Depression, Anxiety, and Stress related to Online Distance Learning (ODL) Does Not Influence Academic Performance: Findings from an Online Survey among Undergraduates in Malaysia

Sumaiyah Mat, Vivian Sheereen anak Rantai, Isaac Lo Sheng Jieh, Adibah Nabilah Zulkiply, Alif Najmi Amaluddin, Nabil Amin Mohamed Yusof, Wei Sheng Ho, Ahmad Nabil Khairi Mahdzir, Nor Azlin Mohd Nordin, Normala Mesbah, Deepashini Harithasan, Nor Azura Azmi, Asfarina Zanudin, Ismarulyusda Ishak, Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh

Abstract


In this online survey, the impact of online distance learning (ODL) on mental health status and academic performance of Malaysian undergraduates during COVID-19 pandemic were examined. Academic performance was measured using self-reported questions in which respondents were asked to state their cumulative grade points average (CGPA). Reduction in CGPA will be considered as declined in academic performance. Data on ODL readiness and satisfaction as well as mental health status were obtained. Among 256 respondents of this study with mean age (SD) 22.10 (1.05), 27.3% reported to have decline in CGPA during Covid-19 restrictions. Female undergraduates were more likely to perform better as more had maintained or improved in their academic performance. Self-directed learning, learning control, learning motivation, and satisfaction were significantly associated with academic performance (p<0.05) but not computer-internet self-efficacy and online communication self-efficacy. There were also significant negative correlations between ODL and Mental Health Status. However, mental health status does not appear to be significantly associated with decline in academic performance. Our study findings suggest that ODL preference and satisfaction have an impact on the academic performance. While, mental health status related to ODL was not associated with academic performance. Students getting used to the shift into remote learning over time may explain why mental health status had no effect on their academic performance. Future studies should focus on the know how to deliver effective ODL techniques to improve undergraduates’ satisfaction with the hope to further improve their academic performance.


Keywords


Online distance learning; COVID-19; undergraduates; Malaysia; mental health status; academic performance

Full Text:

PDF

References


Acharya, Samikshya, Stress in the Students after Lockdown due to Outbreak of CoronaVirus (COVID-19) (May 15, 2020).Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3627022 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3627022

Amir, Lisa R., Ira Tanti, Diah Ayu Maharani, Yuniardini Septorini Wimardhani, Vera Julia, Benso Sulijaya, and Ria Puspitawati. 2020. “Student Perspective of Classroom and Distance Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Undergraduate Dental Study Program Universitas Indonesia.” BMC Medical Education 20(1).

Carliner, S. (2004). An overview of online learning (2nd ed.). Armherst, MA: Human Resource Development Press.

Chandra, Y. (2020), "Online education during COVID-19: perception of academic stress and emotional intelligence coping strategies among college students", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 229-238. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-05-2020-0097

Clark, Andrew E., Huifu Nong, Hongjia Zhu, and Rong Zhu. 2020. “Compensating for Academic Loss: Online Learning and Student Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Education 1(2).

Conrad, D. (2006). E-Learning and social change: An apparent contradiction. In In. M. Beaudoin (Ed.), Perspectives on higher education in the digital age (pp. 21−33). New York: Nova Science Publishers.

El Said, Ghada Refaat. 2021. “How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Higher Education Learning Experience? An Empirical Investigation of Learners’ Academic Performance at a University in a Developing Country.” Advances in Human-Computer Interaction 2021.

Elmer, T., Mepham, K., & Stadtfeld, C. (2020). Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PLOS ONE, 15(7), e0236337.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0236337

Gonzalez, T., M. A. De la Rubia, K. P. Hincz, M. Comas-Lopez, Laia Subirats, Santi Fort, and G. M. Sacha. 2020. “Influence of COVID-19 Confinement on Students’ Performance in Higher Education.” PLoS ONE 15(10 October).

