Abstract
Due to the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking online courses has become a “new normality” for college students. This study paid particular attention to the role of college students’ attitude toward online courses (ATOC) in shaping their psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Participants were from a national panel survey that has been administered before and during the COVID-19 epidemic. Besides bivariate analysis, a multivariate regression model while adjusting for a lagged dependent variable (i.e., pre-COVID distress) was estimated to show the association between ATOC and during-COVID distress. We found that respondents from a disadvantaged family background (i.e., below-college parental education, below-average family economic condition, and rural residence) were more likely to have an “unsupportive” ATOC. Moreover, both bivariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that respondents with a “neutral” or “unsupportive” ATOC had greater during-COVID psychological distress, compared to their counterparts with a “supportive” ATOC. Given the persistent spread of the COVID-19 worldwide and the profound onsite-online transition in course delivery in higher education, students’ perceptions and evaluations of the massive online courses should be carefully considered and integrated into curriculum reforms in both present and post COVID-19 situations.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020b), is still spreading around the world with strong momentum
In the data we would analyze in this study, over 96% of Chinese college students reported that their schools had launched online courses and over 60% of them were taking online courses 3 h or more each day while they were interviewed in mid-March 2020
During-COVID psychological distress attitude toward online courses (ATOC) Supportive Neutral Unsupportive Hours spent on online courses (/day) 0–3 h 3–6 h 6 h or more Age in years Gender Male Female Only child No Yes Parental education Below college College and above Family economic condition Below average About average Above average Current residence Urban Rural Schooling level Vocational students Academic undergraduates Academic postgraduates Grade 1st year 2nd year 3rd/4th year Pre-COVID psychological distress
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020b), is still spreading around the world with strong momentum. As reported in a cross-national study with a large sample of college students collected from 62 countries during May and June 2020, 86.7% of respondents claimed that their onsite classes had been canceled and substituted with online courses (Aristovnik et al, 2020). In the data we would analyze in this study, over 96% of Chinese college students reported that their schools had launched online courses and over 60% of them were taking online courses 3 h or more each day while they were interviewed in mid-March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, taking online courses has almost become a “new normality” (Tesar, 2020) for students in higher education. This study examined the role of students’ attitude toward online courses (ATOC) in affecting their psychological distress during the COVID19 period
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
