The Enablers and Barriers of Online Learning: A Study of Students’ Narratives

Abstract

Since stepping into education delivery, technology continues to revolutionise education, responding to access and equity. This has made online learning to be the choice for access and equity-like never seen before. Unfortunately, it has not only provided solutions but also introduced issues that have created a divide in technology and online learning for learners and institutions. The study explored online learning in the Solomon Islands from students' narratives at the Solomon Islands National University via tok stori; seeking to understand what they perceived as enablers and barriers of online learning. The study employed the sequential mixed-method approach and was guided by the theories of transactional distance and interaction, with the latter's extensions. The findings show that the level and strategies of support in administration, academics, and technology determine what transpires as an enabler or a barrier to online learning.