Do Self-Regulated Learning Practices and Intervention Mitigate the Impact of Academic Challenges and COVID-19 Distress on Academic Performance During Online Learning?

Measuring the Complexity of Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Challenges for Adolescents in Canada

Research that uses self-report measures to examine the complexity of self-regulated learning (SRL) and academic challenges for adolescents is limited. This study examined the psychometric property of the Self-Regulated Learning Profile and Self-Diagnostic (SRL-PSD) instrument and addressed the multi-components of SRL and academic challenges for adolescents. Participants were 358 adolescents from a Canadian middle school. The subscales of SRL-PSD were administered to students through LimeSurvey during a 25-min instructional session over two days. Results demonstrated the SRL-PSD was a reliable and valid self-report instrument to measure adolescents' SRL practices and academic challenges. Also, all types of SRL practices and academic challenges were significantly intercorrelated. Additionally, all types of SRL practices were positively associated with school engagement, whereas all types of academic challenges were negatively associated with school engagement. Overall, this study provides a validated self-report measure for educators and researchers to examine adolescents' SRL practices and academic challenges.

Factors influencing college students' self-regulated learning in online learning environment: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Drawing on the control value theory, this study aims to identify the pertinent factors of self-regulated learning in the online learning environment for college students. The analysis will inductively examine how these factors impact self-regulated learning, thereby furnishing a reference for educators and online learning platform developers to create more efficacious online learning and teaching modes.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

In March 2023, electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane and Scopus were searched, and there was no time limit for publication.

REVIEW METHODS

The inclusion criteria were: (1) Includes both online learning environment and self-regulated learning variables. (2) The research object is college students. (3) The research focuses on online teaching. Assessment of risk of bias for all included studies using a mixed-methods assessment tool.

RESULTS

After screening, 31 articles were finally included. Including 24 quantitative studies, 2 qualitative study and 5 mixed studies. According to the control value theory, the factors affecting self-regulated learning in online learning environment are divided into seven aspects, namely cognitive quality, motivational quality, autonomy support, goal structures and social expectations, feedback and considerations of achievement, perceived control and perceived value.

CONCLUSIONS

Teachers should exercise reasonable management over the number of assignments and provide timely and supportive feedback, as well as actively create interactive learning environments to facilitate peer-to-peer communication. Developers of online learning platforms should improve the functions of the platforms according to students' needs, and provide training for teachers and students when necessary. Learners should adapt their learning status in a timely manner to realise efficient learning and improve learning outcomes.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance: a comparative analysis of face-to face and online assessment

Introduction

Survey studies yield mixed results on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance, with limited direct evidence available.

Methodology

Using the academic platform from the Italian university system, a large-scale archival study involving 30,731 students and 829 examiners encompassing a total of 246,416 exams (oral tests only) to scrutinize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the likelihood of passing exams was conducted. Examination data were collected both in face-to-face and online formats during the pandemic. In the pre-pandemic period, only face-to-face data were accessible.

Results

In face-to-face examination, we observed a lower probability of passing exams during the pandemic as opposed to pre-pandemic periods. Notably, during the pandemic we found an increased chance of passing exams conducted through online platforms compared to face-to-face assessments.

Discussion and conclusions

These findings provide the first direct evidence of an adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance. Furthermore, the results align with prior survey studies underscoring that using telematics platforms to evaluate students' performance increases the probability of exam success. This research significantly contributes to ongoing efforts aimed to comprehend how lockdowns and the widespread use of online platforms impact academic assessment processes.

Relationship between academic success, distance education learning environments, and its related factors among medical sciences students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Academic success is among the most important criteria for determining students' competence. Hence, one of the concerns of education system researchers has always been investigating its associated factors. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between academic success, distance education learning environments, and its related factors among Shahroud University of Medical Sciences students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 208 medical sciences students who completed at least two online and two in-person academic semesters. Participants were selected through the convenience sampling method and filled out three questionnaires, including the demographic information form, the Academic Success Inventory for College Students, and the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey. Finally, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential tests (t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression).

RESULTS

In this study, students reported moderate levels of academic success (107.81 ± 10.72). Moreover, they assessed their distance education learning environment as the positive points were more than the negative points (74.10 ± 14.89). Distance education learning environment (β = 0.233 and P < 0.001) and field satisfaction (β = 9.797 and P = 0.001) were also mentioned as factors related to students' academic success.

CONCLUSION

According to the present results, it is suggested to improve the learning environment of distance education and increase students' satisfaction to enhance their academic outcomes such as academic success.

