Adaptability Promotes Student Engagement Under COVID-19: The Multiple Mediating Effects of Academic Emotion

The COVID-19 pandemic and adolescents' and young adults' experiences at school: A systematic narrative review

The COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of adolescents and young adults across the globe. In response to the pandemic onset, educational institutions were forced to pivot to online learning, a new teaching and learning format for most secondary and university students. This systematic narrative review summarizes findings from 168 publications spanning 56 countries on students' educational outcomes and school climate as well as the internal assets and contextual supports that promoted academic well-being during the pandemic. Our findings suggest that young people commonly reported declines in their academic-related outcomes and school-based relationships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Internal assets (e.g., intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy) and contextual supports (i.e., relationships with teachers, peers, and parents) promoted academic well-being during the pandemic. Next steps for research on young people's academic well-being during the pandemic are suggested.

Correlation of academic emotion and hardiness personality of undergraduate nursing students

BACKGROUND

Academic emotion is a fundamental emotional concept closely linked to academic achievement. Understanding the connection between academic emotion and the personality trait of hardiness is pivotal in maintaining a stable career orientation throughout one's educational career. Therefore, in pursuit of fostering the robust growth of nursing careers, it is imperative to delve into the academic emotions experienced by undergraduate nursing students. This study endeavors to mitigate the impact of gender differences among nursing students while investigating the intricate relationship between academic emotions and the trait of hardiness in their personalities.

METHODS

This study employed a cross-sectional research design. We gathered data from a convenient sample of 292 nursing students enrolled at Shanxi University of Chinese Medicine. Each student provided demographic information and responded to a general academic mood questionnaire, as well as a Hardiness Personality Rating Scale. Subsequently, we used canonical correlation analysis to evaluate the correlation between academic emotion and tenacity personality in 292 undergraduate nursing students.

RESULTS

We discovered that academic emotions among nursing students are predominantly characterized by feelings of disappointment and boredom. Furthermore, personality hardiness is primarily influenced by the dimensions of engagement and control. It is important to note that a heightened level of negative, low-arousal academic emotions can diminish the level of engagement. The first typical correlation coefficient corresponding to academic emotion and hardiness were 0.660. The linear combination of standardized variables of the first typical variable corresponding to academic emotion (X1) = -0.444*negative hyperarousal -0.443 * positive hyperarousal + 0.694 * negative hypoarousal -0.260 * positive hypoarousal. The standardized variable equation of the first typical variable corresponding to hardiness personality (η1) = 0.235* hardiness -0.433* control -0.530* investment -0.303* challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing students generally believe that their input is out of proportion to the return, and this unbalanced emotional experience will seriously affect their academic emotions in China. It is suggested that paying attention to cultivating their tenacious personality traits in the teaching process may help to enhance their academic emotions and enhance the sense of belonging and identity of nursing students engaged in the nursing profession.

Nursing Students' Learning Engagement Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Namibia: Implications for Nursing Education

Introduction

Ensuring strong student engagement in both traditional and virtual learning settings was essential for achieving positive educational results during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, fostering student engagement in both the traditional (face-to-face) and virtual learning environments has been accompanied by distinct challenges. There has been a lack of research specifically addressing the issue of nursing students' engagement within a blended learning setting in Namibia.

Aim

To explore and describe nursing students' learning engagement experiences at a university campus in Namibia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study was employed to collect data from 10 purposively selected nursing students at a university campus in Namibia. Data from in-depth, face-to-face, individual interviews were collected using a semistructured interview guide. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method.

Results

The findings of the study describe students' learning engagement experiences under four distinct themes: (a) conditions and contexts of engagement; (b) student acts of engagement: positionality of teacher- and student-facilitated engagement; (c) consequences of engagement in a blended learning environment; and (d) student engagement dispositions: students' initiatives.

Conclusion

The research findings revealed that despite mental health challenges, both teacher-facilitated and student-facilitated engagement were necessary for positive learning engagement in the blended learning environment. Student-facilitated engagement was significantly responsible for enabling students to maintain focus, adhere to guidelines, and adapt to the blended learning environment. These findings are useful in understanding the challenges faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings thus provide valuable data for future studies seeking to address challenges associated with the blended learning environment.

The influence of benefit finding on academic engagement among Chinese college students: A moderating effect model

Objective

To explore how college students' academic engagement has changed in the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (hereinafter referred to as "in the outbreak"), this research will encompass more than just looking into the relationship among anxiety, benefit finding (BF) and academic engagement, but also involve evaluating how anxiety moderates the positive impact of BF on academic engagement.

