Flexibility as a Form of Inequity in Emergency Remote Online Learning: The Perspective of Israeli University Students
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| Title: | Flexibility as a Form of Inequity in Emergency Remote Online Learning: The Perspective of Israeli University Students |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Ayelet Becher (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Computing in Higher Education. 2026 38(1):256-284. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, College Students, Student Attitudes, Online Courses, Distance Education, Emergency Programs, COVID-19, Pandemics, Capital (Sociology), Student Needs, Access to Education |
| Geographic Terms: | Israel |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12528-025-09433-9 |
| ISSN: | 1042-1726 1867-1233 |
| Abstract: | Flexible online distance education enables students to interact with content and materials at their own pace and from any location. However, such individualization of students' learning time and space masks differences between learners' access to resources within their spatial environments and temporal contexts and, thus, might generate implicit forms of social inequity. This study examines how flexibility inherent to emergency remote online learning shapes how Israeli university students from different social groups experienced remote online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. We thematically analyzed semi-structured interviews with 50 undergraduate and graduate students, representing diversity in terms of class, gender, and national categories. We found four spatial and temporal factors that shaped students' ability to harness flexibility to benefit their emergency remote online learning: spatial capital, temporal capital, temporal agency, and temporal intensity. The analysis revealed how such factors were shaped by complex intersections between students' social identities. This study suggests that higher education institutions should make flexibility inclusive and safeguard students from potential adverse effects by tailoring support to diverse student needs and ensuring consistent access to resources as needed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1508975 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Flexible online distance education enables students to interact with content and materials at their own pace and from any location. However, such individualization of students' learning time and space masks differences between learners' access to resources within their spatial environments and temporal contexts and, thus, might generate implicit forms of social inequity. This study examines how flexibility inherent to emergency remote online learning shapes how Israeli university students from different social groups experienced remote online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. We thematically analyzed semi-structured interviews with 50 undergraduate and graduate students, representing diversity in terms of class, gender, and national categories. We found four spatial and temporal factors that shaped students' ability to harness flexibility to benefit their emergency remote online learning: spatial capital, temporal capital, temporal agency, and temporal intensity. The analysis revealed how such factors were shaped by complex intersections between students' social identities. This study suggests that higher education institutions should make flexibility inclusive and safeguard students from potential adverse effects by tailoring support to diverse student needs and ensuring consistent access to resources as needed. |
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| ISSN: | 1042-1726 1867-1233 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12528-025-09433-9 |
