STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON DISTANCE EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY IN MOZAMBIQUE

Education in all societies is one of the requisites for changes and development, particularly in the current context influenced by globalization and rapid changes in which knowledge and technology became essential tools for life. In this context, Mozambique has been and continues promoting education, including Classroom Teaching Adult Education and Distance Adult Education (DAE) to satisfy people’s learning needs and improve their capacities towards changes. DAE is considered a way to open opportunities of education for youth and adults who by different reasons cannot participate in classroom teaching. This study seeks to explore the perceptions of youth and adult students in DAE at Eduardo Mondlane University (EMU), about their learning process. The study applied qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interview administrated to twelve students from the 3rd and 4th years of the undergraduate program in Organization and Management of Education in Distance Education (DE) modality. The findings of this study point out that DAE is perceived as a relevant and useful modality of education, particularly for adult learners. However, the study identifies contextual challenges associated to individual and professional issues, pedagogical and organizational issues as well as gender division of labor within the families, impacting the student’s performance in DE in the selected higher education institution. Keywords: adult education, distance education, lifelong learning, qualitative research