Abstract

Teachers play a crucial role in society by providing knowledge and guidance to future generations. In Pakistan, teachers often face extra responsibilities such as election, polio vaccination, and administrative tasks, which negatively impact their students' academic performance. This research investigates the impact of extra duties on teaching practices in Tehsil Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad. A descriptive survey method was used, with 130 teachers from government secondary and higher secondary schools selected through cluster sampling. Teachers' challenges were identified using a questionnaire, with validity confirmed by expert opinions and reliability tested through pilot trials using SPSS. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22. The study's obtained data was analysed utilising statistical tools such as frequency, average, mean, and standard deviation. The study suggested that teachers should only participate in additional responsibilities that are fairly compensated and align with their interests to ensure that their educational effectiveness remains unaffected.

Key Words

Problems, Teachers, Extra Duties, Questionnaire

Introduction

Investing in knowledge is the best investment there is. Since modern society is aware of this, ensuring that children receive the education they need is one of the main objectives of the modern era. Children begin preparing to become fully fledged members of society at a young age. One of the key reasons America remains the nation with the most potential for personal growth is the high caliber of its educational system. The people who never settle for their current skill level and always strive to become better in order to achieve are the ones with the best prospects of success. This is why it's so important to invest in oneself through lifelong learning. This is true, and everyone who has succeeded can witness to their desire to learn new things. In contemporary society, empowering individuals who wish to better themselves is the main objective of education. (Allison Academy, 2023).

Teachers in present-day educational institutions have a range of extra duties beyond teaching students. Students can learn effectively only when teachers dedicate the majority of their time to teaching and learning. Currently, teachers in our educational institution are required to carry out extra responsibilities including fee collection, providing textbooks, updating log books, analysing financial aid, conducting parent meetings, handling administrative and clerical activities, performing dengue spraying, participating in plantation work, and fulfilling other official duties. They usually document all the details of their given tasks personally, without assistance from office staff. Teachers dedicate less attention to teaching and learning and instead allocate more time to paperwork associated with more obligations (UNESCO, 2003). Teachers perform these responsibilities in order to report on them within a specified timeframe. Teachers' busy schedules directly affect the quality of teaching and learning. The additional workload distracts the teacher, leading to a decrease in the instructors' capacity to provide top-notch teaching. Teachers, on average, dedicate half of their working hours to non-teaching responsibilities, as reported by the OECD in 2015.

Teachers experience an increase in workload and stress due to the numerous obligations they have in the classroom. The workload leads to role ambiguity. A teacher is responsible for delivering lessons, understanding student needs, monitoring progress, selecting effective teaching methods, maintaining communication with students and families, and following legal and administrative rules. Nevertheless, it is always preferable to be friendly, insightful, and eager. Teachers impose significant stress on kids because of their elevated standards. This situation may lead to personal challenges such as working longer hours, reducing social engagements, setting ambitious goals, and feeling impatient (Erturk & Kececioglu, 2012).

Teachers may feel more overwhelmed than their colleagues or experts in different fields if they cannot relax by spending meaningful time with their family and environment (Esen et al., 2017). This situation naturally induces heightened stress and boredom, while also interfering with their social and family interactions.

The study reveals that merit-based promotions, bribery, and political affiliations negatively impact teachers, particularly female instructors. They are often placed in remote locations, facing transportation and accommodation issues. Understaffing, limited materials, and limited professional development opportunities further exacerbate the situation, affecting classroom instruction and student education (Shah et al., 2014).

Statement of the Problem

Teachers play a crucial role in a nation's development, preparing students for life challenges and aiding civilization advancement. However, additional duties assigned by school administration put additional burden on teachers, making them exhausted and experiencing fringe benefits. This study aims to identify these issues faced by teachers

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of the study was:

To explore the effects of extra duties on the performance of teaching practices

Research Questions

The investigation was designed to examine the following research questions:

1. What challenges do school educators have as a result of additional responsibilities?

2. What impact do more responsibilities have on instructional approaches?

Research Questions

The investigation was designed to examine the following research questions:

1. What challenges do school educators have as a result of additional responsibilities?

2. What impact do more responsibilities have on instructional approaches?

Significance of the Study

The study aims to improve school performance by identifying extra duties performed by teachers and implementing effective measures to reduce them. It will clarify teachers' roles and the impact of extra duties on academic activities. The study will identify problems faced by teachers and propose remedial measures. It will also explore Pakistan's low literacy rate and the impact of extra duties on the School Education Department.

Review of Literature

The aim of this literature review was to examine the existing literature on the challenges school teachers have as a result of additional responsibilities. The scholar thoroughly analysed many sources of information, such as newspapers, journals, articles, official and unofficial websites, and other online content. The details are displayed below:

Background of the Problem

Pakistani teachers' performance is significantly influenced by their non-teaching duties, including polio drives, census work, surveys, disaster relief operations, school inspections, book collection, and data feeding.         

Problems of government school t Pakistani teachers' performance is greatly impacted by their extracurricular responsibilities such as participating in polio drives, census work, surveys, disaster relief operations, school inspections, book collection, and data entry.

