Students’ choice of digital educational resource: Psychological aspect

Abstract

The issue of psychological feasibility of distance learning is understudied and remains relevant both in theoretical and practical terms. The purpose of the study viewed in the article is to identify the connection between students’ preferences to study using the Internet and electronic textbooks with their personal psychological traits. Presumably, confident, self-organized students have a positive attitude towards their use, while anxious, emotionally unstable students have a negative attitude. The study involves 1st – 4th year students (N = 270, aged from 17 to 21 years; 61.3% women) students, who specialize in Economics and Agricultural Industry in Izhevsk State Agricultural Academy. We used the following techniques: questionnaire developed by O. N. Malakhova, O. A. Zhuchenko, aimed at studying students’ preferences and Cattell’s Personality Factor Questionnaire (16-PF), form C, which has the goal to study personality traits that are significant for the research. It was found that there was a direct interconnection between students’ preference to use digital educational resources with their personal psychological traits. The study revealed that students with self-discipline and analytical mindset have a negative attitude to the use of electronic textbooks and distance learning. It was found that among the main personal psychological characteristics of students, which influence their preferences, are sensitivity and radicalism, anxiety and lack of self-discipline. We did not confirm the hypothesis put forward in the study. The applied aspect of the problem under study can be implemented in educational practice to increase the efficiency of educational process and in the development of digital training courses. The research perspectives are related to the study of teacher preferences.