Student engagement in online learning in Latin American higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

“We follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, which were developed to improve the reporting of systematic reviews (Moher et al., 2015); see Figure 1.”

“Next, the two authors coded 20 percent of the selected articles (5 out of 23 articles), and Cohen's kappa coefficient (1960) was used to measure intercoder reliability: moderate agreement = 0.60– 0.79, substantial agreement = 0.80– 0.90 and almost perfect agreement = 0.91– 1.00 (McHugh, 2012).”

“Based on the engagement dimensions proposed by Fredricks et al. (2004), student engagement in online learning can be explained as follows: a. Behavioural engagement : when online students actively participate in online learning activities. b. Cognitive engagement : when online students show…”

“…institutions to provide emotional support for students during the COVID-10 pandemic. stage in 2020 during the global public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Cucinotta & Vanelli, 2020) as higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide were compelled to switch to online instruction.”

“The research questions (RQs) are as follows: RQ1: What are the main characteristics of student engagement— on the behavioural, cognitive and affective dimensions— in online learning in Latin American higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic?”

“…to face- to-face instruction on parameters such as learning gains, satisfaction, learning styles and study habits (Farrell & Brunton, 2020; Paulsen & McCormick, 2020), in spite of challenges in the delivery of online instruction and provision of adequate infrastructure (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020).”

“Student engagement is defined as the time and energy that students purposefully dedicate to learning activities (Kuh, 2003).”

“There is substantial evidence that student engagement is associated with positive learning outcomes, such as good academic performance, self-regulated learning and well-being (Lin et al., 2019; Martin & Bolliger, 2018; Zhang, 2017).”

“More engaged students are considered more likely to be academically successful (Bond et al., 2020).”

“Regarding online courses, Dumford and Miller (2018) also mentioned that students reported less exposure to effective teaching, which suggests that online learning might somewhat benefit or be deterrent for engagement.”

“This sudden change posed challenges to both teachers and students who were inadequately prepared for online learning because research indicates that engaging students in online learning environment is often more challenging than in traditional face- to-face courses (Gillett-Swan, 2017; Hew, 2016).”

“Therefore, HEIs are expected to offer emotional support services, and help students and teachers develop coping strategies (Copeland et al., 2021).”

“This sudden change posed challenges to both teachers and students who were inadequately prepared for online learning because research indicates that engaging students in online learning environment is often more challenging than in traditional face- to- face courses (Gillett- Swan, 2017; Hew, 2016).”

“In terms of cognitive engagement, our findings indicate that it is crucially important to take into account motivation, positive self-perception of digital literacy, and self-regulation: Pellas (2014) also reported that these characteristics play a pivotal role in the success of online learning.”

“Positive attitude and previous experience with online learning platforms are found to be a strong indicator for student satisfaction and affective engagement (Ferrer et al., 2022; Kovačević et al., 2021).”

“Mheidly et al. (2020) recommended some strategies to cope with stress and anxiety during online learning, such as implementing healthy practices in between online sessions (eg, breathing exercises), promoting awareness of the physical and emotional consequences of extended online time, and allowing…”

“In the present century, the Latin American higher education had a big expansion of gross enrollment rate in higher education, from 23% in 2000 to 52% in 2017; although, there is still the need to improve the quality of education (Ferreyra et al., 2017).”

“Moreover, Bali and Liu (2018) argued that online soft skills are likely to be improved in inclusive and supportive online learning environments.”

“…benefits to students compared to face- to-face instruction on parameters such as learning gains, satisfaction, learning styles and study habits (Farrell & Brunton, 2020; Paulsen & McCormick, 2020), in spite of challenges in the delivery of online instruction and provision of adequate…”

“Usually, the longer students engage in learning activities, the better their academic performance (Bravo-Agapito et al., 2021; Yokoyama, 2019).”

“…compared to face- to-face instruction on parameters such as learning gains, satisfaction, learning styles and study habits (Farrell & Brunton, 2020; Paulsen & McCormick, 2020), in spite of challenges in the delivery of online instruction and provision of adequate infrastructure (Adedoyin & Soykan,…”

“Therefore, student engagement in online learning is a recent research area and thus requires more study (Hu & Li, 2017).”

“Highly motivated learners tend to demonstrate a high level of cognitive engagement in online learning (Binali et al., 2021).”

“As Dillenbourg (2016) highlighted, technology does not guarantee learning; to effectively support the transition to online learning, learning activities must be appropriately designed and introduced to engage learners behaviorally, cognitively, and affectively.”

“Landrum et al. (2020) mentioned that students’ satisfaction is positively related to the course design or clarity and teacher– student interaction.”

“There is substantial evidence that student engagement is associated with positive learning outcomes, such as good academic performance, self-regulated learning and well-being (Lin et al., 2019; Martin & Bolliger, 2018; Zhang, 2017).”

“Self-regulated learning has become more important in online learning environments, as distance learning requires students' agency and ownership of their learning (Çebi & Güyer, 2020).”