Challenges Faced by Public School Educators

Government school instructors encounter a variety of issues that have a detrimental impact on their effectiveness. Below are the specifics of these issues:

Govt. school teachers face various kinds of problems which negatively affect their performance. The details of such problems have been presented below:

1. The education sector faces low salaries and poor performance due to limited funding, making it less desirable. Teachers, financially disadvantaged, seek alternative income sources, such as overseas work or business ownership (Zafar, 2003).
2. Pakistan's highly politicized educational system results in teachers being recruited based on political connections, often acting as activists. This meddling violates the nomination procedure, leading to incompetent teachers and economic collapse (Shah, 2003).
3.   In Pakistan, educators' social standing is based on Holy Scripture, viewing teaching as a prophetic calling. However, teachers often hold the lowest socioeconomic position, affecting their confidence and making teaching a highly attractive career path for young people (Malik, 1991)  .
4. The government lacks housing for school instructors, leading to difficulties in finding housing in rural areas. Teachers often miss work and struggle to complete tasks, causing emotional distress and disrupting classrooms. This affects their performance and satisfaction in remote areas.
5. Inequality and prejudice are frequently mentioned as justifications for the behaviour. Most instructors continue to suffer from intense mental anguish, disturbances, and stress due to this practice. (Khan, 1980).
6. Teachers who are rebellious or who support opposing parties are often sent to distant regions for disciplinary punishment, which has an effect on families, teachers, students, and classroom performance. (Farooq, 1993).
7. The teaching profession necessitates constant development, keeping educators informed about global advancements and new discoveries. Lack of professional competence can hinder addressing societal challenges. However, well-informed teachers are better equipped to manage teaching and learning processes, excelling as both educators and learners (Farooq, 1990)
8. Collaboration and goodwill between teachers and support personnel are crucial for classroom success. However, politics in Pakistan has undermined this spirit of camaraderie, with head teachers favoring those who follow instructions without criticism, and school administrators lacking vision and promoting mistrusts (Government of Pakistan, 2001).
9. Schools in Pakistan are often undervalued, with teachers often receiving criticism due to the direct correlation between children's achievement and their teachers' performance (Muhammad, 2002).

Additional duty assignments are tasks outside of a regular workday, determined by seniority and availability on the job site. In the absence of volunteers, assignments are reversed. Over 40 hours may result in overtime remuneration. A volunteer list must be updated and prominently displayed (Central New Mexico Community College, 2023).        

 Teachers are reevaluating their role as overseers of children's education, working with various stakeholders to set realistic standards for values, knowledge, and skills. They are participating in decision-making, researching educational efficacy, and ensuring graduates are prepared for the complex challenges of today's classrooms (Lanier, 1997).

 Conley & Woosley (2000). The author discusses the stress and mental health issues faced by teachers due to their numerous duties and responsibilities, which can impact their retention and mental well-being. They also discuss the unpredictable nature of these demands, such as conflicts between tasks like tutoring and IEP meetings, which can strain teachers' time.

The study investigates the increased duties that elementary school teachers encounter, with an emphasis on how these duties influence their teaching methods and their readiness to accept more responsibility. Teachers are assuming multiple responsibilities at the school level to guarantee high-quality education, as indicated by Nasreen & Naz (2019). Moreover, as per Mushtaq (2013), instructors are assuming additional duties. He stated that the teachers were unable to fully focus on their primary task of teaching and learning.

Pervez and Hanif (2003) shown that instructors often engage in other non-teaching duties, such as participating in polio campaigns by administering polio drops or supervising the polio vaccine procedure. Teachers need to step out of the classroom to perform examination-related duties such as invigilation, paper grading, and entering results. They also engage in jobs like election training, census work, assisting in relief efforts during natural disasters and floods, and participating in executive-led school inspections, among other responsibilities. Nevertheless, a teacher's major duty is to stay in the classroom and educate. Unfortunately, some educators are compelled to leave the classroom to fulfil these non-teaching duties.

Research Methodology

 The study used a descriptive, quantitative methodology to gather data from all participants, using a survey design to approach respondents and create quantitative descriptors of the broader population (Avedian, 2014).The study involved all teachers from Govt. Schools in Tehsil Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad, including both male and female participants. The study population is the cluster of people, events, or phenomena researchers are interested in (Sheppard, 2023). Sample of the study was chosen from the four public high schools and two public higher secondary schools of Tehsil Chak Jhumra, district Faisalabad.Researchers used cluster sampling technique to select a sample from four public high schools in Tehsil Chak Jhumra, Faisalabad, by dividing the large population into smaller clusters. A questionnaire was developed after a thorough literature review, used as a data collection tool for the study, self-structured and based on five-point Likert scale responses. The research instrument was prepared with the help of the research supervisor; ensuring relevant questions were developed and addressed to align with the research objectives. The research instrument, filled out by selected teachers, was tested for reliability using SPSS and its r=0.853 reliability index indicated its effectiveness in the study.        The researcher created a Google form for data collection, obtained teacher email IDs, sent questionnaires via email, and contacted respondents via mobile phones. They ensured timely completion of the forms and assessed respondents' responses. All the data collected from the respondents was gathered to be analyzed using SPSS version 24.

Results and Discussions

Table 1

S.No	Statement	Strongly Agree	Agree	Undecided	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Mean	SD
1	Unable to check work assigned to the students.		38.5%	26.9%	10.0%	10.0%	14.6%	3.65	1.44
2	Unable to properly use the audio visual aids in the class.		28.5%	30.8%	16.9%	9.2%	14.6%	3.49	1.37
3	Poor concentration during the instructional delivery.		23.8%	36.9%	9.2%	13.1%	16.9%	3.38	1.41
4	Poor content preparation.	Syllabus is not properly covered		23.1%	34.6%	11.5%	16.9%	13.8%	3.36	1.37
5	Pace of teaching learning process is reduced.		29.2%	33.1%	13.8%	8.5%	15.4%	3.52	1.393
6	Unable to properly resolve the educational problems of the students.		23.1%	36.9%	10.0%	11.5%	18.5%	3.35	1.429
7	Educational assessment process of students is affected		30.8%	32.3%	17.7%	7.7%	11.5%	3.63	1.307
8	Poor results of the students.		33.1%	33.8%	14.6%	6.9%	11.5%	3.70	1.310
9	Syllabus is not properly covered		24.6%	42.3%	10.0%	13.1%	10.0%	3.58	1.268
10	Poor commitment towards instructional objectives.	33.1%	40.0%	8.5%	10.8%	7.7%	3.80	1.229

The study found that 38.5% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that they cannot check students' work due to extra duties, while 26.9% showed positive agreement. However, 10% couldn't make a decision, and 14.6% strongly disagreed. The mean score was 3.65, indicating a majority of respondents agree. The results presented above also supported mean score of data (M=3.65, S.D=1.446) which exhibited that a large number of the respondents inclined with the idea that they are unable to check work assigned to the students due to extra duties.

