Online Distance Learning: A New Learning Approach in the Malaysian Gifted Education System

Abstract

While online distance learning has become more prevalent in Malaysia's higher education system, it is still uncommon in the country's secondary schools, particularly for gifted programmes. Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia's educational environment was transformed, resulting in the emergence of new prospects for successful distance learning. The purpose of this quantitative research was to determine whether online distance education benefits Malaysian gifted and talented students or not. The study comprised 305 students between the ages of 11 and 17 from a Malaysian gifted school. This research used a five-point Likert scale with a reliability coefficient of 0.94, which was determined to be reliable. After completing a four-week online distance learning course, participants were invited to complete a questionnaire. There were four learning areas in which effectiveness was assessed: learning facilities, assignments, motivation, and computer skills. While gifted students demonstrated a high degree of computer skill, the statistics indicate that online distance learning is moderately successful. Urban students showed a greater potential for online distance learning than rural students. More studies should be conducted on how to enhance online distance learning for gifted students.