during lockdown period in Spain: a qualitative study", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-09-2022-0295