According to statement 2 in the table 1, 28.5% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that they cannot use audio visual aids in class due to extra duties, while 30.8% showed positive agreement. 16.9% couldn't decide, while 9.2% disagreed and 14.6% strongly disagreed. The mean score was (M=3.49,SD=1.377) indicating over half of respondents supported this idea.           

 According to statement 3 in the table 1, 23.8% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that they show poor concentration during instructional delivery due to extra duties, while 36.9% showed positive agreement. 13.1% disagreed, and 16.9% strongly disagreed. The mean score was (M=3.38,SD=1.41) indicating over half of respondents supported this idea.

According to statement 4 in the table 1, 23.1% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that extra duties cause poor content preparation, 34.6% were positive, and 11.5% couldn't decide. 16.9% disagreed, with 13.8 strongly disagreeing. The mean score was (M= 3.36,SD=1.37).

According to statement 5 in the table 1, 29.2% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that extra duties reduce the pace of teaching learning, while 33.1% showed positive agreement. 8.5% disagreed, and 15.8% strongly disagreed. The mean score was (M=3.52,S =1.393) indicating a majority of respondents supported this idea.

Statement 6 shows respondents' views on resolving students' educational issues due to extra duties. 23.1% agreed, 36.9% positive, and 10% couldn't decide. 11.5% disagreed, while 18.5% strongly disagreed. The mean score was (M=3.35, SD=1.429) indicating over half of respondents supported the idea.

According to statement 7 in the table 1, 30.8% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that extra duties affect students' educational assessment process, while 32.3% showed positive agreement. The remaining 17.7% couldn't decide, and 7.7% disagreed, with 11.5% strongly disagreeing. The mean score was (M=3.63, SD=1.307).

According to statement 8 in the table 1, 33.1% of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that extra duties cause poor student results, while 33.8% showed positive agreement. 14.6% couldn't decide, and 6.9% disagreed. The mean score was (M= 3.70,SD=1.31) indicating a majority of respondents supported this idea.

According to statement 9 in the table 1,24.6 % of respondents strongly agreed with the idea that the syllabus is not properly covered due to extra duties, while 42.3% showed positive agreement. The majority of respondents, 13.1%, disagreed, with 10% showing strong disagreement. The results presented above also supported mean score of data (M=3.58, S.D=1.268) which represented that majority of the respondents favored the idea that syllabus is not properly covered due to extra duties

Statement 10 shows respondents' views on their commitment to instructional objectives due to extra duties. 33.1% strongly agree, 40% agree, 8.5% cannot decide, 10.8% disagree, and 7.7% strongly disagree. The results presented above also supported mean score of data (M=3.80, S.D=1.229) which represented that majority of the respondents supported the idea that they show poor commitment towards the instructional objective.

Factor Wise Analysis of Problems Faced by Teachers due to Extra Duties

Table 2

Factors	Mean	S.D	Agreement
Effect of problems faced by teachers due to extra duties	3.630	0.761	Moderate
Effects of extra duties on the performance of teaching practices	3.546	0.723	Low
Effect on psychological wellbeing of the teachers	3.640	0.651	Moderate

Table 2 analyzed the problems faced by teachers due to extra duties.

Factor 1

: Generic Problems this factor indicates that there is moderate agreement among teachers regarding the generic problems they face due to extra duties. These generic problems could include issues such as time constraints, lack of resources, increased workload, and difficulty in managing multiple responsibilities simultaneously. Teachers may find themselves stretched thin, struggling to balance their core teaching responsibilities with additional duties assigned to them. Such generic problems can lead to stress, burnout, and a decrease in overall job satisfaction among teachers.

Factor 2

: Impact on Teaching Practices This factor suggests that there is low agreement among teachers regarding the specific impact of extra duties on their teaching practices. While some teachers may perceive a direct impact on their ability to effectively deliver lessons and engage with students, others may not feel the effects as strongly. Nevertheless, even if the perceived impact is low, any disruption to teaching practices can ultimately affect the quality of education provided to students.

Factor 3

: Effects on Teachers' Psychological Wellbeing Moderate agreement among teachers regarding the effects of extra duties on their psychological wellbeing suggests that these additional responsibilities can take a toll on their mental health. Teachers may experience increased stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm as they juggle various tasks and struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Over time, persistent stress and emotional strain can lead to burnout and negatively impact both personal and professional aspects of teachers' lives.

Recommendations

The research suggests that school teachers face difficulties with extra duties, and suggests that administrators should focus on immediate and inevitable tasks to avoid overburding them. Collaboration with other departments, such as population and police, can help reduce overburdened teachers.

Prioritize Immediate and Inevitable Tasks: Administrators should prioritize and streamline the allocation of extra duties, focusing on tasks that are immediate and inevitable for the functioning of the school. By identifying essential responsibilities and minimizing non-essential ones, administrators can prevent overburdening teachers and ensure that they can dedicate sufficient time and energy to their primary role of teaching.