Method

Among college students, this study comprised an online-based cross-sectional survey in cities where COVID-19 broke out. Convenience sampling method was used. The survey took place between November 10 and November 19, 2021, during which all the cities surveyed were in the outbreak. With language revision, scales include Student Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-S), recompiled Benefit Finding Scale (BFS) and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), as methods for gauging the academic engagement, BF and anxiety experienced by college students, respectively.

Results

Academic engagement in the outbreak is higher than that before the outbreak stage of COVID-19 (hereinafter referred to as "before the outbreak") (Z = -18.201, P < 0.001). Between anxiety and BF, a negative correlation can be observed in the outbreak (P = 0.001), whereas BF and anxiety have an adverse correlation with academic engagement (P < 0.001). The positive effect of BF on academic engagement will be debilitated by anxiety. Further analysis shows that college students who are close to medium-and high-risk areas, worried about the infection, unvaccinated and concerned about the epidemic, are more likely to be anxious (P < 0.001). Those with confidence in government's ability to prevent and control the epidemic, as well as increased trust in medical workers, have a higher BF (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

While COVID-19 could still exert adverse effects on psychology of college students, but it can also stimulate college students to perceive the meaning of life. In the outbreak, an increase in academic engagement seems to be a manifestation of growth in adversity. Compared with short-term negative emotional intervention, life meaning and gratitude in education may stimulate their potential ability for a longer time.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Academic Life of Social Work Students: Resilience as a Mediating Variable

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between emotions and concerns stemming from COVID-19 and the academic engagement of social work students, taking into account the mediating role played by resilience.

METHOD

We carried out a cross-cutting quantitative study by means of an online questionnaire. The participants comprised a total of 474 students currently enrolled on the Degree in Social Work at the University of Valencia (Spain).

RESULTS

The results show that the effects of emotions and concerns stemming from COVID-19 on student engagement were fully mediated by resilience. Indeed, positive emotions and concerns about the future had a positive impact on student engagement through resilience.

DISCUSSION

Resilience stands as a potential protective factor against the social and academic challenges generated by COVID-19. The pandemic could therefore be seen as a real opportunity for sweeping change in the teaching and practice of social work.

Emotion regulation moderates the association between COVID-19 stress and mental distress: findings on buffering, exacerbation, and gender differences in a cross-sectional study from Norway

Background

Maintaining good mental health is important during a crisis. However, little attention has been given to how people achieve this, or how they evaluate emotions associated with stressors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to (1) investigate whether emotion regulation, in particular cognitive reappraisal and suppression, moderates the relationship between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress and (2) examine gender differences in the interrelations between COVID-19 stress, emotion regulation, and mental distress.

Methods

Data from a population in Norway (n = 1.225) were collected using a cross-sectional survey during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotion regulation was measured using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire Scale (ERQ), COVID-19 stress with the COVID-19 Stress Scale, and mental distress with the Patient Health Questionnaire 4 (PHQ-4). Moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results

There was a strong association between COVID-19 stress and general mental distress (r = 0.61). The moderation analyses showed substantial moderation effects of cognitive reappraisal and suppression on the relationship between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Cognitive reappraisal served as a buffer (p = 0.001) and suppression (p = 0.002) exacerbated the relation between COVID-19 stress and mental distress. Men had higher scores of suppression (p < 0.001), and women had higher scores of cognitive reappraisal (p = 0.025). The buffering effect of cognitive reappraisal presented itself only in women (p < 0.001), while the exacerbation effect of suppression appeared only in men (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The current study suggests that COVID-19 pandemic-related stress is easier to deal with for those who have the tendency to cognitively reappraise. In contrast, suppression is associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The prevention of mental distress can be supported by guiding people about the importance of using healthy emotion regulation strategies, as well as helping them to become more aware of the way they interpret and regulate their emotions. Gender differences in emotion regulation suggest gender awareness, e.g., tailored programs for men and women.

Adaptability and emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning: Direct and indirect relations with academic achievement and life satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Adaptability regulates individuals' cognitive, behavioural and emotional responses to new, unexpected and uncertain situations, but to date no study has analysed whether adaptability contemporarily favours cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects of learning.

AIMS

This study aims to address this gap by examining (i) the direct relations between adaptability and achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies and academic self-efficacy and (ii) the direct and indirect relations between adaptability and academic achievement and life satisfaction through and over the other study-related factors.

