Expectancies, experiences, and attitudes toward e-learning among professionals working with children: findings from a selective and a population-based German sample

Aim Child protection requires qualified professionals. E-Learning has become increasingly important in professional continuing education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study explored expectancies for, experiences with, and attitudes toward e-learning among a selectively recruited sample of professionals working with children and compared these findings with those from a population-based sample of non-retired persons in Germany. Subject and methods Data from 660 professionals working with children and having prior experience with child-protection-related e-learning (“selective sample”) were compared with 1794 non-retired persons over 16 years of age from a population-based German sample. Questionnaires assessed, at one measuring point, prior participation in e-learning, experiences with or expectancies for e-learning, attitudes toward e-learning, and perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on e-learning. Regression analyses and analysis of variance were conducted. Results Within the population-based sample of non-retired persons, social professions showed among the highest participation rates in e-learning and comparatively positive attitudes toward e-learning. Participants with prior e-learning experience reported more positive attitudes than participants without prior experience. The selective sample reported more positive experiences with and attitudes toward e-learning and perceived a stronger impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on e-learning than participants from the social professions subgroup of the population-based sample. Prior participation in e-learning was associated with more positive attitudes toward e-learning. Conclusion E-learning appears to be a promising continuing education format for professionals engaged in child protection. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously because the selective sample was not representative of child protection professionals and was likely affected by self-selection bias.