Foster Collaboration with Other Departments: Collaboration with other departments, such as the population and police departments, can help alleviate the burden on teachers by redistributing certain responsibilities or providing additional support where needed. For example, partnerships with community organizations can offer resources for addressing issues like student behavior management or socio-economic challenges, thereby lightening the load on teachers and promoting a more holistic approach to education.

Increase Payment Compensation for Easier Tasks: Higher authorities should consider revising compensation structures to provide additional financial incentives for teachers who take on extra duties that are relatively easier or less demanding. Recognizing and rewarding teachers for their contributions beyond the classroom can help boost morale and motivation, while also acknowledging the value of their time and effort invested in fulfilling these responsibilities.

Provide Support for Psychological Wellbeing: School administrations should implement support mechanisms and resources aimed at promoting the psychological wellbeing of teachers. This could involve offering counseling services, stress management workshops, or establishing peer support networks where teachers can share experiences and seek guidance. By prioritizing the mental health of educators, schools can create a more supportive work environment and mitigate the negative effects of extra duties on teacher wellbeing. Additionally, higher authorities should raise payment compensation for easier tasks.

Recommendations

The research suggests that school teachers face difficulties with extra duties, and suggests that administrators should focus on immediate and inevitable tasks to avoid overburding them. Collaboration with other departments, such as population and police, can help reduce overburdened teachers.

Prioritize Immediate and Inevitable Tasks: Administrators should prioritize and streamline the allocation of extra duties, focusing on tasks that are immediate and inevitable for the functioning of the school. By identifying essential responsibilities and minimizing non-essential ones, administrators can prevent overburdening teachers and ensure that they can dedicate sufficient time and energy to their primary role of teaching.

Foster Collaboration with Other Departments: Collaboration with other departments, such as the population and police departments, can help alleviate the burden on teachers by redistributing certain responsibilities or providing additional support where needed. For example, partnerships with community organizations can offer resources for addressing issues like student behavior management or socio-economic challenges, thereby lightening the load on teachers and promoting a more holistic approach to education.

Increase Payment Compensation for Easier Tasks: Higher authorities should consider revising compensation structures to provide additional financial incentives for teachers who take on extra duties that are relatively easier or less demanding. Recognizing and rewarding teachers for their contributions beyond the classroom can help boost morale and motivation, while also acknowledging the value of their time and effort invested in fulfilling these responsibilities.

Provide Support for Psychological Wellbeing: School administrations should implement support mechanisms and resources aimed at promoting the psychological wellbeing of teachers. This could involve offering counseling services, stress management workshops, or establishing peer support networks where teachers can share experiences and seek guidance. By prioritizing the mental health of educators, schools can create a more supportive work environment and mitigate the negative effects of extra duties on teacher wellbeing. Additionally, higher authorities should raise payment compensation for easier tasks.

Abstract

This research explores the impact of digital media on students' educational lives, and how digital media contributed to improving the students' lives during the COVID-19 phase. The study employs the quantitative approach with the usage of a survey method based on the questionnaire that was distributed among 100 students from Karachi, Pakistan aged 22-30 onwards who studied during the pandemic period and took online classes. It investigates how digital technology transformed the meaning of teaching and studying during the COVID lockdown. The findings have implications for the educational strategies for future students for a flexible and healthy study environment. The statistical tests explored that digital media significantly contributed to improving students' learning with the gender and university sector-related variations. The discussion concluded that studying flexibility and skills enhancement were interconnected with digital learning. It is clear that it was an effective and great tool that reshaped education during COVID.

Key Words

Digital Media, Online Education, Covid-19, Quantitative Analysis, Educational Strategies

Introduction

In this globalized world where things are moving forward rapidly, Digital Media is operating a lot to transform the lives of people in so many ways. Digital Media refers to the media that can be created and preserved on electronic devices. It includes all the e-materials, images, webpages, databases, blogs, social media, and other digital links. It enables people to communicate on a wide level (Zizikova, 2023). With time new media tools have interacted with people and gave a new shape to their communication process. WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and X (previously Twitter) enabled conversation and made the communication faster. 

Gradually after the online content creation, Podcasts and YouTube began, and then e-commerce, digital payment systems, telemedicine, and entertainment streaming services like Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu also evolved (Soykan, 2023). In the 21st Century Digital Media has become an integral tool to complete contemporary society. It is a phenomenon that has changed the meaning of interaction throughout the world. 

In this modern world, digital or new media has altered the quality of education with its easy and quick access for students. As digital media evolved, it also advanced the learning scale and brought many modifications to the lives of learners and education seekers (Yujie, 2022). Many researchers say that it is also important to support the new trends in education to get improved results. Now the libraries have turned into e-libraries and the physical system transformed into an online system to teach the students (Mhlongo, 2023). It is modifying the entire infrastructure of the education system. These days' institutions are adopting technological advancement and working for the effectiveness of their student's lives in the modern world. 

We have seen that in 2019, when COVID-19 started and halted many lives, this world saw drastic changes and faced many challenges. It was a threat that affected many aspects of lives including the economy, educational disruption, working lifestyle, mental health, and so on. The pandemic made people isolated and then remote work and online teaching and learning were opted with the usage of digital media. At that time the universities and schools shifted their learning cycle to online classes cause of social distancing and the digital media made virtual classes and online assignment submissions. YouTube lectures, uploaded documents, and eBooks gave rise to digital media and helped students complete their classes and semesters on time (Onyeaka, 2021)

In that era, virtual conferences also helped the research students to exchange ideas, even at that time numerous researches were also done on the existing disorder of COVID-19. Where COVID disrupted the education system, digital media changed the educational tools and provided a flexible learning environment to the students (Li, 2020). It can also be said that this transition gave a path to digital transformation in the education sector and supported the students and teachers to continue their learning and teaching lifestyle.  This study aims to see how Digital Media brought a significant change in the field of education during COVID-19. We want to see whether digital media influenced the students' lives during the pandemic and how the students consumed digitalization to follow their studies. This research is structured on the Quantitative Approach with the usage of the survey method. 

