“OUR LIFEWORLD IS DIFFERENT”: LIVED EXPERIENCES OF GHANAIAN POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS STUDYING CHINESE LANGUAGE ONLINE

Abstract

The hopes of travelling to and studying abroad were the main ambitions of some Ghanaian students prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. These students had previously received Chinese government scholarship to study in China but were utterly denied the opportunity due to the outbreak of the global health crisis. Nevertheless, they turned to online learning as an alternative means to pursue their academic goals, thereby keeping their dreams alive. While in their imagined presence, their experiences are worthy of exploration in Ghana and worth interrogating. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of Ghanaian post-graduate students who had to rethink in the pursuit of their career paths after an unsuccessful attempt at travelling abroad (China) to continue their learning. Adopting a phenomenological design, and underpinned by the theory of “social presence”, participants were selected and interviewed through phone calls. With prior consent, interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic network analysis. Findings revealed that while the students were disappointed about their failed travel attempt, resorting to online learning offered them the flexibility and accessibility to combine learning with other opportunities while at home. Notwithstanding, the students encountered challenges related to technology, time management and social isolation during the learning period. The study concludes that, while online learning may be cost-effective for students, the majority of students will still choose the traditional face-to-face learning experience anytime the opportunity presents itself.