Understanding Education Difficulty During COVID-19 Lockdown: Reports on Malaysian University Students' Experience

Mental health profiles and the related socio-demographic predictors in Hong Kong university students under the COVID-19 pandemic: A latent class analysis

While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant challenges to mental health of university students, there is limited research in this area. Particularly, few studies examined the person-centered mental health symptom profiles such as depression and anxiety and the related socio-demographic predictors. Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), this study investigated the symptom profiles of depression and anxiety in university students in Hong Kong under the COVID-19 pandemic and the socio-demographic predictors. A total of 978 undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire including socio-demographic factors and measures of depression and anxiety during the summer of 2022. The LCA identified three latent classes: "normal" group, "moderate comorbid depression and anxiety" group and "severe comorbid depression and anxiety" group. Multinominal logistic regression showed that comparing with the "normal" group and the "moderate symptom" group, the "severe symptom" group had higher personal financial difficulties and individual/family member unemployment during the pandemic. In contrast, other socio-demographic factors (age, gender, year of study, living status, and COVID-19 infection status) had no significant association with group status. The study contributes to understanding of person-centered depression and anxiety symptom profiles and the risk role of personal financial difficulty in mental health of university students under the pandemic.

Stress and depressive symptoms in university students in Hong Kong under the pandemic: Moderating effect of positive psychological attributes

Introduction

There are very few studies examining the psychological well-being of university students in Hong Kong under the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides COVID-19-related stress, the "social event" in 2019-2020 has caused significant stress in young people. As such, we attempted to answer several research questions in this paper. First, what are the relationships between stresses (COVID-19 and "social event" related stresses) and psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms? Based on the stress and coping perspective, we predicted that there would be positive relationships between both types of stress and depression. Second, what are the relationships between different positive psychological factors (including life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity) and depression? Based on different theoretical models of positive psychology, we hypothesized that negative relationships would exist between positive psychological factors and depressive symptoms. Third, do positive psychological attributes moderate the associations between stresses (COVID-19 and "social event" related stresses) and depressive symptoms? Based on the positive psychology literature, we hypothesized that positive psychological attributes would buffer the negative impact of stresses on depression.

Methods

We recruited university students roughly one year after the first wave of the pandemic (N = 1,648) in early 2021. We used 25 items to measure COVID-19-related stress and "social event" related stress. For psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms, we used the "Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R)". For positive psychological attributes, we employed established measures of life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity.

Results

Regarding the relationship between stress and depression, we found positive relationships between both types of stress and depressive symptoms. As predicted, negative relationships existed between all positive psychological attributes and depressive symptoms. Besides, the positive psychological attributes significantly moderated the effects of stresses on depression, suggesting that these factors can reduce the negative impacts of stresses on depression. The present findings provide support for those models, highlighting the importance of positive psychological attributes as protective factors for university students' depression.

Discussion

The findings of this study underscore the important role of positive psychological attributes in the stress-depression relationship in university students under the pandemic. The findings also generalize the positive youth development theory in the Chinese context. In terms of practice, university administrators and service providers should consider cultivating positive psychological attributes in university students with the purpose of promoting their psychological well-being.

Coping with the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on primary education: teachers' struggle (case study in the Province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia)

Purpose

The research aimed to explore the issues in the implementation of online education practice in elementary school, to study teachers' coping strategy to the online education issues and to evaluate teachers' problem-solving skill in online learning practice during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory research focused on identifying the obstacles in teaching practice faced by elementary school teachers as well as their coping strategy with eight convenience sampled schools.

Findings

Online education practice faced unpreparedness and competency issues. Unpreparedness was found in terms of social, technical and cultural factors, while competency issue was related to online education competency and digital competency. Teachers’ struggle to cope with the issue in online education practice was focused on the performing conventional education in the online manner, suggesting teachers' lack of competency in encouraging learning success. Teachers neglected the development of students' readiness and competencies to engage in online learning. Moreover, teachers’ struggle had the least impact on the development of their online teaching competency and digital competency that are required for carrying out online teaching. In general, teachers' problem-solving skill was below the expected level. These findings suggested that improvement of teachers' competencies is important in order to cope with the issues such as in online education practice during Covid-19 pandemic and to face future challenges in education.

