"Now you see me, now you don't": why students avoid turning on their cameras in synchronous online lessons?

One of the phenomena that lecturers who switched to online distance learning during COVID-19 reported is the refusal of students to turn on their cameras during online classes. This study aimed to examine the factors that predict the opening of cameras in class. The study examined this issue regardi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Interactive learning environments 2024-05, Vol.32 (5), p.1737-1750
Main Authors: Meishar-Tal, Hagit, Forkosh-Baruch, Alona
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cameras
COVID-19
Distance Education
Higher education institutions
Higher education students
Individual Characteristics
Online Courses
online learning
Qualitative analysis
Resistance factors
Students
synchronous learning
webcams
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Summary:One of the phenomena that lecturers who switched to online distance learning during COVID-19 reported is the refusal of students to turn on their cameras during online classes. This study aimed to examine the factors that predict the opening of cameras in class. The study examined this issue regarding three types of predictors: resistance factors, learning environment factors, and personal factors. The population included 205 students from higher education institutions in Israel who studied online during the COVID-19 period. Data were collected using an online questionnaire and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings show that camera opening among students during academic classes is indeed relatively low and only partial. The study also revealed four rejection factors to turning on cameras and personal characteristics, such as gender and self-image, that predict students' rate of turning on cameras. However, the more the lecturers demanded to open cameras, the higher the students' responsiveness, and the smaller the classroom, the greater the willingness to turn on cameras. Finally, the findings may help lecturers better understand the students' perspectives of camera use in online classes and develop effective strategies to increase turning on cameras by students.
ISSN:1049-4820
1744-5191
DOI:10.1080/10494820.2022.2127778