Academic distress among undergraduate students during COVID-19: the relevance of SES and help-seeking behaviors

Introduction

Academic distress has been frequently reported following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study estimates academic distress among undergraduate students, characterizes its nature in relation to economic, social, and health indicators, and examines the level of request for help following mental distress. Students with higher levels of academic distress were expected to show lower socio-economic status, lower social connections, and lower wellbeing indices.

Methods

A cross-sectional study based on a structured anonymous questionnaire was delivered online to more than 1,400 undergraduate students from one university in Israel (women, 66.7%).

Results

Academic distress was reported by 27.1% of the sample. Students who reported academic distress were more likely to report stress, negative psycho-somatic symptoms, changes in weight since COVID-19, low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, higher COVID-19 concerns, and higher security situation concerns. A hierarchic logistic regression model showed that the probability of reporting academic distress was 2.567 times higher (p < 0.001 95% CI [1.702, 3.871]) for those who reported lower family economic status before COVID-19 and 2.141 times higher (p = 0.004 95% CI [1.284, 3.572]) for those who highly reported depressive symptoms. In contrast, only 15.6% of those who reported academic distress sought help from academic authorities.

Discussion

The significant associations of academic distress with health indices indicate that the self-reported distress was real and highly related to adverse health measures. A comprehensive, collaborative model that integrates psychological, economic, and social aspects of intervention is required in times of crisis within academic institutions.

How successful the online assessment techniques in distance learning have been, in contributing to academic achievements of management undergraduates?

The implementation of online teaching and assessments was prompted by the current COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, all universities had to adopt the distance-learning method as the only choice to continue education delivery. This study's main objective is to understand the effectiveness of assessment techniques followed through distance learning in Sri Lankan management undergraduates during COVID-19. Furthermore, utilizing a qualitative approach and thematic analysis for data analysis, semi-structured interviews with 13 management faculty lecturers selected through the purposive sample technique were used for data collection. The survey was conducted via an online questionnaire that was distributed to Sri Lankan undergraduates, and a total of 387 samples from management undergraduates were drawn for the quantitative data analysis using a simple random sampling technique. The study's main findings revealed that five online assessments are currently being utilized to evaluate management undergraduates' academic performance under distance learning, including online examinations, online presentations, online quizzes, case studies, and report submissions. In addition, this study statistically and with some qualitative empirical evidences in the existing literature proved that online examinations, online quizzes, and report submissions have a significant impact on undergraduates' academic performance. Further, this study also recommended that universities should implement procedures for online assessment techniques in order to assess the quality assurance of assessment techniques.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-023-11715-7.

Re-thinking the online distance instruction based on students' feedback

During the covid-19 pandemic, schools at all levels were often closed and online distance instruction (ODI) was applied. The main objective of this research was to discover the main didactic features of online distance instruction; and based on the collected data to define didactic recommendations towards improving the quality of the process. Five hypotheses were set that evaluated students' opinions in the areas of teachers' support for learners within ODI, types of sources exploited within ODI, means used for practising and fixing new knowledge within ODI, assessment of learners' performance within ODI, and students' feedback on ODI. In total, 272 respondents from upper secondary and higher education institutions participated in the research. Each respondent described the process of online distance instruction in two courses they selected of 64: (1) in a course that they appreciated, liked, enjoyed, and considered efficient from the point of view of their learning; (2) in a course that caused them discomfort in learning, as it was conducted in a way that did not suit them, and their learning did not bring the expected learning outcomes. Data were collected via a questionnaire; Chí-square test, adjusted residuals, and t test for comparison of means were calculated. Before the research started, teachers were trained in online distance instruction. Therefore, we expected that they will be competent in designing online distance courses and the courses will follow didactic principles. The results discovered significant differences in the frequency of occurrence of observed features in courses that received positive feedback compared to those having negative evaluation. However, some exceptions were detected.

Stress development during emergency remote teaching in higher education

Higher education includes e-learning in addition to on-site learning. Still, the shift to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) as reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer semester 2020, presented a challenging situation for students. Cross-sectional studies pointed towards higher stress levels of students. However, only a few studies addressed the development of students' stress across several dimensions (joy, worry, tension, demands) within one semester. The current study analyzed trajectories of stress in ERT in relation to age, gender, digital readiness, and experience of loneliness, based on a sample of N = 2795 German students. Latent Growth Curve Models (LGCM) revealed a significant increase in demands, tension and worries and a decrease in joy during the summer term 2020. The development of tension and demands was influenced by age, gender, digital readiness, and loneliness. The decrease in joy and increase in worries could be primarily attributed to digital readiness and loneliness.