Analyzing contributing factors to online learning difficulties among mathematics students during Covid-19 pandemic using fuzzy DEMATEL.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of universities in Malaysia commonly implement the teaching and learning practices on physical face to face basis. However, the pandemic had drastically changed the norm of the teaching and learning practices into online teaching and learning as one of the measures to curb the spread of the virus among the community. The drastic move had greatly affected the academic communities particularly the students. Some of the possible factors influencing online learning difficulties faced by the students include poor internet accessibility, lack of self-motivation, lack of active interaction with lecturers and peers, lack of conducive learning environment and poor time management. In this paper, the technique of Fuzzy DEMATEL is employed in analyzing the level of influence and relationships of the aforementioned factors in contributing to learning difficulties particularly among fifty mathematic students at a public university in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The cause-and-effect analysis that take into consideration the interactions or interrelationships between factors discovered that poor internet accessibility was classified in the cause group whereas the remaining factors which are lack of self-motivation, lack of active interaction with lecturers and peers, lack of conducive learning environment and poor time management were in the effect group. The results indicate that poor internet accessibility has the highest degree of relation in terms of influencing other factors. Based on the prominence value, the lack of self-motivation turns out to be the leading factor contributing to online learning difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]