SAMPLE

A total of 1083 students (415 males, M_age  = 13.37, SD_age  = 1.97, age range = 10-18) in grades 6-12 participated to the study.

METHOD

Questionnaires were used to measure students' adaptability, positive and negative achievement emotions, self-regulated learning strategies, academic self-efficacy and life satisfaction. Schools provided grades obtained by each student at the end of the academic year.

RESULTS

A path analysis based on 1083 students (10-18 years old) confirmed that adaptability directly relates to the three study-related factors considered and to life satisfaction and indirectly relates to academic achievement and life satisfaction-through the mediation of the other variables.

CONCLUSIONS

The results, discussed in accordance with the self-regulated learning theory, enlarge the nomological framework of adaptability and highlight its importance for emotional, behavioural and cognitive aspects of self-regulated learning.

Adapt, Explore, or Keep Going? The Role of Adaptability, Curiosity, and Perseverance in a Network of Study-Related Factors and Scholastic Success

Soft skills are the key characteristics for students' success and wellbeing in the 21st century, but they were only rarely studied contemporarily or integrated into comprehensive models of self-regulated learning. This makes it difficult to understand the role that specific skills have above and beyond the others and how they work together to favor students' achievement and life satisfaction. For this reason, in a sample of 585 students (10-18 years old), we applied an exploratory network analysis and studied three crucial soft skills (i.e., adaptability, curiosity, and perseverance) and their contemporary network of inter-relationships with a host of functional study-related factors, including self-regulated learning strategies, motivation, emotions, cognitive abilities, academic achievement, and life and school satisfaction. Results show that the three soft skills play a positive role within the school context through their association with the majority of the study-related factors that mediate their relationships with academic achievement. Importantly, the results differentiated adaptability (which mainly relates with wellbeing and emotional variables), perseverance (which relates with the cognitive and behavioral aspect of learning), and curiosity (which bridges the connection between the other skills and relates with emotional and behavioral variables) in the school context. Overall, these findings contribute to the deepening of the theoretical framework on soft skills and their role as part of a successful learning profile, and inform us about the possible effectiveness of intervention on soft skills for students' achievement and wellbeing.

The relationship between parent–child communication and English academic engagement among middle school students: a moderated mediation model

This study constructed a moderated mediation model to explore the impact of parent–child communication on English academic engagement. We conducted a questionnaire survey among 21,270 middle school students using various measurements: English Academic Engagement Scale, Adolescent Parent–Child Communication Scale, learning adaptability questionnaire, and English Learning Self-Efficacy Scale. The results showed that learning adaptability played a mediating role between parent–child communication and English academic engagement. Moreover, the relationships between parent–child communication and English academic engagement as well as between parent–child communication and learning adaptability were all moderated by English learning self-efficacy. These findings revealed the importance of parent–child communication in middle school students’ foreign language learning and suggested that more attention should be paid to improving middle school students’ English learning self-efficacy and learning adaptability and, therefore, English academic engagement.

Student engagement during emergency remote teaching: A scoping review

Research on student engagement has recently gained popularity as it can address problems such as early dropout and poor achievement. The growing interest in investigating student engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic is reflected in increased publications addressing this topic. However, no review provided research evidence and an overview of existing literature on student engagement during emergency remote teaching (ERT). We reviewed how student engagement studies were undertaken during ERT from three perspectives: (1) the landscape of studies, (2) methodologies issues, and (3) the strategies used to facilitate student engagement. 42 articles were analysed from an initial pool of 436 search results. The findings illustrate that current studies were predominately undertaken in the United States (36%) and China (22%) with focusing on STEM subjects as a dominant discipline. The literature was largely inconsistent in defining and measuring student engagement. In addition, the majority of studies (57%) investigated students’ engagement from the perspective of students, unlike other stakeholders. The most prominent finding is that ERT promoted several important engagement strategies, including motivational factors, teachers’ facilitation, a hybrid learning model, and using learning technologies to boost students’ engagement.

Perceived related humor in the classroom, student-teacher relationship quality, and engagement: Individual differences in sense of humor among students

This study explored the effect of humor on teacher-student relationship quality (TSRQ) and student engagement by uncovering the mediating role of TSRQ and the moderating role of individual differences (personal sense of humor). Data were collected using a cross-sectional time-lag approach with 2 phases; 367 students participated. The hypotheses were tested with a moderated mediation model. Perceived humor was positively related to TSRQ and student engagement. The results also confirmed the mediating role of TSRQ; a sense of humor positively moderated the relationship between perceived related humor and TSRQ, as well as perceived related humor and student engagement. The present study uncovers the relationship between humor and relationship quality in learning settings. Moreover, our study provides the first empirical data on the mediating effects of TSRQ on perceived related humor and student engagement. It also reveals the role of individual differences (sense of humor) in the proposed model.