Hasan, N., & Bao, Y. (2020). Impact of “e-Learning Crack-up” Perception on Psychological Distress among College Students During COVID-19 pandemic: A mediating Role of “Fear of Academic Year Loss.” Children and Youth Services Review, 105355. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105355

Hamdan, Khaldoun Mohammad, Ahmad M. Al-Bashaireh, Zainab Zahran, Amal Al-Daghestani, Samira AL-Habashneh, and Abeer M. Shaheen. 2021. “University Students’ Interaction, Internet Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulation and Satisfaction with Online Education during Pandemic Crises of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2).” International Journal of Educational Management 35(3).

Horita, R., Nishio, A., & Yamamoto, M. (2020). The effect of remote learning on the mental health of first year university students in Japan. Psychiatry Research, 113561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113561

Huang, C., Wang, Y., Li, X., Ren, L., Zhao, J., Hu, Y., … Cao, B. (2020). Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Lancet, 395(10223), 497–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5

Iglesias-Pradas, Santiago, Ángel Hernández-García, Julián Chaparro-Peláez, and José Luis Prieto. 2021. “Emergency Remote Teaching and Students’ Academic Performance in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study.” Computers in Human Behavior 119.

Irawan, Andi Wahyu, Dwisona Dwisona, and Mardi Lestari. 2020. “Psychological Impacts of Students on Online Learning During the Pandemic COVID-19.” KONSELI : Jurnal Bimbingan Dan Konseling (E-Journal) 7(1).

Kamaludin K, Chinna K, Sundarasen S, et al. Coping with COVID-19 and movement control order (MCO): experiences of university students in Malaysia. Heliyon 2020;e05339. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05339

Last JM, editor. A dictionary of epidemiology, 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001

Mahdy, Mohamed A. A. 2020. “The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Academic Performance of Veterinary Medical Students.” Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7

.

Moore, J. L., Dickson-Deane, C., & Galyen, K. (2011). e-Learning, online learning, and distance learning environments: Are they the same? The Internet and Higher Education, 14(2), 129–135. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.10.001

Oducado, Ryan Michael F., and Homelo Estoque. 2021. “Online Learning in Nursing Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stress, Satisfaction, and Academic Performance.” Journal Of Nursing Practice 4(2).

Patricia Aguilera-Hermida, A. 2020. “College Students’ Use and Acceptance of Emergency Online Learning Due to COVID-19.” International Journal of Educational Research Open 1.

Raj, Utsav and Fatima, Ambreen, Stress in Students after Lockdown Due to COVID-19 Thereat and the Effects of Attending Online Classes. (April 23, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3584220 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3584220

Rodríguez-Planas, N. (2021). COVID-19 and College Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis. Retrieved 10 April 2021 from http://ftp.iza.org/dp14113.pdf

Sahu P. Closure of Universities Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): impact on Education and Mental Health of Students and Academic Staff. Cureus. (2020) 12:4. 10.7759/cureus.7541

Singhal, T. (2020, April 1). A Review of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Indian Journal of Pediatrics. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-020-03263-6

Wang, Cixiao, A’Na Xie, Weimin Wang, and Hongbin Wu. 2020. “Association between Medical Students’ Prior Experiences and Perceptions of Formal Online Education Developed in Response to COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in China.” BMJ Open 10(10).

WHO. (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Ranganathan, H., Singh, D.K.A., Kumar, S. et al. Readiness towards online learning among physiotherapy undergraduates. BMC Med Educ 21, 376 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02803-8

Bolatov, A.K., Seisembekov, T.Z., Askarova, A.Z. et al. Online-Learning due to COVID-19 Improved Mental Health Among Medical Students. Med.Sci.Educ. 31, 183–192 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-020-01165-y

Etherington, J. (2020). Predictors of academic integrity in undergraduate and graduate-entry masters occupational therapy students. Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy, 33(2), 42–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1569186120968035

F. Bolinski, N. Boumparis, A. Kleiboer, P. Cuijpers, D.D. Ebert, H. Riper, The effect of e-mental health interventions on academic performance in university and college students: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Internet Interventions, Volume 20, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2020.100321


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Index