Abstract
The purpose of this scoping review is to isolate and investigate the existing data and research that identifies if the synchronous face-to-face visual presence of a teacher in a virtual learning environment (VLE) is a significant factor in a student’s ability to maintain good mental health. While the present research on this explicit interaction among VLE implementation and student mental health is limited, the material suggests a framework for strong utilization of VLEs. Overall, our research has shown that authentic, high quality VLEs are ones that have as their primary focus the communication between students and their teachers and between students and their peers. This communication is best generated through synchronous connections where there exists the ability to convey the student’s immediate needs in real-time. Our research results and discussion will outline how a team approach that brings together teachers, students, administration, counsellors, mental health support staff, instructional designers, and ICT specialists is necessary to create a genuinely enriching VLE where both learning and social-emotional needs can be met. The authors present a case for further study in order to reveal the nature of the interaction among VLEs and student mental health.
Highlights
Educators are turning to digital online tools and resources to supplement and enhance their teaching in the classroom
It can be seen that the largest gap in the research is ignoring the LMS as a true, unto itself environment. We find this to be crucial to our research focus of determining how the perceived humanity of the virtual learning environment (VLE) affects the mental health of the student; after all, it is the space in which the student will be spending most of their learning hours
It is our hope that this scoping review might provide modest insight into the current state of research that concerns student mental health in VLE contexts, while casting light on the need for new research initiatives to be undertaken in the K-12 sphere
Summary
Educators are turning to digital online tools and resources to supplement and enhance their teaching in the classroom. It helps teachers provide immediate feedback to students and enables students to interact with one another” (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2020, PPM 164) Despite this fulsome definition of synchronous learning, little research-driven policy or infrastructure exists whereby educators can be trained and supported in creating an ideal VLE for their students’ educational and social-emotional needs (Jones, 2015; Kent et al, 2018). We spent the day photocopying, distributing, and explaining work packages for our students while ourselves wondering how we would negotiate the transition to distance learning and the new expectation to work – teach – from home After these two weeks, a continuation of the lockdown was announced and Ontario educators were tasked with connecting with students and families procedure to gauge student’s communications technology readiness, to monitor their social-emotional needs arising from the lockdown and to explain that basic emergency learning was in place. Guidance from Ontario teacher unions was to avoid videoconferencing and webcasting (OECTA, 2020) to maintain the privacy of both teacher and student
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