Exploring mental health challenges and coping strategies in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Background

Mental health challenges have emerged worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. University students experienced changes in their lifestyles, academic life, family relationships, earning capacity, and support systems. This study explores the common mental health challenges in university students and their coping strategies using social support in the first wave of lockdowns in Dhaka city in 2020. By learning from young people's impacts and coping responses, we can help build an improved strategy for future events of this magnitude.

Methods

A qualitative study design was employed to conduct 20 in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions with students from purposively selected three public and three private universities in Dhaka city and five key informant interviews with different stakeholders. We used inductive reflexive thematic analysis and applied six phases of the thematic analysis. Codes retrieved from two differently prepared codebooks were merged and compared to identify themes for a fair interpretation of the underlying data. Data were manually indexed, summarized, and interpreted to categorize codes into sub-themes leading to themes.

Results

Financial constraints, academic pressure, learning resources shortages, losing confidence, relationship breakup, excessive internet dependency, and traumatic experiences challenged the mental health conditions of the students unevenly across universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Expressed mental health well-being impacts ranged from anxiety, stress, and depression to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Family bonding and social networking appeared as robust social support mechanisms to allow students to cope with anxiety, stress, and depression. Partial financial subsidies, soft loans to purchase electronic resources, faculty members' counseling, and sessional health counseling contributed to minimizing the mental health impacts of COVID-19.

Conclusion

Mental health is still not a resourced area of health and well-being in Bangladesh. Concentration on developing strong social support and improving increased financial subsidies, including learning resources, can be effective in assisting students in coping with the common mental health burdens during pandemic periods. A national intervention plan should be immediately designed and implemented by engaging different stakeholders including healthcare professionals and establishing effective mental healthcare support centers at universities to avoid immediate and prolonged negative mental health impacts.

Adaptability favors positive academic responses and posttraumatic growth under COVID-19: a longitudinal study with adolescents

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an abrupt adoption of online learning worldwide challenging students’ scholastic engagement and their ability to self-regulate their learning. Under these unexpected conditions, adaptability (one’s capacity to adjust thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in new and uncertain situations) might have sustained students to maintain high engagement and find new learning solutions. Students with high adaptability might also interpret COVID-19-related novelty as an opportunity and show higher posttraumatic growth levels. A longitudinal path analysis showed that in a sample of 435 Italian students (11–18 years old), adaptability at Time 1 positively related to engagement, self-regulated learning, and posttraumatic growth at the end of the school year, indirectly favoring academic achievement, through the mediation of engagement and self-regulated learning. These findings highlight the unique role that adaptability could play in supporting students in unexpected and stressful situations. Fostering students’ adaptability could therefore have beneficial effects on their personal growth and academic success.

What factors can support students' deep learning in the online environment: The mediating role of learning self-efficacy and positive academic emotions?

Introduction

In 2020, COVID-19 forced higher education institutions in many countries to turn to online distance learning. The trend of using online education has accelerated across the world. However, this change in the teaching mode has led to the decline of students' online learning quality and resulted in students being unable to do deep learning. Therefore, the current research, aimed at promoting deep learning in the online environment, constructed a theoretical model with learning self-efficacy and positive academic emotions as mediators, deep learning as the dependent variable, perceived TPACK support, peer support, technical usefulness, and ease of use as independent variables.

Methods

The theoretical model was verified by SPSS26.0 and smartPLS3.0, and to assess the measurement and structural models, the PLS approach to structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed.

Results

The study found that (a) positive academic emotions play a mediating role between perceived TPACK support and deep learning, perceived peer support and deep learning, and perceived technology usefulness and ease of use and deep learning; (b) learning self-efficacy plays a mediating role between perceived TPACK support and deep learning, perceived peer support and deep learning, and perceived technology usefulness and ease of use and deep learning.

Discussion

The findings of this study fill the gaps in the research on the theoretical models of deep learning in the online environment and provide a theoretical basis for online teaching, learning quality, and practical improvement strategies.

The capacity to adapt: Documenting the relationship between stressors and probable depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Psychological adaptability, or the reduction of psychiatric symptoms in the context of ongoing stressors, is well-documented. The present study assessed relationships between COVID-19 related stressors and depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (PTS) during April and July 2020.

