Background/purpose-COVID-19 emerged at a time when many different psychological factors can negatively affect the human psychology, and thereby making life even more difficult over and above the physical health impact. As known, with the development of modern-day technology, Internet usage has become a part of everyday life. However, this situation often brings about the problem of Internet addiction. A positive relationship is known to exist between Internet addiction and psychological problems. This study aims to examine the moderator effect of COVID-19 fear on the mediating role of boredom proneness in relationship between internet addiction and Materials/methods-In the current study, the effect of boredom proneness in this relationship was examined through the mediator effect of boredom proneness in the relationship between Internet addiction and the Depression, stress and anxiety scale DASS-21. Then, the moderator effect of the fear of COVID-19 was examined on the mediator role, which constitutes the main purpose of this research. For these purposes, 560 students studying at the undergraduate level at state universities in Turkey were reached as a sample. In the analysis of the collected data;parametric tests, correlation test, structural equation model, and moderator analysis were employed. Results-In the model in which the moderator effect of COVID-19 fear was examined;it appears that fear of COVID-19 increases the relationship between Internet addiction and boredom proneness. It also increases the relationship between boredom proneness and DASS-21. However, no significant moderator effect was found to exist in the relationship between Internet addiction and DASS-21. Conclusion-This study shows that the fear of COVID-19 has a significant effect on Internet addiction, boredom proneness, and psychological problems. This research was conducted based on the analysis of certain variables, presentation of the results and their subsequent discussion, and the putting forward of various suggestions. © 2021 Universitepark. All rights reserved.

Background/purpose-This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study inspected the impact of an online ESP course on postgraduate students content knowledge development about epidemiology in general and COVID-19 in particular. The course was titled English for Pandemics and was administered via a Learning Management System (Edmodo). Materials/methods-Needs Analysis was (informally) deployed to trace participants needs, preferences, and wants in order to shape the landscape of the treatment. The researcher employed a quasi-experimental design (a one-group, pretest-posttest design). Participants were pretested prior to the treatment. The treatment consisted of online exposure to eight units (English for Pandemics), capitalizing on Edmodo in content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment. Following the treatment, after 8 weeks, the participants were post-Tested. Results-Quantitative results revealed a statistically significant difference in the participants content knowledge regarding epidemiology and COVID-19. Qualitative findings divulged that participants highly appreciated Edmodo interactive features (simplicity, functionality, control, communal learning, and real-Time feedback), and voiced their readiness to opt for Edmodo in future learning experiences. Conclusion-Based on empirical evidence, the current study argues that the Edmodo learning management system has the potential to push content delivery, receipt, mastery, and assessment in ESP courses to the next level. © 2021 Universitepark. All rights reserved.

Background/purpose The current study aims to analyze the thematic structures and trends of scientific publications that examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and while presenting a roadmap for future research on this topic. Materials/methods-The data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) bibliographic database by identifying the publications that examine the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and then were analyzed using bibliometric methodology and content analysis. VOSviewer, GraphPad softwares, and visualization maps were used to analyze the data and to present the findings. Results-The results of the study show that publications examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and focused on online education and teacher education, while the countries that contributed the most to publications on this issue were USA, United Kingdom, Canada, and Spain. It was determined that most publications preferred the theoretical model and the majority of the research data were obtained through scale/interview forms. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic period, the editorial/refereeing processes of the articles submitted to academic journals were carried out very quickly and the articles were published unusually quickly. Conclusion-This study indicated that the majority of scientific studies on COVID-19 are focused on the field of health, and that there is limited edition research on COVID-19-related education. To the best of the authors knowledge, the current study is the first research article in the international literature to examine the thematic structures and trends of scientific publications on the relationship between solely and COVID-19 through bibliometric and content analysis;and contributes to the knowledge base on COVID-19-related by mapping the existing knowledge. © 2021 Universitepark. All rights reserved.