The Rationale of the Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused remarkable changes in different areas of society, with education being greatly affected globally. As educational institutions shifted to remote learning, digital media played a crucial role in maintaining continuity in students' education. This study intends to investigate the impact of digital media on student learning throughout the COVID-19 period, with a specific focus on its effects on pedagogical practices and techniques. This research aims to thoroughly comprehend the impact of digital media on students' educational experiences during a time of global crises and rapid adaptation. This study aims to examine how digital technology has transformed teaching and learning methods to evaluate the efficacy of online education and its impact on future educational approaches.

Choosing Karachi, Pakistan as the study location provides a valuable viewpoint due to the diversified socio-economic and cultural backdrop of the region. Studying the effects of digital media on students' lives can help educational policymakers and practitioners understand the unique problems and advantages of digital learning in various environments. This study aims to provide empirical evidence on the importance of digital media in improving student learning outcomes by using a quantitative approach and surveys distributed to a sample of 100 students aged 22-30 who participated in online education during the pandemic. The research aims to find patterns and trends in how digital media affects different student groups by conducting statistical analyses that consider gender and university sector-related variables.

The study's results are anticipated to aid in creating adaptable and efficient teaching methods that utilise digital media to enhance learning in traditional and online environments. Educational stakeholders can adapt to future problems and establish favourable study settings for student achievement by comprehending the relationship between digital technology, teaching flexibility, and skills enhancement.

Problem Statement

The COVID-19 epidemic led to a rapid shift to online learning worldwide, which disrupted traditional educational methods and encouraged the broad use of digital media in education. Although educational institutes adopted digital media during COVID-19, there was a significant gap found between the usage and awareness regarding digital technology. Digital technology offers flexibility and accessibility in education, but concerns remain about its usefulness in enhancing student engagement, information acquisition, and skills development. Exploring the impact of digital media in academic matters during COVID-19 is the core focus of this study.

Study Objective

§  To investigate the contribution of digital media in students’ academic matters during the pandemic.

§  To examine the improvements in students' academic matters by digital media during a pandemic.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to investigate how digital media usage impacts student learning outcomes to offer evidence-based suggestions for improving digital learning platforms to boost student engagement, knowledge acquisition, and skill development. This could enhance the general quality of education and students' achievements. Examining the impact of digital media on students' educational experiences might help reveal discrepancies in technological access and online resources, especially among marginalized groups. This study can help reduce educational disparities and promote inclusivity in education by identifying challenges to digital learning and suggesting solutions to overcome them. This research enhances the current understanding of how digital media affects student learning, especially in Karachi, Pakistan. It adds to the academic discussion on digital learning and guides future study in this field by presenting empirical facts and insights obtained via quantitative analysis.

Literature Review

Digital media is growing rapidly and engaging students to study through its access. The use of digital technology in the education system is creating interest and impacting students to learn and evolve. Nowadays students enter their educational institutes by using digital technology to study and connect (Ramaraj, 2020). According to a study on college students, social media is a gaggle of internet services that help people to build communities, and connections, participate, and share their social lives. It is now a concept of involvement in academic life and with time we have seen a clear relationship between technology use and students’ engagement (Owusu-Acheaw, 2015). According to (Muhammad, 2023) the COVID period raised many challenges in the daily routine of people, in students' and teachers' lives this challenge was confronted by Information Communication Technology. At that time many students switched to e-learning. With the usage of Microsoft Teams and Zoom, they continued their education and adopted the digital means to encounter COVID. 

According to a published report by UNESCO, COVID-19 affected 896 million students in 114 countries. More than 114 countries shut down their educational institutes affecting 67.7% of students globally (UNESCO, 2020). Some researchers also explain that digital media provides a direction for students and teachers to share their ideas and it is the reason that similar to many technological adoptions digital media has been embraced as a tool for education to enhance learning academic behaviours. A study was conducted in Muscat on the topic Social Media Use in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review in 2022. In this research, the researcher did comprehensive research on different studies published in Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO between January 2020 to April 2021. The findings showed that digital media provides immense possibilities that promote the shift toward completely online learning. This study proposed a research agenda to investigate the pedagogical potential of digital media, emphasizing that digital media platforms were underused during COVID-19 (Al Balushi, 2022). This research also elaborates practical insights for the Higher Education System and policymakers requesting them to consider the importance of digital media and to maintain the sustainability and worth of education. 

Similarly, another research was conducted in India to reveal the usage of Social Media in eLearning at the time of COVID-19. The title of the research was Social Media Use in E-Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Indian Students' Perspective. In the research, a survey was conducted to explore the perception of students of Higher Education in India, and how they perceive Digital Media in E-learning during a pandemic. The results showed that students were very satisfied with the usage of digital media and they spent 1-2 hours daily while 36% of students were actively using YouTube for learning. The findings found that students take it as a positive diversity in their educational lives and they found that digital media technology enhances their learning in a hostile and chaotic environment of COVID-19 (Baquee, 2022).