Originality/value

This study evaluated the gap between actual action and expected action of elementary school teachers in coping with the issues regarding online education practice.

Personal, Academic Stressors and Environmental Factors Contributing to Musculoskeletal Pain among Undergraduates Due to Online Learning: A Mixed Method Study with Data Integration

AIM

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to adaptation in teaching and learning methods. There is a possibility that this shift from the classroom to online learning will persist post-pandemic with implications to all involved. We explored the contribution of personal, academic stressors and environmental factors contributing to musculoskeletal pain among undergraduates due to online learning by integrating data from an online survey and one-to-one in-depth interviews. The association between musculoskeletal pain, personal, academic stressors and environmental factors among undergraduates due to online learning was also investigated.

METHODS

Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A questionnaire was completed by 179 undergraduates (34 males and 145 females) aged between 18 to 25 years old. This was followed by an online, in-depth, one-to-one interview among 10 female undergraduates who reported severe musculoskeletal pain. The two sets of findings were integrated using a triangulation protocol.

RESULT

The three most common musculoskeletal pains experienced by undergraduates due to online learning were low back (73.2%), followed by neck (68.7%) and shoulder (58.7%) pain. The six main themes identified from the interviews were: (1) Musculoskeletal pain characteristics; (2) academic issues; (3) difficulties faced by undergraduates due to teaching and learning; (4) emotions towards work/study; (5) work environment; and (6) time spent working at a workstation. Upper back pain was identified to be associated with personal (p < 0.05) and most environmental factors (p < 0.05). From the triangulation model, it was shown that personal, academic stressors and environmental factors were mainly from the workstation, uncomfortable environment, working posture and time spent at the workstation, which all contributed to musculoskeletal pain.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that exercise, academic stressors, and environmental factors were associated with musculoskeletal pain among undergraduates due to online teaching and learning sessions. There may be a need to integrate an online prevention of musculoskeletal pain education package based on a biopsychosocial model with online teaching and learning for undergraduates.

Law abidance leadership education for university students in Hong Kong: Post-lecture evaluation

Law abidance is very important for effective leaders. Without law abidance, abuse of power and corruption would easily happen, which would eventually erode organizational health. To promote law abidance leadership in university students in Hong Kong, we developed a law abidance leadership program with 3 h of face-to-face lecture and 7 h of self-study of materials disturbed to students. To understand students' perception of the 3-h lecture, we conducted a post-lecture evaluation study using a 26-item measure (N = 914). Results showed that the scale possessed good reliability and validity. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the assessment tool has three internally consistent and factorial invariant dimensions: program attributes, appreciation of law abidance, and teacher attributes. Regarding students' perception of the program, students were generally satisfied with the lecture attributes, including design, content, lecture atmosphere, teaching quality, and benefits to students. In particular, students agreed that the lecture helped them understand the importance and value of law abidance and national security; over 95% of the students indicated that they would try their best to serve as law-abiding citizens and socially responsible leaders. Multiple regression analyses showed that program attributes, appreciation of law abidance, and teacher attributes predicted overall satisfaction with the lecture. Qualitative comments of the student echoed the quantitative findings, with most of the comments being positive in nature. The present study replicated the findings reported previously. Local and international contextual factors relevant to the interpretations of the findings are highlighted.

The Effectiveness of a Leadership Subject Using a Hybrid Teaching Mode during the Pandemic: Objective Outcome and Subjective Outcome Evaluation

