Understanding learners' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of information and communication technology (ICT) use, including those in the broad category of social media, is both important and critical to the success or failure of integration of ICT in higher education settings. Using theories of educational psychology and technology integration, a 50-item survey was constructed and data were collected from 14,283 students from 12 Québec universities in Canada, using a probabilistic sampling strategy. Exploratory factor analyses followed by multiple regressions show that engaging lectures, effective use of ICT tools for individual study and group-work, as well as active and selfregulated study strategies have a positive and significant impact on students' perceptions of course effectiveness. Results are discussed in light of research on social media tools, instructional effectiveness and gender difference in technology use.
Background
Although social and structural inequalities associated with COVID-19 have been documented since the start of the pandemic, few studies have explored the association between pandemic-specific risk factors and the mental health of minority populations.
Aims
We investigated the association of exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma with mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a culturally diverse sample of adults in Quebec (Canada).
Method
A total of 3273 residents of the province of Quebec (49% aged 18–39 years, 57% women, 51% belonging to a minority ethno-cultural group) completed an online survey. We used linear and ordinal logistic regression to identify the relationship between COVID-19 experiences and mental health, and the moderating role of ethno-cultural identity.
Results
Mental health varied significantly based on socioeconomic status and ethno-cultural group, with those with lower incomes and Arab participants reporting higher psychological distress. Exposure to the virus, COVID-19-related discrimination, and stigma were associated with poorer mental health. Associations with mental health varied across ethno-cultural groups, with exposed and discriminated Black participants reporting higher mental distress.
Conclusions
Findings indicate sociocultural inequalities in mental health related to COVID-19 in the Canadian context. COVID-19-related risk factors, including exposure, discrimination and stigma, jeopardise mental health. This burden is most noteworthy for the Black community. There is an urgent need for public health authorities and health professionals to advocate against the discrimination of racialised minorities, and ensure that mental health services are accessible and culturally sensitive during and in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The research presented here is a continuation of a line of inquiry that explores the impacts of an electronic portfolio software called ePEARL. which is a knowledge tool designed to support the key phases of self-regulated learning (SRL)-forethought, performance, and self-reñecdon-and promote student learning. Participants in this study were 21 teachers from elementary schools (Grades 4-6) and their students (N = 319) from 9 urban and rural English school boards in Quehec and Alberta, Canada, who participated during the 2008-2009 school year. Students with low enthusiasm for the use of ePEARL were excluded from the main sample as they exhibited different pattems in leaming gains and selfregulatory skills as compared with those with high and medium enthusiasm. Multivariate analyses of covariance showed that students motivated to use the software made significantly greater gains compared with controls in 3 of 4 writing and reading skills (p < .01) as assessed by the constructed response subtest of the Canadian Achievement Test (fourth edition). Multivariate analyses of covariance of student survey data revealed that, over time, students who used the software reported higher levels of SRL processes than those in the control group (p < .01). Implicadons of the fmdings for school leaders and teacher educators regarding the use of electronic portfolios are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.