According to research, digital technology is the form of Artificial Intelligence that has changed old-school learning methods into new modern methods. Now E-learning is a comprehensive term that includes learning from different portals including websites, blogs, and mobile applications (Shahzad, 2021). In this era, e-learning is enhancing the knowledge and learning of students and faculty members as well (Adams, 2018). Many researchers say that e-learning gives the same kind of education to everyone who accesses it but unfortunately, it does not give enough learning to every region cause of poverty, old perceptions, illogical thoughts, and many other misconceptions that create challenges for a population of so many areas (Doucet, 2020).

Many researchers found that the lack of Information Communication Technology became a barrier to the adoption of e-learning in many societies (Zamani, 2022). Another study discovered that the major hurdles in the adoption of digital learning in Pakistan include low internet experience and lack of self-trust towards the digital world (Kanwal, 2017). Some researchers conclude that internet accessibility is lacking due to cultural differences and traditional norms. It was found that it became a big challenge for the students in Southeast Asia (Sol, 2020). Similarly, we saw many researches that found digital media usage much more beneficial for the students of this rising generation. In the last 20 years, a large number of students have enrolled in online degrees and web-based learning environments. Now the institutions are offering online courses and degrees globally and their knowledge network and reaching different countries of the world through online platforms (Quan-Hasee, 2005). According to research conducted in Ireland, during COVID-19 when colleges and universities started digital learning environments including workshops, lectures, assignment submissions, and video conferences, it brought many challenges for both teachers and students. They faced login issues, and downloading and installation errors (Shiwangi, 2020). On the other side, some studies say that digital media is a great distribution of information but sometimes it misinforms others as well (Gupta, 2020)

In the USA survey-based research on the topic Social Media Usage and Transitioning into Online Classes during COVID-19: A Survey of Undergraduate Students in Georgia, United States was conducted on undergraduate students. It was investigated to find out the relationship between students' studies and digital media following the use of digital media and the ease of transferring to online classes during COVID-19 (Choongo, 2021). From the survey of 872 students, it was found that the students who spent more than 5 hours on digital media had higher odds of a smooth transition to online classes as compared to the students who spent less than 2 hours on digital media. Students who perceive digital media as a stressful and irrelevant tool find it difficult to access online classes. 

To find the impact of COVID-19 and the relationship between collaborative learning through social media, a study was conducted in 2021. The topic of the research was Social Media for Knowledge Acquisition and Dissemination: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Collaborative Learning Driven Social Media Adoption. This study was focused on social media adoption among students for collaborative learning during COVID-19.  This study used the Smart PLS method to evaluate the utilization of digital media by students in higher education and its outcome on their academic performance. The results revealed that digital media contributes to students' lives and enhances their collaborative learning. It shows that during the global health crisis, social media created a sphere of collaborative learning and improved the learning aspect of students' lives (Khan, 2021).

Theoretical Framework

As we know the Theoretical Framework or Theoretical Perspective provides an understanding and meaning of the results of the research and gives give credibility to the research. There are two media theoretical frameworks that are being applied to this research.

Media Ecology Theory

The term ecology derives from the Greek word oikos (family, house). So ecology is a family or science of nature and its structure. Media Ecology Theory was proposed by Canadian Philosopher and Media Theorist Marshall McLuhan in 1964. This theory was published in his book "Under Media: The Extensions of Man". He shared his idea that the character of different communication technologies has profound effects on human perception and society.  This framework examines the relationship between communication technologies, media, and the environment in which they are present (Laskowska, 2019). This approach briefs how communication technology influences human perception, ideas, and culture. It is a study of media communication and technology. McLuhan believed that electronic media can contribute to communication on a larger scale. 

This theory framework is relatable to our study in this form that digital media usage transforms the students' academic learning and the ecology of their learning environment. It relates to McLuhan's explanation of technology in human lives and its effects on their learning and social behaviours. 

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

Another theory that is relatable to this research is the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. This theory was proposed by EM Rogers, a communication theorist in 1962. It explains how innovations and technologies are adopted by individuals or groups in a society. The main people in this diffusion are:

Innovators: The first to adopt or accept new ideas.

Early Adopters: People who are interested in trying innovations.

Early Majority: Those who lead the adoption of a new technology or idea within a broader population.

Late Majority: People who adhere to the early majority.

Laggards: People who fall behind the early and late majority (general population) in embracing or adopting new products or concepts.

This theory is used by marketers to market their products. If we relate this theory to current ongoing digital media access and its access during COVID-19 we see that social media platforms followed this innovation model. Gradually from the early adopter's masses started to adopt it whether it's e-commerce, AR technology, podcasting, or cryptocurrency (Minishi-Majanja, 2013). Similarly, this theory relates to our topic in a way that initially the institutions and faculty members used digital media in COVID and then it was shifted to the early and late majority i.e. students. With time the diffusion of digital media was seen at a broader level when students accessed digital media to attend their classes. And then with time, a successful outcome was seen with the adoption of digital media in students' academic learning. This cycle and the flow of adopting technology show how digital media diffused in the education sector during the phase of COVID-19 and how it influenced all of its adopters. 

Conceptual Framework



Research Methodology

Research Methodology is a way to systemically conduct research. It is a proper organizing way to do research. It gives a way to how many techniques can be used to research one topic. Research Methods are applied as per the topic of your research. It shows how a researcher is doing research scientifically. This method tells your readers to determine the reliability of the research. It relies on the data collection and then examines its results. As it's the most fundamental part of the research it works to accomplish your research (Lgwenagu, 2016).

Quantitative Research is where we quantify the data. In qualitative research, we check how people see the world so in quantitative research we find the same thing without narrative speech in the form of numbers (Apuke, 2017). If we have observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys in qualitative research these methods can also be used in quantitative research.  It is mainly connected with the measurement of data. It mainly works with the survey method or large-scale sampling (Patel, 2019). This sample can be people, data provided on social media, magazines, newspapers, or anything from which the data can be quantified. 