METHODS

Prevalence of, and changes in, symptom severity levels in April vs. July were measured with ANOVA F-tests. Logistic regressions were used to assess the odds of probable diagnosis.

RESULTS

Symptom distributions skewed lower in July, as compared to April for all three diagnostic categories. From April to July, prevalence of probable anxiety and depression decreased across all levels of stress, prevalence of PTS increased for high stress, and decreased for medium and low stress levels. In July, only high stress related to higher odds of probable diagnoses, as compared to April when both medium and high stress did.

LIMITATIONS

Due to use of cross-sectional self-report data, the present findings could not establish causality between variables, and provide probable, rather than clinical, diagnoses.

CONCLUSION

Findings emphasize adaptability phenomena during COVID-19 and highlight the nuanced impact of ongoing stress.

Adaptive behaviors in education institutions before and after COVID-19: A systematic literature review

Background

The final third of the year 2019 was marked by the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This virus paralyzed almost all economic sectors, including governments, forcing educational institutions to close. School closures resulted in significant learning losses and increased inequality in the education sector across the world. Despite these disruptions, however, available evidence reveals that some countries quickly developed adaptive mechanisms of emergency remote learning systems and other alternative methods to recover from learning losses, such as televisions, telephones, Zoom, social media, Google Classrooms, email, and even the post office. These learning recovery programs are instrumental in preparing world economies for future shocks. Various studies are being conducted to assess the impact of this pandemic from different sectors and perspectives. However, systematic literature reviews documenting the adaptive behaviors in educational institutions before and after COVID-19 are either sparse or nonexistent. Additionally, systematic reviews provide a synthesis of the available evidence, indicate directions for further research, and inform decision-making. This systematic literature review focuses on documenting the adaptation strategies and subsequent positive outcomes emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to review published articles on adaptive behavior in educational institutions, and, in particular, review the outcomes of adaptive behavior and coping strategies/mechanisms over time.

Methodology

The study used a systematic literature review approach as a core methodology for defining answerable research questions, searching the literature for the best available evidence, appraising the quality of the evidence, and collecting and aggregating available data for answering the identified questions. The material was collected using the Science Direct and Emerald databases, which are highly regarded as comprehensive and authoritative. Other documents, especially the reports, were collected from the Google Scholar search engine. Search strings used include "COVID-19 adaptive behavior in educational institutions", "COVID-19 coping strategies in educational institutions", "COVID-19 adaptation mechanisms in the education sector", "adaptive work behavior and COVID-19", "COVID-19 positive outcomes", "adaptive work behavior in educational institutions", and "adaptation strategies in educational institutions".

Findings and conclusion

Although the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on many aspects of life, the education sector was hit more than most other enterprises, and most, if not all, educational institutions were closed as all students were sent home. Educational institutions transitioned to remote teaching and learning strategies. Several studies report a number of positive outcomes ranging from personal (individuals) and institutional (organizations) to technology-based. Among the key technology-based positive outcomes frequently reported in the literature are increased innovations and increased digital resilience in educational institutions, among others.

Consistency between Household and County Measures of Onsite Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The academic, socioemotional, and health impacts of school policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have been a source of many questions that require accurate information about the extent of onsite schooling occurring. This article investigates school operational status datasets during the pandemic, comparing (1) self-report data collected nationally on the household level through a Facebook-based survey, (2) county-level school policy data, and (3) a school-level closure status dataset based on phone GPS tracking. The percentage of any onsite instruction within states and counties are compared across datasets from December 2020 to May 2021. Sources were relatively consistent at the state level and for large counties, but key differences were revealed between units of measurement, showing differences between policy and household decisions surrounding children's schooling experiences. The consistency levels across sources support the usage of each of the school policy sources to answer questions about the educational experiences, factors, and impacts related to K-12 education across the nation during the pandemic, but it remains vital to think critically as to which unit of measurement is most relevant to targeted research questions.

