Online Learning Increases Psychological Distress in Students

Problem Statement

Covid-19 first broke out in 2019 in China, and since then, the virus has spread to hundreds of countries. In early 2020, the WHO ("World Health Organization") declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. Since then, Covid-19 cases and Covid-related deaths surged alarmingly (Akpinar, 2021). This has threatened public health as millions of people, including students, were forced to isolate themselves (Cooper et al., 2020). Besides, lockdowns were imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19. This has restricted physical access to the classroom. Closure of institutions because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has affected school-going and university students. As a result, institutions have shifted to online classes as an alternative to institutional closure. Nevertheless, because of the lack of an adequate learning approach, students and academics face a wide range of challenges, ranging from access to education to psychological challenges. The successful adoption of online learning programs relies on the way the programs are performed by students and professors. Arguably, online learning is the best alternative to institutional closure. However, according to some evidence, students have a negative perception of online learning, which may cause psychological distress. According to a study conducted by Dewaele et al. (2019), students who engage in online classes report a lack of enjoyment in the classroom. In a 2020 survey conducted by Cao et al., students reported anxiety due to online learning. Other challenges faced by students due to online learning include poor experience and lack of mental health support. Simply put, students engaging in online report experiencing a lot of challenges, ranging from psychological distress, severe anxiety, and mental health support. These challenges in online systems offer a situational demand for how online learning systems impact students' mental health, such as psychological distress. Currently, there is a gap in evidence investigating the impact of online learning on psychological distress during the current pandemic. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effects of online learning on psychological distress among university students.  Current evidence suggests that students from economically advantaged or disadvantaged backgrounds have unequal learning opportunities. Simply put, online learning tends to favor students with better family facilities. The existence of digital disparities between students has led to these unequal learning opportunities between students from affluent backgrounds and students from poor backgrounds. As institutions continue to implement online learning systems, the big question is: how does this system benefits students in economically disadvantaged families or remote areas? According to a study conducted by Fry & Cilluffo (2019), many students come from low-income families. Besides, some evidence suggests that there is a strong correlation between poverty and psychological distress. A vast number of students from low-income students suffer from information technology resources. Unequal access to digital technologies limits the ability of students from economically disadvantaged students to access online classes. Similarly, lack of access to the Internet is another obstacle that students from low-income families face. Baticulon et al. (2020) conducted a study to document the various challenges that students face when it comes to online learning. Baticulon et al. (2020) categorized the challenges into five broad categories: "technological, personal, families, institutional, and communities" (5). Besides, some students could not take part in the online classes due to physical and mental issues. Due to these reasons, students from low-income families fear losing an academic year. A 2020 study conducted by Sintema found that some students will drop-in class in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, "the fear of losing an academic" year is one of the issues that many students are concerned about, which leads to students' psychological anxiety. In this study, one of the metrics that will be measured is the "Fear of academic year loss." This is because this is one of the main factors causing psychological distress among college or university students when it comes to online learning. Therefore, this study aims to explore "the impact of online learning on psychological distress among students." 

Objectives and Research Question

Objectives: To explore the adoption of online learning systems in institutions. To determine the impact of online learning systems on psychological distress. To determine the challenges that students face in online learning systems. To determine the strategies to overcome the challenges that students face in online learning systems. Research Questions: What is the impact of online learning systems on psychological stress among university students? How does the "Fear of academic year loss" lead to psychological distress? How can institutions improve online learning systems to make them all-inclusive?

References

Akpinar, E. (2021). The Effect of Online Learning on Tertiary Level Students' Mental Health during the Covid19 Lockdown. The European Journal of Social & Behavioural Sciences, 30(1), 3300-3310. Baticulon, R. E., Sy, J. J., Alberto, N. R. I., Baron, M. B. C., Mabulay, R. E. C., Rizada, L. G. T., ... & Reyes, J. C. B. (2021). Barriers to online learning in the time of COVID-19: A national survey of medical students in the Philippines. Medical science educator, 1-12. Cao, W., Fang, Z., Hou, G., Han, M., Xu, X., Dong, J., & Zheng, J. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on college students in China. Psychiatry research, 287, 112934. Cooper, I., Mondal, A., & Antonopoulos, C. G. (2020). A SIR model assumption for the spread of COVID-19 in different communities. Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 139, 110057. Dewaele, J. M., Magdalena, A. F., & Saito, K. (2019). The effect of perception of teacher characteristics on Spanish EFL learners' anxiety and enjoyment. The Modern Language Journal, 103(2), 412-427. Fry, R., & Cilluffo, A. (2019). A rising share of undergraduates are from poor families, especially at less selective colleges. Sintema, E. J. (2020). Effect of COVID-19 on the performance of grade 12 students: Implications for STEM education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(7), em1851.