Population

The population is a set of people who have studied in the research (Banerjee, 2010). Various types of samples are derived from the chosen population. In this research, we chose the university students who used digital media during COVID-19 for their studies. 

Sampling

Sampling means choosing a specific population to collect the data for your research. Different methods are used for sampling including Random, Non Random, Stratified, Cluster and Systematic Sampling (Tuner, 2020). Random sampling is mainly used when we do not consider any specification or characteristics from the population, meanwhile, in Non Random Sampling, we choose the samples from our population based on some specific properties or characteristics. In this research, we chose nonrandom sampling by choosing the university students who were enrolled in the university during the COVID-19 phase and used digital media for their studies. In this research, our sample size is 100 between the ages of 22-30 onwards. An online questionnaire was sent to the participants over 5 days.

Data Collection

Data Collection is a technique that is used to find the answers to our research questions. Through this, the researcher, observe, measure and analyze data (Hamed, 2021). This data collection includes Quantitative and Qualitative Methods. In this research, we have used a Quantitative Method by following its Survey Method. The data was collected by asking questions from the participants through an online survey and the data was analyzed by using IBM SPS Software. 

Research Question

- RQ1: Did digital media contribute to improving students' learning during COVID 19?

Data Analysis and Results

This research followed the concept of quantitative analysis by using a questionnaire based on 14 questions. The questionnaire survey was distributed among 100 people from the Karachi region who have used Digital Media to take their online classes during the COVID pandemic. It was a random sampling; the duration of data collection was two days during which the survey was filled. The data was analyzed through the usage of the IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). We checked the frequencies of the respondents that are mentioned in Table 1, which shows that our statistics were accurate and all 100 respondents answered the demographics questions.

Frequencies

Table 1

	Gender	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
Contribution	Male	62	13.2581	5.58375	0.70914
	Female	38	15	6.71827	1.08985

 

An Independent Sample T-test was run to test the hypothesis. Table 1 shows the Mean (Male: 13.2581, Female: 15), Standard Deviation (Male: 5.58375, Female: 6.71827) and Standard Error Mean (Male: 0.70914, Female: 1.08985).

Table 2

	Female	Male	t	Sig
Mean	15	13.25	-1.401	0.165
N	38	62

Table 2 shows the results of the T-test. As per the results, the t-value is -1.401 and the significance value is 0.165, which means the difference in Mean is statistically not significant. Both groups have no statistical difference when it comes to the contribution of digital media in academic matters.

Table 3

	University Sector	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
Contribution	Private University	66	13.9394	5.6538	0.69594
	Public University	34	13.8824	6.88769	1.18123

Table 3 shows the Mean (Private Sector University: 13.9394, Public Sector University: 13.8824), Standard Deviation (Private Sector University: 5.6538, Public Sector University: 6.88769), and Standard Error Mean (Private Sector University: 0.69594, Public Sector University: 1.18123).

Table 4

	Private University	Public University	t	Sig
Mean	13.93	13.88	0.04	0.965
N	38	62

Table 4 shows the results of the Independent Sample T-test: the t-value is 0.14 and the significance value is 0.965. The Mean of both Private and Public sector universities is statistically not significant. Both types of universities have no significant difference when it comes to the contribution of digital media to education.

Table 5

	Gender	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
Improvement	Male	62	13.9839	6.36201	0.80798
	Female	38	14.8947	7.21406	1.17028

Table 5 depicts the Mean (Male: 13.9839, Female: 14.8947), Standard Deviation (Male: 6.36201, Female: 7.21406), and Standard Error Mean (Male: 0.80798, Female: 1.17028).

Table 6

	Female	Male	t	Sig
Mean	13.98	14.89	-0.660	0.511
N	38	62

The results of the Independent Sample T-test show a t-vale of -0.660 and a significance of 0.511. The difference of Mean of Male and Female is statistically not significant. Both male and female groups share not significant Mean when it comes to academic improvement because of digital media.

Table 7

	University Sector	N	Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
Improvement	Private University	66	13.8939	5.77296	0.7106
	Public University	34	15.1765	8.18524	1.40376

Table 7

Table 7 shows the results of Mean (Private Sector University: 13.8939, Public Sector University: 15.1765), Standard Deviation (Private Sector University: 5.77296, Public Sector University: 8.18524), and Standard Error Mean (Private Sector University: 0.7106, Public Sector University: 1.40376).

Table 8

	Public University	Private University	t	Sig
Mean	15.17	13.89	-0.909	0.366
N	34	66

Table 8 depicts the results of the Independent Sample T-test where the t-value is -0.909 and the significance is 0.366. There is no statistically significance difference between the Mean of Private and Public universities related to the improvement caused by digital media in education.  

Discussion

We used the Independent Sample T Test Method to conduct our variables analysis by testing the hypotheses. As per our hypothesis, we computed the indicators that are mentioned in the conceptual framework under each variable, as we had two variables Improvement and Contribution. We had questions regarding Online Assignments, Online Quizzes, Online Presentations, Online Lectures, Online Exams, Students' Feedback, and Time Saving so we computed them under one variable Contribution.

Similarly, we computed the indicators including gadget usage, CGPA Improvement, Self-Dependency, and Skills Enhancement under the variable IMPROVEMENT. Here the Variable Improvement shows how digital media improved students' learning during COVID-19, contrary here the variable Contribution represents how digital media contributed and played a crucial role in enhancing and improving students' learning and helped students for their education during the pandemic. The purpose of using the T-Test was to find the gender differences in the perceived contribution of digital media to students' lives during the period of COVID-19.