Teaching style and academic engagement in pre-service teachers during the COVID-19 lockdown: Mediation of motivational climate

COVID-19 and the resulting confinement has had a great impact on the educational environment. Although research in initial teacher education has focused on studying the factors that lead to increased academic engagement, there is no evidence that examines the role of teacher interpersonal style and motivational classroom in a virtual learning context. The aim of this research was to analyze the mediating role of motivational climate between teacher interpersonal style (i.e., autonomy support and controlling style) and academic engagement climate in pre-service teachers in a resilient context. The research design was observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and non-randomized. A total of 1,410 university students (pre-service teachers) participated (M_age = 23.85; SD = 5.13) (59.6% female; 40.3% male; 0.1% other). The scales of interpersonal teaching style, classroom motivational climate, academic commitment, and resilience were used, and a structural equation analysis with latent variables was carried out controlling resilience and gender. The results of the structural equation model show the importance of student perception of teacher autonomy support on academic engagement of the pre-service teachers, as well as the mediation of the mastery climate between autonomy support and academic engagement. For this reason, in order to increase academic engagement in pre-service teachers, it is recommended the use of motivating styles and instructional strategies focused on supporting the decision-making process, initiative, and significant learning.

The impact of self-compassionate mindfulness on online learning behavioral engagement of international students during COVID-19: Positive emotion and self-improvement motivation as mediators

Focusing on the domain of self-compassion, this study explored the promotion mechanism of online learning behavioral engagement (OLBE) of international students in China under COVID-19. Positive emotion and self-improvement motivation were selected as mediators. Participants were 606 international students from 8 countries who were studying online in their own countries due to the international travel restriction of COVID-19. Results showed positive emotion and self-improvement motivation completely mediated self-compassionate mindfulness (SCM) and OLBE of international students. Positive emotion and self-improvement partially mediated SCM and OLBE of international students respectively. Students with higher SCM engage with online learning more in that they possess more positive emotion and self-improvement motivation. This study suggested that SCM may facilitate OLBE via positive emotion and effective self-improvement motivation.

Predictors of Learning Engagement in the Context of Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The main aim of the present research is to analyze the predictive value of individual characteristics such as online self-efficacy, adaptability to uncertainty, and sources of stress during online learning on learning engagement. We also aimed to highlight if these relationships could be mediated by the online self-regulated learning strategies, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 529 university students and the design was cross-sectional. The results showed significant associations of the sources of stress in online learning with self-efficacy, leaning engagement and self-regulated learning strategies. Self-regulated strategies—task strategies and goal setting represent mediators of stressors perceived by the students under the conditions of the sudden shift to online activity and online learning engagement. The most relevant self-regulation strategies seemed to be goal setting and task strategies, which confirm the need for a clear structure of learning in the context of online activities. The implications of this study reside in the increased awareness regarding how learning engagement in online learning can be predicted by individual characteristics.

The Effects of Contextual Factors, Self-Efficacy and Motivation on Learners' Adaptability to Blended Learning in College English: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Objective

Few research efforts have substantially introduced relevant studies on Chinese students' adaptability in relation to the ineffectiveness of blended learning mode in College English. This study is guided by social cognitive theory, and related literature has been reviewed concerning adaptability. In this study, we aim to examine the involved relationships among contextual factors, self-efficacy, motivation, and adaptability to blended learning mode among non-English majored Chinese learners in the College English course.

Methods

The quantitative research method was employed in this study, and 595 respondents were eventually collected to enable the data analysis. The structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to analyze the data.

Results

(1) The non-English majored learners' adaptability to blended learning mode in College English was at a low level with a mean value of 2.26, indicating that students still suffer difficulties from class conducted in blended learning; (2) the fit indices were at the level of good fit, and it suggested the structural model had an overall good fit to the data as shown: x 2/df = 2.496, RMESA = 0.050, GFI = 0.956, AGFI = 0.936, NFI = 0.968, RFI = 0.959, IFI = 0.980, TLI = 0.975, CFI = 0.980; (3) adaptability was positively related to contextual factors, self-efficacy, and motivation (p < 0.001); (4) contextual factors exerted an indirect effect on the adaptability not only through the separate mediating role of self-efficacy and motivation, but through the chain mediating role of self-efficacy and motivation (p < 0.01).

Implications

This study theoretically extends previous studies on adaptability by investigating the affecting factors in the framework of social cognitive theory. More practically important is that this study sheds light on the impact mechanism of positive and enjoyable environment, self-efficacy and motivation on non-English majored learners' adaptability to blended learning mode in English course, which would provide a vital insight for administrators and College English instructors to reconsider the role of learners' responses in the mixed mode to improve their English achievement more effectively, as well as to enhance and promote their user experience of the offered blended learning service.

Predicting Student Engagement: The Role of Academic Belonging, Social Integration, and Resilience During COVID-19 Emergency Remote Teaching

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education (HE) to shift to emergency remote teaching (ERT), subsequently influencing academic belonging and social integration, as well as challenging students' engagement with their studies.

