Humanities students’ views on the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of post-materialistic values

Abstract

The transition of universities to distance learning during the CODID-19 pandemic caused discussions about the development of the educational system in the context of digitalization of society. The question arose about the readiness of universities, students, and teachers to use digital educational tools. Studies of students’ ideas about distance learning have revealed its difficulties, positive and negative effects. The analysis of the survey data made it possible to reveal the problems of forming the basic competencies of students taking into account the requirements of the digital economy. The authors conclude, based on the analysis of the results of a survey of humanities students, that the previously discovered difficulties of distance learning persist during the «second wave» of the pandemic. They reveal the relevance of survival values for students (according to R. Inglehart and K. Welzel). The authors suggest that the decline in significance of self-expression values and the decrease in the sense of existential security may be a consequence of the pandemic crisis. The possibilities of digitalization of education to strengthen the resources of the subject and increase its mobility have come into conflict with the return of students to settledness when introducing distance learning to implement epidemic restrictions.