Signs of Acceptance of Distance Learning Technology by University Students of Various Forms of Education during the Pandemic

The results of a study of accepting new conditions in the educational process by students of various forms of university education during the COVID-19 pandemic are presented. The urgency of the problem is due to significant qualitative changes in the educational process associated with the emergency transition to the use of distance learning technology the importance of assessing the dynamics of students’ personal acceptance of the transformations that have occurred. The sample consisted of 1,571 undergraduate and graduate students from universities in 8 federal districts of the Russian Federation, including full-time students (79.2%), part-time students (16.6%) and students of evening classes (4.2%). The main method of analyzing the levels of acceptance of new conditions in the organization of the educational process by among the respondents was a survey. The survey questions were compiled on the basis of focus group interviews with the students of all the three forms of university education ( n = 26). Using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, the probable association of the phase of ‘acceptance’ of the learning format using distance learning technology was shown. The results showed that the process of accepting changes among the part-time students was faster than among the full-time students and students of evening classes. A qualitative analysis of signs of acceptance of changes associated with the use of a learning format based on distance learning technology, made it possible to establish that the stages ‘denial’ and ‘aggression’ expressed at the beginning of the pandemic were replaced by the stage ‘acceptance’ for the majority of students. The data obtained can be useful for understanding how university students of various forms of education experience significant qualitative changes in the educational process.