Aims

This study investigated influences on student engagement during ERT, based on student resilience. Serial mediation analyses were used to test the predictive effects between resilience, academic belonging, social integration, and engagement.

Methods

The Student Well-being Monitor (SWM 2021) was completed by 1332 HE students studying at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Predictive models were compared among students with low, normal, or high resilience using SPSS extension Macro PROCESS.

Results

A significant serial mediation model was found among all HE students, including positive mediating effects of academic belonging and social integration. More so, independent partial predictive effects of academic belonging and social integration on engagement were also present. Assessment of student resilience profiles revealed substantial differences between predictive models. For low resilience students, serial mediation was present and included the largest partial predictive effect from social integration compared to other groups. For highly resilient students, mediation via academic belonging was found, including the strongest partial and indirect effects compared to other groups.

Conclusions

Overall, academic belonging and social integration positively mediate the effect of resilience on engagement in addition to demonstrating independent positive predictive effects. Inspection of resilience profiles reveals substantial model fit differences, suggesting use of different engagement strategies between student groups. Findings contribute to understanding of HE student engagement during ERT in the Netherlands and provide novel insight on the mechanisms between resilience and engagement. While ERT continues to be required, engagement may be enhanced by stimulating academic belonging for all students generally, but low resilience students could be best served by additionally targeting social integration and resilience.

Language Learning Motivation and Burnout Among English as a Foreign Language Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies

In the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), burnout study dominantly revolves around teachers but learners' academic burnout is largely underexplored. Academic burnout is a concerning issue worldwide that is particularly predicted by academic motivation. However, we know little about the association between motivation and burnout among EFL learners and whether maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (ERS) could moderate their association. To fill this research gap, we recruited 841 EFL undergraduates from two universities in China. Descriptive analysis showed that participants reported high levels of language learning burnout. Correlational and bootstrapped moderation analysis found that motivation and maladaptive ERS were significantly correlated with burnout in opposite directions and the correlation between motivation and burnout was significantly influenced by students' use of two maladaptive ERS (avoiding and venting). The more frequently students chose to avoid and vent unpleasant feelings, the protective role of motivation on burnout was weaker. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adaptability Protects University Students From Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia During Remote Learning: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study From China

The longitudinal relationship between students' pre-existing adaptability and subsequent sleep and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been studied. The present study examines the relationship between adaptability and students' anxiety, depression, and insomnia during and after the lockdown related to COVID-19. 5,235 university students participated in a longitudinal study with three time points. Students completed the Adaptability Scale before the outbreak (October 2019; Time 1), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) both during (April 2020; Time 2) and after lockdown (March 2021; Time 3), the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the SCL-90 (at Time 1 and 3), and the SAS/SDS (at Time 2). The results showed that self-reported adaptability is significantly negatively correlated with anxiety and depression, and that anxiety and depression are positively correlated with insomnia. Furthermore, adaptability protects from insomnia both directly and through its negative relationship with anxiety and depression. This study sheds light on the internal mechanisms mediating the relationship between students' adaptability and experience of insomnia in challenging circumstances. Implications for curtailing the negative effects of stressful events on students' sleep health by improving their adaptability and reducing their anxiety and depression are discussed.

Autonomy-Supportive Faculty, Students' Self-System Processes, Positive Academic Emotions, and Agentic Engagement: Adding Emotions to Self-System Model of Motivational Development

