The Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Remote Learning in Higher Education

Author(s)

Godoy, Livea Dornela ^[1] ; Falcoski, Raquel ^{[1, 2]} ; Incrocci, Roberta Monteiro ^[1] ; Versuti, Fabiana Maris ^[2] ; Padovan-Neto, Fernando E. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Philosophy Sci & Letters Ribeirao Preto, Dept Psychol, Lab Neuropsychopharmacol Movement Disorders, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Philosophy Sci & Letters Ribeirao Preto, Dept Psychol, Lab Pesquisa & Integracao Psicol Educ & Technol, BR-14040901 Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: EDUCATION SCIENCES; v. 11, n. 9 SEP 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Stressful events can cause a significant impact on education; however, it is not yet clear how the interplay between anxiety, work, and social dysfunction relates to learning impairments. In this study, we investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' learning and mental health. This study was conducted during four modules of a remote Psychopharmacology course between 5 October and 20 December 2020. We collected data from 28 Psychology undergraduate students at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We used pre- and post-test multiple-choice questions to obtain a quantitative measure of learning. Students completed an online survey to report demographic information, functional impairment (Work and Social Adjustment scale; WSAS), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale; GAD-7), coronavirus anxiety (Brazilian adapted version of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale; CAS-BR), and self-perception with the remote lectures' methodology. In our sample, 42.9% of respondents experienced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders (GAD-7 >= 15), and 53.6% had moderate to severe functional impairment (WSAS > 20). We also observed an overlapping profile of highly anxious and dysfunctional students. A chi-square test of independence revealed a relation between pairs of multiple-choice questions answers and GAD-7 scores, indicating that less anxious students were more likely to perform better in pairs of pre- and post-tests. Intriguingly, the correlational analysis suggested that students with moderate to severe functional impairment (WSAS scores > 20) were less likely to change from an incorrect to a correct answer to pairs of pre- and post-tests. This data suggests that psychological distress and anxiety states might influence students' ability to coordinate social and work activities and performance during remote learning. Although this study evaluated a small sample of students, our data highlights the importance of investigating anxiety and functional impairment measures as part of the remote-learning curriculum. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/00003-0 - Role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and phosphodiesterase 10A in striatal medium spiny neuron activity during L-Dopa-induced dyskinesia
• Grantee: Fernando Eduardo Padovan Neto
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants