Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 led to the swift migration to alternate instructional delivery models and pedagogical practices in educational institutions. This study examined the perceived safety of the learning environment and associated anxiety factors among physical education students amidst COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional design, a sample of 638 students drawn purposively and conveniently from a public university in Ghana completed a self-developed questionnaire. Frequency counts, percentages, and ordered logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Findings of the study showed that students perceived the practical lesson environment as unsafe, with self-reported moderate to high levels of anxiety during their practical lessons. The ordered logistic regression results revealed that varied factors such as age, COVID-19 information platforms, certainty about personal safety, and adequacy of preparation to manage COVID-19 cases were associated with anxiety. The study concluded that an unsafe practical physical education learning environment increases the anxiety levels of students. Academic departments/units should provide periodic interventions (e.g., positive self-talk, mental rehearsal, cognitive restructuring) and counseling services for students amidst the ongoing pandemic to help moderate situational-specific anxiety. In addition, key to the management of students’ anxiety is the provision of a safe and supportive school environment, including the provision of adequate personal protective equipment for practical lessons by school authorities.
Highlights
The results further suggested that students who felt uncertain about their safety during practical lessons amidst COVID-19, compared to those who were certain, had higher odds of falling into the high anxiety level class, B = 0.329, p < 0.001, OR = 1.390, 95% CI (1.228, 1.573)
This finding implies that once learners perceive the learning environment as unsafe, it may lead to learner attrition, lack of confidence to participate due to fear of contracting the virus, and increased levels of anxiety, which may increase their susceptibility to sustaining latent injuries [51,52,53]. It was adduced from the present findings that the conduciveness of safe school climate during this COVID-19 era may positively impact the management of COVID-19 related anxieties [54,55]. This assertion has been affirmed in this study where PE students who were certain about their safety during practical lessons amidst COVID-19 were more likely to experience lower levels of anxiety, as compared to those who were uncertain about their safety [56]
This study has revealed that PE students perceived the practical lesson environment as unsafe and reported moderate to high levels of anxiety during practical lessons
Summary
Since the global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 was declared a pandemic [1], numerous measures Despite numerous studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on university students’ mental health, economics, social, education, and related stress, anxiety, and depression reactions in several countries [16,19,20,21,22,23,24], the perception of safety measures and the impact of anxiety on students may vary from one country to another, including subject-specific needs [8]. Psychological situations (e.g., perceived uncertainty) play a significant role in the implementation of effective public health interventions in pandemic control and prevention such as risk and safety assessment, whereas anxiety serves as a key factor in the success or failure of these proposed measures [31] Other variables such as age, sex, and religion play a critical role in understanding the prevalence of anxiety among any population. The present study examined: 1. the extent to which PE students perceived the safety of the learning environment during practical lessons amidst COVID-19; 2. anxiety levels of PE students during practical lessons amidst COVID-19; and 3. factors associated with anxiety levels of PE students during practical lessons amidst COVID-19
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