Positive youth development (PYD) is an innovative approach to protect students from mental health problems and promote their positive and holistic development. Although there are many studies on the beneficial effects of PYD programs on youth in high school and community contexts, it is not clear whether subjects adopting PYD principles can promote positive development for university students. Moreover, it is unclear whether such subjects are effective under COVID-19, where subjects are commonly taught via the "hybrid" mode (i.e., face-to-face plus online teaching). The present study examined students' changes in the PYD, wellbeing, and desired graduate attributes after they had taken a leadership subject utilizing PYD principles taught by the "hybrid" mode (N = 630). Adopting the one-group pre-test and post-test design (i.e., objective outcome evaluation), we found that students showed significant positive improvement in PYD indicators, wellbeing, as well as desired graduate attributes. Additionally, students had high satisfaction with the course design and teaching staff, and perceived many benefits from this subject based on the subjective outcome evaluation conducted at the end of the subject. Results also showed that students' satisfaction with the curriculum significantly and positively predicted their positive change in PYD indicators, indicating the convergence of subjective outcome evaluation and objective outcome evaluation. The results highlight the positive impacts of the hybrid mode leadership subject with PYD principles in higher education.

Blended Learning Strategies for Sustainable English as a Second Language Education: A Systematic Review

Blended learning in English as a Second Language (ESL) has become a growing trend in sustaining education at higher learning institutions. The impact of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 on education has made the integration of technology vital in the teaching and learning dyad. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed even more emphasis on the incorporation of technology in ESL pedagogy. Nevertheless, the reviews on blended learning in ESL are inadequate despite its great significance in sustaining education. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) were adopted for reviewing current studies, and two core journal databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science, with two supporting databases (Science Direct and Mendeley) were utilized. A total of 32 articles were identified through a systematic search of “blended learning” OR “blended education” OR “blended courses” OR “integrated learning” AND “strategies” OR “techniques” OR “applications” OR “methods” AND “ESL” OR “English as a Second Language.” Four main themes emerged from this review, namely collaborative-based learning, learning management systems, social media applications, and technology-based learning. Finally, several recommendations were presented at the end of this research that should be the focus of future studies.

The Impact of Online Learning on Physical and Mental Health in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Higher education organizations have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. During school closures, online teaching and learning has become a new routine that may lead to changes in lifestyles and adversely affect university students’ health. Therefore, this study was to understand the potential impact of online learning on physical and mental health by investigating the differences in physical activity, psychological distress, and student life stress in Taiwanese university students between the in-class learning and online learning periods. A total of 181 students were recruited from a local university. All participants were requested to complete an online survey and self-report physical activity, psychological distress, and life stress in the in-class learning and online learning periods, respectively. The results indicated a significant reduction in physical activity of various intensities (p < 0.05). Specifically, male university students showed a greater decrease in vigorous physical activity compared to their female peers. Yet, there was no significant increase in psychological distress and life stress from the in-class learning period to the online learning period. In summary, physical activity drastically reduces during the online learning period in Taiwanese university students. Notably, male students may be at greater risk of insufficient participation in vigorous physical activity.

Case of Study in Online Course of Computer Engineering during COVID-19 Pandemic

Practical activities and laboratories, where the students handle hardware devices, are an important part of the curriculum in STEAM degrees. In face-to-face learning, the students go to a specific classroom where the hardware is available. However, laboratories are one of the challenges of distance education, due to the impossibility of the students attending classes at a certain place. This is especially relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the increase of students enrolled in distance education. Different approaches to tackle this problem have been adopted, ranging from mixed models where lectures are online but physical attendance to laboratories is required to purely virtual models where virtual worlds or augmented reality have been used to simulate the real hardware. This paper presents the case of study of a flexible laboratory for the use of Arduino in a Computer Technology course with 153 students, geographically distributed in Spain and Latin America. The goal of the case study is to study the impact of such a flexible laboratory in the course, based on four fundamental parameters: student access to the online lectures, participation in the course and marks obtained, and satisfaction surveys. The results show that students have increased their marks by 28.8% and their class attendance by 247.18%, doing more elaborate and complex work than in previous courses. Therefore, it is considered that they have satisfactorily integrated the knowledge acquired during the subject, and the projects with Arduino in Computer Technology have an impact on the flexibility and personalization of the education, motivate students and increase its educational productivity and effect on the quality of education, influencing the learning experience.

