The study "Impact of e-learning crack-up perception on psychological distress among college students during COVI-19 pandemic: A mediating role of fear of academic year loss" assessed the impacts of online learning on students' psychological distress. According to Hasan & Bao (2020), online learning results in psychological distress in college students. The authors note that, although numerous studies in the past show the positive perception of distance learning, some of its shortcomings were manifested by increased psychological issues in college learners. This research's main objective was to examine the effects of distance learning breakdown perception on the mental issues in college learners. This research hypothesized that there exists a significant connection between "e-learning crack-up" perception and students' mental distress.
This study involved college and high school students in Bangladesh. To qualify for the research, the participants had to be from higher secondary. In this research, data was collected through an anonymous online survey through online communication platforms like messenger and emails. The anonymous survey was used to help keep the personal information of the participants confidential.
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The research indicated that "e-learning crack-up" perception normally had a significant contribution to students' psychological issues. The results further indicate that the fear of losing the academic year to students facilitated psychological distress. Additionally, students did not take distance learning positively due to numerous obstacles, such as high internet costs, family, and personal issues. Although this research investigation was a success, it had various shortcomings. The major limitation is that samples collected were from a certain target population, which increased findings generalization. In the future, longitudinal research could be used to include many different participants, such as university, high school, and college students.
Article 2
The research "Mental distress and its relationship to distance education student's work and family roles" investigate the relationship between online learning and mental distress. According to the authors, technological advancements have made it easier for individuals to acquire education while carrying out their daily tasks. This study used self-reported data from their sample of 318 final year undergraduate students learning through distance education to assess the connection between psychological distress with their jobs and family responsibilities. Additionally, Waterhouse et al. (2020) examined the relationship between the student's psychological distress level with the roles of conflicts and facilitation. The authors considered facilitation and conflicts from the perspectives of working and learning and family responsibilities to learning.
The research findings show that distance learning is associated with a significant increase in mental problems for learners. According to the authors, the extra activities performed by the learners, such as family responsibilities, played a significant role in increasing psychological distress among students. Additionally, the study revealed that unpaid responsibilities (family roles), conflict and learning conflicts, and family roles and learning conflicts significantly increased students' psychological distress. Moreover, the facilitation of work-learning and family-learning significantly reduced mental distress in learners.
Although the study was conducted successfully, it had some limitations. The major limitation was the use of a cross-sectional research design. This design limited the scope of the study. In the future, a longitudinal research design should be utilized to measure the psychological well-being of students from their freshman year until they graduate. Further research could be carried out to determine the impacts of distance learning on students' mental health and techniques that could be used to reduce psychological distress.
Article 3
The article "The impact of COVID-19 epidemic on the mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study" assesses the factors that facilitated increased levels of psychological distress among college students in NJ, United States. According to the authors, students in New Jersey had a high level of mental health burden as COVID-19 highly impacted the region. Among the reasons for the increased psychological burden is online learning. The authors used a sample of 162 college students who had enrolled in a core curriculum course. The study was based on a survey. The information collected from the survey included the level of knowledge, behavioral changes, psychological health issues, academic challenges, and demographics.
The results from the study showed that students had proper knowledge regarding COVID-19 pandemic symptoms and causes. The participants also reported behavioral changes since the pandemic in their quest to avoid getting the disease; some behavioral changes included wearing masks and social distancing in public places. Additionally, students reported experiencing academic difficulties due to the new mode of learning (distance learning). The academic difficulties associated with distance learning increased the levels of psychological issues in students. Most of these mental issues were associated with the inability to concentrate on academic work due to other activities at home and employment losses.
The study had various limitations. The major limitation was that the study was cross-sectional, which limited the establishment of casualty. The sample population used was small and comprised of college students enrolled in an introductory course. The small sample makes the results generalized. Based on the researchers, future studies should be concentrated on determining the level of psychological distress resulting from online learning and whether COVID-19 increased students' mental health distress.
Research Topic
Numerous studies have been carried out to determine the impact of online learning on student's performance. From these studies, online learning has been found to have positive impacts on students' academic performance. Also, e-learning has been found to significantly reduce the cost of education to students. The economic benefits of e-learning are based on the fact that students do not have to commute, and they no longer need physical classrooms. Additionally, students can work while still learning. Despite the benefits of online learning, it may have a negative impact on students' mental health. Unlike other areas like the benefits of e-learning, where numerous studies have been carried out, there are very few studies that investigate the adverse impacts of online learning on students. Normally, most people believe that online learning is all beneficial to students, and when it comes to limitations, students' psychological distress is not mentioned. However, from the three studies above, it can be seen that the notion is not exactly true. To some extent, online learning often increases psychological distress in students.
The three studies evaluated above had similar limitations and aligning recommendations on the areas of future studies. The limitation of the studies is the research design method. Most of them used a cross-sectional research design, which limited them to a few participants, making the findings generalized. Additionally, the authors in these studies recommend that further research be carried out on the adverse impacts of online learning on students' psychological well-being. In this case, it is important to conduct a longitudinal study that investigates the relationship between online learning and psychological distress. This study would bring a new perspective on the adverse impacts of online learning on students. The longitudinal research design would ensure that a large population is reached through the research to provide a clear picture of the connection between distance learning and poor mental health among students. Additionally, this research would contribute to literature (which is limited) about how online learning affects students' mental well-being.
References
Hasan, N., & Bao, Y. (2020). Impact of "e-Learning crack-up" perception on psychological distress among college students during COVID-19 pandemic: A mediating role of "fear of academic year loss." Children and youth services review , 118 , 105355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105355
Waterhouse, P., Samra, R., & Lucassen, M. (2020). Mental distress and its relationship to distance education students' work and family roles. Distance Education , 41 (4), 540-558. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1821606
Kecojevic, A., Basch, C. H., Sullivan, M., & Davi, N. K. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on mental health of undergraduate students in New Jersey, cross-sectional study. PloS one , 15 (9), e0239696. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239696
