Distance learning in Kazakhstan: estimating parents’ satisfaction of educational quality during the coronavirus

Abstract

This article examines the benefits and drawbacks associated with distance/online learning in Kazakhstan during the Covid-19 pandemic. The responses of the 31,300 parents surveyed, as well as in-depth interviews with 65 parents, are used to construct several regression models to better understand how parents perceive the educational quality of distance/ online learning in today’s circumstances. The regression results show that the age of the parent and the level of family income are positively correlated with the parents’ level of satisfaction with the provided distance/online learning, while the number of children in a family is negatively related to the parents’ satisfaction with the learning process. The study finds a statistically significant association between parents’ satisfaction with the quality of education and their assessment of teachers’ competencies, and the level of government readiness to switch to the distance/online learning format.