“The provision of broad, fast, effective and efficient Internet coverage affects the quality of online learning (Laksana, 2021”

“Usually, the longer students engage in learning activities, the better their academic performance (Bravo-Agapito et al., 2021; Yokoyama, 2019).”

“There is substantial evidence that student engagement is associated with positive learning outcomes, such as good academic performance, self-regulated learning and well-being (Lin et al., 2019; Martin & Bolliger, 2018; Zhang, 2017).”

“Santos and Serpa (2017) mentioned the importance of promoting digital literacy in HEIs to develop students' digital strategies and make them proficient in learning through technology.”

“Nowadays, higher education students use technology in everyday life, and they desire effective online learning environments and on-line support during learning activities (Peytcheva-Forsyth et al., 2018).”

“…America, before the outbreak of the pandemic, some of the online platforms in HEIs were underused, functioning mainly as document repositories (Guillén-Gámez & Mayorga-Fernández, 2020) However, today HEIs have implemented online courses to continue the teaching and learning activities, and…”

“Positive attitude and previous experience with online learning platforms are found to be a strong indicator for student satisfaction and affective engagement (Ferrer et al., 2022; Kovačević et al., 2021).”

“…attitudes of students toward online learning (Cárdenas Zea et al., 2021; De la Fuente et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2021), video resources (Delgado, 2021), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al., 2021) and online courses (Faria et al., 2021; Chávez-Miyauchi et al., 2021; Flores Ferro et al., 2021).”

“It is worth noting that teachers' affective engagement skills influence not only students' emotional engagement but also the quality of online learning (Kordrostami & Seitz, 2021).”

“As Briggs et al. (2018) pointed out, “the need exists … to support and promote more region-focused research”, particularly on the coverage and accessibility of information regarding Latin America.”

“, 2021), video resources (Delgado, 2021), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al.”

“Other examples of online engagement strategies include introducing learning activities related to communication, collaboration, discovery and search for information, active listening, and activities that require the direct involvement of students (Knopf et al., 2021; Myers et al., 2014).”

“Most of the reviewed articles reported positive attitudes of students toward online learning (Cárdenas Zea et al., 2021; De la Fuente et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2021), video resources (Delgado, 2021), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al., 2021) and online courses (Faria et al., 2021;…”

“…attitudes of students toward online learning (Cárdenas Zea et al., 2021; De la Fuente et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2021), video resources (Delgado, 2021), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al., 2021) and online courses (Faria et al., 2021; Chávez-Miyauchi et al., 2021; Flores Ferro et al., 2021).”

“…(Lovón Cueva & Cisneros Terrones, 2020); (c) a high percentage of tasks was completed in a timely fashion (Pérez-Villalobos et al., 2021; Sandi-Urena, 2020) and (d) active learning in virtual classrooms was similar to that in traditional face- to-face classrooms (Domínguez-Torres et al.,…”

“…2021); (b) students had a positive perception of online communication with classmates (Flores Ferro et al., 2021; Quispe-Prieto et al., 2021; Zapata-Garibay et al., 2021); (c) students showed high levels of online interaction through likes and shares (Alves et al., 2021) and (d) students exhibited…”

“The recent development of learning analytics offers tools for capturing and measuring students' online engagement during the learning process (Salas-Pilco & Yang, 2020) and receiving real-time feedback.”

“Moreover, the results were obtained after continuous and repeated revisions through discussion, doubt resolution and consensus building after considering all the feedback (Boesch et al., 2013).”

“In several of the reviewed studies, some students were emotionally affected by stress and anxiety (Lovón Cueva & Cisneros Terrones, 2020; Mendoza-Lizcano et al., 2020), which was a negative aspect of online learning during the long physical isolation period (Santos et al., 2021; Zúñiga Rodríguez &…”

“Only three studies included graduate students (Bazán-Ramírez et al., 2020; Cárdenas Zea et al., 2021; De la Fuente et al., 2021).”

“The ministries of education in Latin American countries issued the notice to suspend traditional classroom teaching in HEIs and implement online classes (Salto, 2020).”

“…attitudes of students toward online learning (Cárdenas Zea et al., 2021; De la Fuente et al., 2021; Silva et al., 2021), video resources (Delgado, 2021), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al., 2021) and online courses (Faria et al., 2021; Chávez-Miyauchi et al., 2021; Flores Ferro et al., 2021).”

“Similarly, in Latin America, although some research has focused on student online learning experiences (Charbonneau-Gowdy, 2016; Chin-Roemer et al., 2011), the characteristics of student engagement in online leaning remain unclear.”

“Thus, the decision makers in Latin America need to improve the network connectivity (Kiedanski & Grampín, 2017) to facilitate the delivery of learning activities to students in distant regions, making Internet services accessible to every citizen, as Internet access is part of the United Nations'…”

“In contrast, the lack of efficient Internet access that causes the discontinuation of online classes can lower student engagement (Bali & Liu, 2018; Regalado-Pezua & Galeano, 2022).”

“The features of students’ involvement in online learning remain understudied, and the factors impacting students’ satisfaction and achievement in online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic era and the link between these variables have to be identified and established (Gopal et al., 2021; Salas-Pilco et al., 2022).”