The aim of this study was to investigate mediating roles of students' self-system processes and positive academic emotions in a relationship between supporting autonomy and agentic engagement. In This research structural equation modeling was used to analyze a conceptual model. The sample consisted of 452 undergraduate students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The research instruments included the autonomy-supportive environment inventory, the self-system processes questionnaire, three questionnaires of academic emotions, and the agentic engagement scale. The findings showed that supporting autonomy had an indirect effect on students' achievement emotions, via self-system processes. Self-system processes had direct and indirect effects on agentic engagement, via positive academic emotions. Supporting autonomy had an indirect effect on agentic engagement by mediating role of self-system processes and positive academic emotions. Accordingly, emotions are proximal determinants of agentic engagement. Supporting autonomy and self-system processes affect agentic engagement from the pathway of academic emotions. Therefore, in addition to environmental factors and self-appraisals, it is necessary to consider students' emotional experiences to promote agentic engagement in learning settings.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Satisfaction With Life of University Students in Qatar: Changes During Confinement Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the effects of home confinement on physical activity (PA) and satisfaction with life (SL) among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 531 subjects participated [male: n=203; female: n=328; age: 33.1±5.2years; mass: 72.1±17.5kg; height: 1.67±0.12m; and body mass index (BMI): 25.7±5.06 kg/m2]. Online survey questions considered "before" and "during" confinement. Confinement reduced all PA intensities (ηp 2=0.09-0.45, p<0.001) and increased daily sitting time (ηp 2=0.58, p<0.001). The largest reduction was in moderate intensity PA [metabolic equivalent of task-minutes/week (MET), ηp 2=0.45, p<0.001]. SQL decreased, with the score for "I am satisfied with my life" (ηp 2=0.42, p<0.001) decreasing from 28.4±5.7 to 20.6±9.7 arbitrary units (AU). Concerning SL, the largest change was detected for "the conditions of my life are excellent" (ηp 2=0.54, p<0.001). Time changes in all variables were demonstrative of large negative changes in both sexes. The difference in change between sexes was largest in terms of magnitude for the variable "the conditions of my life are excellent" (difference between groups, Δd=0.98). In sum, COVID-19 confinement reduced PA, heightened sitting time, and reduced SL in Qatar University students. This investigation could have a significant impact in developing PA guidelines for health maintainance during COVID-19 and successive pandemics in university students.

Increases in Anxiety and Depression During COVID-19: A Large Longitudinal Study From China

Although accumulating evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with costs in mental health, the development of students' mental health, including the change from their previous levels of depression and anxiety and the factors associated with this change, has not been well-studied. The present study investigates changes in students' anxiety and depression from before the pandemic to during the lockdown and identifies factors that are associated with these changes. 14,769 university students participated in a longitudinal study with two time points with a 6-month interval. Students completed the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) before the COVID-19 outbreak (October 2020, Time 1), and the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) during the pandemic (April 2020, Time 2). The prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms were 1.44 and 1.46% at Time 1, and 4.06 and 22.09% at Time 2, respectively, showing a 181.94% increase in anxiety and a 1413.01% increase in depression. Furthermore, the increases in anxiety and depression from pre-pandemic levels were associated with students' gender and the severity of the pandemic in the province where they resided. This study contributes to the gap in knowledge regarding changes in students' mental health in response to the pandemic and the role of local factors in these changes. Implications for gender and the Typhoon Eye effect are discussed.

Psychological Distress and Trust in University Management Among International Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since the end of 2019, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has engendered widespread fear and anxiety across China. Nearly half a million international students pursuing their studies in Chinese universities have also been exposed to the psychological distress triggered by the unfolding crisis. In addition to government and medical institutions' efforts, universities have also endeavored to mitigate concerns among these students under quarantine on campus by providing reliable information as well as medical, monetary, and emotional support. In this study, international students' trust in university management teams and its role in remediating their anxieties were evaluated using an online survey conducted after 10 days of the lockdown of Wuhan, China. The empirical analysis incorporates quantitative data from 180 international students. Ordinary least squares regression and probit regression were used in the analysis with the non-robust and robust models. The study found students' perception of trust in university management to be negatively associated with their anxiety levels. Additionally, having trust in university management was found to positively influence students' commitment to the self-quarantine guidelines. These results reinforce the important role of universities and their relationship with international students during public health emergencies.

The Impact of Demographics, Life and Work Circumstances on College and University Instructors' Well-Being During Quaranteaching

In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions around the world were forced into lockdown in order to contain the spread of the virus. To ensure continuous provision of education, most transitioned to emergency remote instruction. This has been particularly the case in higher education (HE) institutions. The circumstances of the pandemic have brought unprecedented psychological pressure on the population, in the case of educators and students exacerbated by the transition to a mode of instruction that was completely novel to the majority. The present study examines how college and university instructors dealt with teaching online in these unparalleled circumstances, with a focus on how factors connected with their daily lives and livelihoods influenced their well-being. Between April and September 2020, a comprehensive online survey was filled out by 804 HE instructors from 92 countries. We explore how sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, relationship status, living conditions, and length of professional experience non-trivially affect situational anxiety, work-life synergy, coping, and productivity. The results contribute to a better understanding of the impact of the pandemic and emergency remote instruction on college and university instructors’ well-being by explaining the mechanisms mediating the relationship between individual, contextual, and affective variables. It may provide helpful guidelines for college and university administrators as well as teachers themselves as to how help alleviate the adverse effects of the continuing pandemic and possible similar disruptions leading to school closures on coping and well-being.