Infectious Disease

College students report problems with distance learning

October 10, 2021

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College-aged students reported problems with distance learning, including difficulty concentrating, limited access to technology, food insecurity and mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers said.

Christian Athnasian, AWAY, a research intern at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, worked with other interns on a project led by a research mentor Ruth Milanaik, TO DO, also from Cohen Children’s who presented the research at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.

Empty classroom

College students reported problems with concentration, food insecurity, and mental health, among other things, during distance learning. Source: Adobe Stock

In an interview with Healio, Athnasian, who was a college student at the start of the pandemic, said the inspiration for the project came from his and the other interns’ experiences in distance learning.

“We thought it was a really unique opportunity to explore something that is so different in education, something that we had never seen before,” said Athnasian. “We just thought the ability to get feedback from students nationwide – after a few months of experience – would actually be a good way to get a point of view.”

In June 2020, the researchers sent an anonymous survey to 166 accredited universities in 44 states asking students about their distance learning experiences, whether they faced post-transition obstacles affecting their academic performance, and what those obstacles were .

According to the abstract, 682 students took the survey, of which 307 completed it and met the inclusion criteria.

Most students reported difficulty concentrating (n = 243, 79.2%) and responsibilities at home (57.6%) as obstacles, and almost half (n = 142, 46.3%) reported having mental health problems .

“It is noteworthy that 8.5% (n = 26) of students have limited access to a computer or device for distance learning and 6.8% (n = 21) of students reported having difficulty accessing food “, It says in the summary. “Only 14 students (4.6%) stated that they had no obstacles to academic achievement in distance learning. Hispanic students had more responsibilities at home, including taking care of siblings and household chores, than non-Hispanic students after returning home for distance learning. “

The group said that socio-demographic differences in barriers to distance learning should be further explored. Athnasian suggested studying the social impact on students in elementary, middle, and high schools.

“Simply understanding how we can design distance learning settings, especially so that students can stay in touch with their classmates, is the most important factor in my opinion,” said Athnasian.

Reference:

The study is trying to find ways to predict the risk of COVID-19 seriousness in children. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/930203. Published October 8, 2021. Accessed October 9, 2021.

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American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition

American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition

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