The Achilles Heel of Technology: How Does Technostress Affect University Students' Wellbeing and Technology-Enhanced Learning.

Xinghua Wang,Zhangdong Ouyang,Zhenyu Li,Yanping Xu

doi:10.3390/ijerph182312322

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of technostress on university students’ wellbeing and technology-enhanced learning (TEL) through the stressor-strain-outcome model. Interviews were first used to contextualize and inform the development of the survey instrument. Then, survey data from 796 participants were collected and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that technostress creators, including techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, and techno-uncertainty, were significantly associated with students’ burnout in TEL, which in turn was negatively associated with their self-regulation, learning agency, and persistence in TEL. Group comparison analyses based on gender, academic disciplines, and willingness to join TEL show that the negative associations between burnout and self-regulation, learning agency, and persistence in TEL were significantly stronger for male students than female students. Similar findings were also found for students joining TEL willingly and unwillingly, with the latter being more strongly affected by burnout. In addition, the positive association between techno-complexity and burnout was greater for students from social sciences than those from engineering and natural sciences. The findings of this study can inform future implementation decisions of TEL in higher education and strategies to preserve university students’ wellbeing.

Highlights

Universities around the world have been ardently innovating learning and teaching through digital technology, such as intelligent tutoring systems, virtual learning environments, mobile computing devices, and artificial intelligence-powered applications [1,2,3].The various forms of learning that are facilitated by digital technology are broadly called technology-enhanced learning (TEL) [4]
According to Cangur and Ercan [45] and Hooper et al [46], the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was assessed based on the following criteria: (a) 2.0 ≤ the normed chi-square (χ2 /df) ≤ 5.0; (b) the comparative fit index (CFI) ≥ 0.90; (c) normed fit index (NFI) ≥ 0.90; (d) standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) < 0.05, and (e) root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) ≤ 0.08
By examining how technostress creators in TEL impact university students’ learning through the SSO framework, the present study provides evidence-based arguments for more future scholastic and practical efforts to tackle this issue and informs future implementation decisions related to TEL

Summary

Introduction

Universities around the world have been ardently innovating learning and teaching through digital technology, such as intelligent tutoring systems, virtual learning environments, mobile computing devices, and artificial intelligence-powered applications [1,2,3].The various forms of learning that are facilitated by digital technology are broadly called technology-enhanced learning (TEL) [4]. TEL often involves changes in established learning and teaching practice and requires stronger self-regulation and time management abilities, incurring changed expectations of university students [2]. Those who are not used to TEL may experience technostress, which, in the context of this study, is defined as a maladaptation problem caused by individuals’ incapability to cope with the demands of technology and changing requirements associated with the use of technology in their work in a healthy manner [1,7,8].

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion