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Jenny Peiyen Yang

SOC 180A

UCI Irvine

29th May, 2024

Patterns in the findings

Impact on Motivation and Engagement

Students reported low learning motivation and poor interaction involvement that was as a

result of online classes. Student 1 highlighted the initial challenges, stating, "Initially the shift to

online learning was challenging for me. My motivation dropped significantly because I found it

hard to stay engaged without the structure of in-person classes. " Similarly, Student 2

experienced both increases and decreases in motivation: ”For some subjects I found myself more

motivated because I was able to create my own timetable while for the other subjects I felt quite

the opposite, meaning I was less motivated. ” These responses highlight a common pattern of

fluctuating motivation among students with two of the major reasons contributing to

demotivation and low engagement being ; disruption of set norms and no face-to-face contact.

Regarding physical classroom, Student 1 revealed that the traditional learning environment was

helpful to structured learning which was missing because of the application of online learning

system. Further, the face-to-face interaction with peers and professors , which is a crucial

component of the process of learning, was minimized, leading to feelings of isolation and low

work motivation. Nonetheless, online learning flexibility was useful in time management as

highlighted by student 2's experience who described the dual impact whereby while the lack of

structure may create laziness and lessen one’s motivation, it also encouraged good time

management and engagement of certain subjects.

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Adaptation strategies

Students used different technologies and approaches to cope with the impacts of online

learning due to Covid-19 pandemic. Student 1 explained using applications such as Notion for

taking notes and communication with peers and teachers, Zoom for keeping in touch with peers

and teachers. This strategy was useful for Student 1 to deal with the first challenges that come

with distance education since it offers a guide in the organization of course content and access to

virtual classes. Additionally, Student 4 used specific apps such as Trello, a project management

tool to track their assignments and deadlines to make sure that academic tasks are well-

executed regardless of the absence of face-to-face classes. Student 2 also pointed to time

management applications in the adaptation strategy, which helped build a strict regime of

studying and breaks to avoid time wastage. The flow of education is something that is easier to

maintain when one is following a structure and this is where the use of these tools came in handy

when dealing with the flexibility of the online learning environment that could have easily led to

negligence, poor time management among other vices. Thus, Student 2 was able to create a

preferable schedule helping to minimize motivational issues in the online learning environment

and maintain the proper study schedule with certain intervals between the learning sessions.

Changes in Stress and Anxiety Levels

Students reported that with the onset of the pandemic, stress and anxiety had clearly

escalated, as was the case with a majority of the population. As Student 1 put it, "My stress

levels increased significantly. I started to worry more about the future and even my academic

performance." The sudden shift to online learning, with no experience previously, raised a lot of

uncertainty, which contributed to the stress. Student 3 mentioned, "I started feeling even more

stressed and anxious because of the lack of social interaction and fear of the unknown." Sudden
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isolation in a learning environment removed the much-needed support system that is usually

present in a student's life. Loneliness increased because students were not able to communicate

with their peers and instructors face-to-face, adding to stress and anxiety. Counting the need for

communication with others in a learning environment, Student 3 noted that worries about health,

both personal and familial, added another dimension of anxiety. Not only were the students

worrying about their own health but also about that of their family and friends. There was a

general feeling of uncertainty and being in the dark because it disrupts concentration and

performance: the students' heads were always preoccupied with the same. Added to that, the

disruption to routines and demands related to coping with new learning formats meant that

students' baseline levels of stress were increased.

Institutional Support

Educational institutions tried to do their best to offer these resources for students during

the pandemic, and they have been extremely variable in effectiveness. The differences are

brought out in the student experiences. For instance, virtual counseling sessions were very

effective for Student 1. They said, "My university provided a lot of online counseling services

and workshops on how to manage stress," and stressed out these were vital for them during that

period. So virtual counseling sessions created a confidential environment for them to share their

concerns with the counselors, which in turn helped them in coping with the increased stress and

anxiety levels. The easy access, as well as individual nature of such sessions, made this a highly

effective tool for some, with the personal touch similar to that which students would have

received in person. For Student 3, mental health webinars presented by their institution seemed

to be impersonal and were thus not effective. They felt that, "the support groups were a good

initiative but the webinars were too generic." Even though the webinars offered a lot of valuable
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information related to how to cope with stress and anxiety, they were not interactive and largely

failed to get tailored and personalized according to the needs of the students. The webinars were

not as effective because the interactivity level was low and content was not tailored; hence,

students who needed more direct and tailor-made guidance found them inadequate.

