FACTOR ANALYSIS OF ONLINE LEARNING FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

Abstract

This research aims to (1) study the different levels of factors contributing to online learning of students at the elementary school level and to (2) analyze the components of online learning for elementary school students. The study group consisted of 400 students from the Ramkhamhaeng University Demonstration School (Elementary Division), grades 1-6 during the academic year 2021, utilized stratified random sampling method.  The instrument used to collect data in this research was a questionnaire on factor analysis of online learning for primary school students which has the IOC values between 0.60-1.00 and reliability at 0.95. The statistics used in the data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation, and exploratory factor analysis by rotating the factorial axis in the orthogonal manner by verimax method, with factor loading criteria at 0.5. Each component must be composed of at least 3 variables. The research finds that 1) The analysis of opinions on the levels of factors contributing to online learning for elementary school students showed that the average from the survey was at a high level ( = 4.14). When considering each item on the survey, the researchers found that the item with the highest average was “I submitted assignments and homework” ( = 4.47), followed by “the teacher always listens to me when I express my opinions” ( = 4.38), then “the teacher informed  the purpose and learning activities before starting the lesson” ( = 4.36) and “the teacher clearly explained the content of the lesson and use language that is easy to understand” ( = 4.32), respectively. 2) The factor analysis of online learning for primary school students consisted of 3 components with a total of 20 variables. The first component consisted of 8 variables on the teachers’ aspect. The variable that was ranked most significant in this component is “The teacher uses clear explanations and easy-to-understand language”. The second component consisted of 6 important variables from the learners’ aspect. The variable that best described the learner is: “I paid attention throughout the entirety of the lesson.”  The last component is the technological aspect consisting of 6 important variables.  The variable that was ranked most significant in this component is “clarity of picture and sound.”