We had a hypothesis that "Digital media contributed to improving students' learning during COVID-19." So according to the variable Contribution, we found that the mean of males is 13.2581 while the mean value of females is 15.0000. It shows that most females consider that Digital media contributed to students' education during COVID-19. The hypothesis presented from the first T-Test Table shows that there is a significant difference between the male and female thoughts regarding the hypothesis that Digital media contributed to improving students' learning during COVID-19. Here the sig value is 0.165 as it is greater than the conventional sig value of 0.05 as it is not statistically significant which means there is no notable gender-related difference in the perceived impact of digital media on students learning during the COVID-19 period among the surveyed students.

This result shows that the results are practically significant but there is a difference in the average results of both genders. Their mean value or the difference between 13.25 and 15 represents that digital media contributed to students learning during the COVID era. It highlights that digital media contributed to students' education and helped them to continue their studies during the worst period of COVID-19. The T-Test results in Tables 10 and 11 were conducted to see the perceived contribution of digital media to students' lives during the COVID-19 pandemic between public and private sector university students.

The results found the mean for public university students was 13.8 and for private university students 13.9. In this table, we also found that the sig value is 0.965 this value is greater than the conventional significance level of 0.05, which means there is no notable university sector-related difference in the perceived impact of digital media on students learning during the COVID-19 period among the surveyed students.

It features that both the students of private and Public Sector Universities considered that digital media played an important role in the contribution of education during COVID-19. The results of the T-Test (table 12 and 13) show that it was conducted to check whether there are gender differences in the perceived improvement in students' lives attributed to digital media during the COVID-19 period. The average mean value for males was 13.9, and for females was 14.8, which is a minor difference. Our sig value is higher than the actual significance level of 0.05 as it is 0.511, it shows that there is no statistically significant difference between male and female students regarding the perceived improvement in their lives due to digital media during COVID-19. It briefs that most students do believe that digital media worked to improve the student's education during the COVID period.

Another test was conducted to check whether there is a university sector (private and public sector) difference in the perceived improvement in students' lives attributed to digital media during the COVID-19 period. The average mean value for private-sector university students was 13.8, and for public-sector university students was 15.1, there is no notable difference between the average mean of both grouping variables. The p-value between both grouping variables is 0.366 as it is higher than the conventional sig value of 0.05 it means there is no significant difference between the private and public sector university students regarding the perceived improvement in their lives due to digital media usage during COVID-19.

This difference among the means of both grouping variables shows that private-sector university students perceived digital media-based education differently while public-sector university students perceived it in another manner. These results and the similar average of responses show that digital media contributed to improving students learning during the pandemic phase. Learning schedules were flexible, there was no problem with commuting to university, digital learning helped students to depend on themselves and enhanced their knowledge of technical gadgets and learn more about the rising modern world. The exam evaluation process was also revised and many students learned to work with the continuity of their studies. Although there were internet accessibility issues in some areas digital media played a pivotal role in shaping the students' education and guided them to continue their studies. In that era, digital media was accepted and raised its need in the students' and institutes' lives.

From the gathered responses we came to know that students found the usage of digital media considerable in their studies. Students were influenced by the online learning culture and they found it much better than the physical classes. In this phase, students and teachers both get a rich learning experience. Different gadgets, software programs, and online conferences gave students the confidence to take an interest in their studies, while we also saw that some students perceived that online classes improved their digital learning skills but did not give them fair results. In that period modern digital landscape was introduced to the education sphere and all our respondents gave similar responses both in terms of gender and university sector segregation.

Conclusion

From this research, we concluded that digital media and information technology played an important role and became an essential tool in the education process during the pandemic. Our results demonstrate that digital media contributes to improving the learning of students. It also shows that students and teachers found the ease in the use of digital media and the convergence from physical to online classes caused their commute time and saved it. These findings also explain that students found the Information Communication Technology (ICT) usage in their studies interesting and more comfortable than the previous traditional methods. The results propose that, despite minor variations, digital media contributed to enhancing learning and improved it by giving a new direction to learning.

The elimination of commuting issues and the physical class environment made students feel less occupied and more connected with their studies during the COVID-19 phase. When we looked into the responses individually it was observed that not all the students were fully satisfied with the online studies system but the ICT helped them to complete their degree during this large phase of COVID.  Students' satisfaction and students' engagement were two separate scenarios but overall students considered that digital media contributed to their studies to improve learning during the pandemic. It can be said that the students found less cognitive load and gradually adopted learning with technology for the sake of their studies but again it was not the idea of every individual because some students think that online learning sessions do not give face-to-face interaction to understand the topics and remember them in minds. Home study environment was a problem for some students cause of the lockdown but some students compromised and considered continuity of their studies more important than other things.

If somewhere distance learning mode was criticized so somewhere it was acknowledged by teachers and students. From the discussion, it was also concluded that this research greatly interlinks with Media Ecology Theory and Diffusion of Innovation Theory as it shows that the relationship between communication technologies, media, and the environment exists.

It also highlights how easily digital media penetrated into the society and forced them to adopt it. We saw that the role of digital media worked to contribute to the improvement of the students' learning during the COVID-19 period and here the research question of this research got its answer.

Limitation of the Study

The study's limited sample size of 100 students from Karachi, Pakistan may constrain the generalizability of the findings to a broader population. The sample may lack full representativeness of the spectrum of student demographics and educational backgrounds in the region, potentially limiting the applicability of the results. Employing convenience sample techniques to select participants may result in sampling bias by inadequately representing the perspectives of all students who underwent online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who are involved in the study may possess diverse experiences and perspectives in contrast to those who are not involved. The study mostly relies on self-reported data obtained from survey responses, which may be subject to respondent bias and errors.

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