Theoretical Perspectives in Educational Psychology and Stress Management

This qualitative research concurs with the findings of the theoretical backgrounds of

educational psychology and stress management, which allow insight into what was happening to

the students throughout the pandemic.

Self-Determination Theory

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) elaborates that the concepts of autonomy, competence,

and relatedness are the basic components for the enhancement of intrinsic motivation. Online

classes have disrupted these basic needs, and consequently, the behavior of students towards

learning has oscillated. On one hand, autonomy was observed in a schedule that was much more

independent because students could handle their time quite more independently. For example,

some of the students reported better time management in some study subjects, and that is what

made their motivation go up. As student 2 said, "Having control over my schedule sometimes

enhances my engagement." This autonomy, though, was at the expense of relatedness. Gradual

reduction in face-to-face interaction significantly lowered students' feeling of connectedness with

their peers and teachers, which, in turn, reduced general motivation. As student 1 said, "My

motivation dropped significantly because I found it hard to stay engaged without the structure of

in-person classes." The results suggest that although some contexts increase motivation through

autonomy, its lack of relatedness can, in a turn, easily lower general motivation, setting a trade-

off between these needs.

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Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

The higher stress and lower perceived resilience in students can be attributed to the

perception of an increasing uncalled-for threat. Evidence supporting the relationship between

vulnerability and dangerousness is provided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping.

According to this model, the individual's physical or psychological harmful stimuli are

determined by the cognitive appraisal of the stressors and the applied coping strategies. It was

the uncertainty of the pandemic and that which it meant for the lives of the students that created

stress. This brought in stressors principally concerned with the uncertainty of the pandemic

period and the study outcomes. Student 1 commented, "My stress levels increased significantly. I

found myself worrying more about the future and my academic performance." Similarly, Student

3 related, "I felt more stressed and anxious mainly because of the lack of social interaction and

the fear of the unknown." Such statements reveal the impact of cognitive appraisal on stress; in

other words, increased feelings of anxiety were under way since health, academic outcomes, and

social isolation were a source of anxiety. This theoretical framework then explains the observed

increased stress levels amongst students and hence the assistance of these cognitive appraisals to

mitigate stress

Answering the Research Question

The research question explores how the pandemic affected students' motivation,

engagement, stress levels, and relationships, and how they adapted to these changes. The

interpreted data provides a comprehensive answer.

Motivation and Engagement

The pandemic significantly disrupted students' motivation and engagement due to the loss

of structured in-person learning environments and social interactions. Students found it

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challenging to stay motivated without the routine and immediate feedback provided by

traditional classroom settings. Student 1 noted that ,”My motivation dropped significantly

because I found it hard to stay engaged without the structure of in-person classes.”

Nevertheless, the adoption of strategies like digital tools helped in decrasing these impacts.

Sudent 1 and Student 2 adoption of digital note taking apps, productivity tools and time

management applications to organize tasks and maintain learning routines helped develop new

structures and routines to effectively manage their time and maintain engagement levels.

Stress and Anxiety

Students experienced higher levels of stress and anxiety during the pandemic due to

uncertainty about classes, academic performance or worsened health. Stress was a result of the

shift towards online classes, and because the situation remains unpredictable, it affected students

greatly. Student 1 said, “I got more stressed than usual, I was more concerned about the future

and my academic results. ” Likewise, Student 3 said, “I was more stressed and anxious most of

the time, particularly due to limited social contacts and uncertainty. ” The availability and

efficiency of health resources provided by educational institutions were diverse because while

few boys and girls like Student 1 reported that they benefited from the virtual counseling

sessions at least to some extent, others including Student 3 mentioned that they did not get the

personal contact that was so much needed in generalized and which they received more in the

physical webinars. This highlights the need to increase mental health services provision and

ensure that they are tailored to meet the students’ needs.