Cambodian twelfth graders’ emotional reactions towards online learning amid COVID-19

Online learning has taken over traditional learning in all schools due to COVID-19. This new normal increases Cambodian 12th graders’ concerns about their baccalaureate examination. This study aims to explore and compare their emotional reaction towards online learning. It employed exploratory sequential mixed methods, using a multiphase mixed method design. The study collected data from online focus-group interviews with 10 students, online surveys from 232 public- and private-school students, followed by 32 online semi-structured interviews to probe the central phenomenon. The study unveiled that online learning brought both anxiety and enjoyment to students, which impacted their learning quality. Public-school students were found to have more anxiety than their private-school peers. There was likely to have been less difference in anxiety between science and social science major students. However, students in the science track tended to enjoy online learning better. The findings contribute to the awareness of online learning which can benefit both public and private education. A series of in-service training programs on online teaching pedagogies and a communication channel between schools and parents are recommended to be offered and developed, respectively.