At the global level, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the whole education system, ranging from pre-school to higher education. Without any prior preparation, the teaching process has undergone a massive transition from face-to-face to distance learning. This transition has posed many challenges. This article aims to reveal what barriers to learning lower secondary school students face and how schools can minimise these barriers. A systematic review of the academic literature from two well-known databases, EBSCO and ScienceDirect, was performed to identify and determine the prevailing consistencies and gaps. The empirical study follows a qualitative research design: an explanatory case study. The data were collected through observations of online lessons, interviews with teachers and the school principal, and students’ reflections. In addition, an inductive thematic analysis was employed. The empirical results help to identify secondary school students’ barriers to learning in terms of learning accessibility and technological literacy; planning and reflections on learning; self-regulated learning and active involvement; and emotional and psychological well-being. Furthermore, the study highlights how a school can minimise these barriers.

The characteristic of an expert learner has recently been widely discussed in the research literature. The expert learner is a learner who is self-directed, self-governed, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, able to learn effectively and efficiently, approaches academic tasks with diligence and confidence and employs appropriate strategies to reach the desired academic goals. The act of goal setting is often associated with students’ learning-to-learn skills and deeper engagement in their learning process, whereas the choice of appropriate learning strategies increases their capacity to manage their learning. In this respect, the latter aspect – strategic and goal-directed learning of an expert learner – necessitates deeper investigation and analysis. Hence, this chapter presents how we can guide students to become strategic and goal-directed in their learning while striving for the attainment of knowledge and skills, as well as incorporating and applying a variety of learning strategies to optimise their academic performance.