Examining students' continuous use of online learning in the post-COVID-19 era: an application of the process virtualization theory

Purpose

This study investigated the impact of the virtualization requirements of the learning process on students' satisfaction and their intention to continue using online learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model was developed using the process virtualization theory (PVT); it was validated empirically using data obtained from an online questionnaire-based survey of 489 undergraduate students.

Findings

The main results support the role of representation for sensory requirements, sensory requirements, reach, representation for relationship requirements and relationship requirements on shaping students' satisfaction, which all also have a significant influence on students' intention to continue using online learning. Relevance factors are responsible for 61.6% of the variance in students' satisfaction and 83.6% of the variance in their intention to continue using online learning. However, neither the synchronism requirements nor the identification and control requirements had a significant effect on students' satisfaction or on their intention to continue using online learning.

Originality/value

The present research focused on PVT in an online learning context; consequently, a new set of factors that influenced students' satisfaction with and intentions to continue using online learning was empirically tested for the first time. This research contributes to the literature on information systems because it advances the generalizability and applicability of the PVT in a new context and new cultural setting. Moreover, the research apprises researchers and practitioners of new factors, which should be understood and fulfilled to make virtual learning equivalent to the face-to-face learning experience.

The Pedagogical Model of Hybrid Teaching: Difficulties of University Students in the Context of COVID-19

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has led to changes in many areas, with educational scenarios being affected. In this sense, university education has undergone significant changes owing to the impossibility of following the fully face-to-face mode of teaching. Given this situation, the general objective of this study is to analyze the university educational scenario in the context of COVID-19 and, more specifically, to identify the difficulties perceived by students. Using a mixed quantitative-qualitative methodological approach, an ad hoc questionnaire was designed, and data were collected from a sample of 238 students of the Bachelor's Degree in Teaching during the 2020/2021 academic year. The results obtained have shown that students have experienced numerous difficulties in adapting to the hybrid teaching model. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the decrease in motivation, the feeling of loneliness, technical connection problems, and less interaction with the teaching staff and other students. The degree of satisfaction with the teaching received is also moderate. As a conclusion, it can be stated that the difficulties identified recommend the introduction of actions to improve the application of the teaching model implemented in favor of university excellence.

Academic and emotional effects of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on engineering students

The unprecedented situation of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the closure of universities worldwide and has forced the transition to online learning. This exceptional context compels us to understand students' experience with online learning. Previous literature identifies relevant factors that intervene in the online education experience and can affect students' academic development. One of the main concerns is the students' mental health, given the lockdown restrictions under which classes have been conducted. Furthermore, the impact of the prolonged lockdown and the pandemic fatigue on university students and their academic experience is still unclear. This study delves into engineering undergraduate students' online education experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and its emotional impact across time. With this aim, a questionnaire was distributed to second, third, and fourth-year engineering undergraduate students at two time points, approximately six months apart. The results show significant differences in students' connection with other students and teachers, workspace conditions, and boredom between time points. Besides, the findings indicate significant correlations between academic development and quality of online classes, adaptation of the course, workspace conditions, and connection with other students and teachers, and also between students' emotions and connection with other students and teachers. Finally, the study identifies best practices carried out during online teaching that will be of value for future courses and engineering education beyond the pandemic situation, amongst which those related to effective communication with teachers stand out.

EU27 Higher Education Institutions and COVID-19, Year 2020

COVID-19 forced higher education institutions to reinvent themselves. The (usually) face-to-face education has swapped to distance contingency education. This change brought about numerous challenges that impose adjustments in several dimensions, such as pedagogical strategies and the dependence on teaching platforms and computer systems-and, above all, the new relationship between the various actors (students, teachers, and management staff). All the sudden changes, combined with uncertainty concerning what was happening, created several strategies and options. This paper has the main purpose of analyzing the scientific production on higher education of EU27 academic institutions during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in journals indexed in Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science and Elsevier's Scopus. The sample is composed of 22 articles in total. The results show that the articles were published in 19 journals; their main focuses are Higher Education, COVID-19, and distance learning. In our database, we find several types of concerns, which shows that HEIs have a wide range of dimensions. We intend this article to be an instrument, not only to identify what was done in 2020, but to point out clues for the future.