THE BARRIERS AND NEEDS OF ONLINE LEARNERS

This study investigated some specific barriers and needs that online students are facing
when learning English through WebEx system. It compared students’ barriers and needs
with their background including gender, computer ownership, and monthly allowance. It
also investigated the relationship among computer aptitude, barriers and needs of online
learners. The samples were 211 undergraduate students enrolled in Fundamental English
course. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire. Results indicated that the
levels of needs and barriers of online learners in general were moderate. There were no
statistically significant differences at .05 level found in barriers and needs of online
learners as classified by gender, computer ownership, and computer aptitude. As
hypothesised, there was a negative relationship between computer aptitude and barriers
of online learners at .01 level. Students with high computer aptitude had fewer barriers
to learn online than those with low computer aptitude.
In addition, there was a positive relationship between barriers and needs of online
learners at .01 levels. Students with more barriers were found to have more needs to
help them to learn online than those with few barriers. Teachers and institutions can
take the results of this study into consideration when developing online courses.