Using data from undergraduates in both Turkey and the United States, we examined cultural differences in the perceived parenting authority styles and the links between perceived parenting authority styles, academic achievement, and self-esteem. We also examined the separate contributions of fathers and mothers in each country. A total of 423 undergraduates (196 from Turkey and 227 from the US) completed the Buri Parent Authority Questionnaire to report on the parenting styles of their parents. They also reported on their own college GPA and completed the Rosenberg self-esteem measure. Some adjustment of the parenting scales was needed in order to achieve cross-cultural measurement invariance. Our study revealed that there were differences of parental style both between and within the two countries. Fathers were reported to be more authoritarian than mothers, and mothers to be more authoritative. Higher levels of authoritarian parenting by fathers was found in the American data. Some parental authority measures were associated with the students’ self-esteem, and all of these involved paternal authority. Paternal authoritarian parenting was negatively associated with the students’ self-esteem in the Turkish data, with paternal authoritative parenting positively associated with the self-esteem of the American students only. The study’s findings suggest that researchers should not ignore differences in parental authority style between mothers and fathers, nor differences between different countries. In particular, the role of fathers should not be overlooked.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a remarkable economic impact worldwide, including in Pakistan, and was soon declared an international public health issue. The education sector in Pakistan, specifically school (K-12) education, has seen a staggering impact due to obstacles in delivering alternative forms of education during the pandemic. Educational institutions in Pakistan closed on March 13, 2020, and then, on April 13, 2020, the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, announced the launch of a “tele-schooling” initiative. Teaching staff, who are arguably the most vital resource in any schooling system, faced considerable physical, mental, and financial challenges due to an overnight shift to an online mode of teaching, with issues concerning inadequate digital pedagogical knowledge and infrastructure limitations relating mostly to power connectivity. The current study investigated the perception of Pakistani school teachers regarding their online teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the study, a qualitative research strategy was adopted, with semi-structured interviews conducted via Skype with 10 school teachers from Pakistan’s renowned Army Public School and College System (APSACS) schools located in the Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions of the country. Saldana’s (2016) structured inductive data analysis method was used in analyzing the collected data. The study’s results highlighted the issues and challenges confronted by school teachers in delivering online lessons via Google Classroom, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams such as high-cost Internet packages, uncooperative learners, low attendance of learners, teachers’ technology confidence, limited availability of educational resources, lack of ICT knowledge, and poor network infrastructure. However, the creativity, dedication, and community spirit which the school teachers demonstrated in working with very limited facilities were exemplary. Hence, based on the study’s findings, changes were proposed as a way forward. It is hoped that the study’s findings will help policymakers and the Ministry of Education in Pakistan to focus more on human capital development, interpersonal development, communication and technology management training, and support programs, especially for school teachers as the foundation of the next and future generations.

The basis of the ethical dilemma discussed in this article is the controversy surrounding the personal relationship between a student and their lecturer. The social constructs of university highlight that the potential for any friendship or relationship within the institution is very uncommon and both parties usually assume that integration of their social groups cannot take place. Many people argue that the relationship of this nature can adversely affect grade attainment and fairness of judgement. We assess and reflect upon the merits of this conventional view by drawing upon a real-life case-study involving the first author (a lecturer) and the remaining six authors (his students). After considering the various arguments on both sides, and drawing upon authors such as Freud, Marx, and Sartre, we conclude that, if individuals remain honest, the relationship can only mean a greater understanding for the student and a lesser alienation complex for both parties.

In recent years, technological devices and the Internet have become an integral part of our lives, changing many of our habits and daily routines. This change became more rapid and intense during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when countries compulsorily locked down their populations in an attempt to impede or halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. In order to continue their education, students stayed at home and were required instead to study online using a computer or a mobile device such as a smartphone. According to UNESCO (n.d.), “more than 1.5 billion students are or have been affected by school and university closures during this period.” As a result, distance education has become the “new normal” of the educational system. Prior to the pandemic, many studies had been conducted regarding the opinions and attitudes of university students toward distance education; however, publications on this subject since the beginning of the pandemic are still very new. Indeed, the current study aimed to reveal the views and evaluations of university students towards distance education since the beginning of the pandemic. This qualitative study was carried out at the Turcology Department of Tuzla University in the Bosnia Herzegovina Federation. A questionnaire comprised of 12 open-ended questions was used to collect the data, which was then analyzed using the conventional content analysis approach. From the results of the study, it can be concluded that almost 90% of the participants were against distance education, but firm supporters of face-to-face education.