Exploring Emotion Regulation and Perceived Control as Antecedents of Anxiety and Its Consequences During Covid-19 Full Remote Learning

Abstract

Maintaining the emotional well-being of learners during a pandemic is important. This study explored the effects of two emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) and perceived control on full remote learners' anxiety during Covid-19, and their relationship to perceived learning. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze 239 questionnaires completed by Chinese graduate students taking a course remotely from home for 13 weeks. This study showed that reappraisal was positively related to perceived control, whereas suppression was negatively related to perceived control. Reappraisers perceived more learning, whereas suppressors experienced more anxiety. Anxiety was significantly and negatively related to perceived learning. Mediation analyses showed the existence of different patterns of mediation in the pathways from the two types of emotion regulation to perceived learning. These findings are discussed in relation to relevant studies conducted during non-pandemic periods and Covid-19, and based on the results we highlight the need for interventions aimed at developing adaptive emotion regulation strategies and reducing anxiety in emergency remote learning.

Emotion Regulation and Psychological Capital of Chinese University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Serial Mediation Effect of Learning Satisfaction and Learning Engagement

“…The results show a positive correlation between emotion regulation and learning engagement, similar to previous studies [ 93 ]. Additionally, the emotion regulation ability of university students enables them to overcome negative emotions and maintain their learning state [ 94 , 95 ]. Emotion regulation ability may also assist university students in maintaining a positive attitude toward learning and enhance their enthusiasm for learning.…”

Personality and change in perceived control during the acute stage of the coronavirus pandemic

“…This study supports related research that links pre-pandemic assessments of experiences (e.g., weight discrimination; Sutin et al, 2020 ) and personality ( Aschwanden et al, 2021 ; Stephan et al, 2021 ) with psychological and behavioral responses to COVID-19. Implementing control-giving techniques (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) during uncontrollable events—like pandemics—could foster PC and help adults better manage feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and social isolation ( Rippé et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ). Personality screening could also help identify vulnerable groups in need of mental health support (S. Taylor, 2019 ) to increase psychological well-being and improve short- and long-term adjustment ( Hong et al, 2021 ; Rippé et al, 2021 ; Yeo & Yap, 2020 ).…”

Online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: How university students’ perceptions, engagement, and performance are related to their personal characteristics

“…Anxiety is a negative emotion that can hamper cognitive performance in terms of lower engagement in tasks and information processing, as suggested by attentional control theory (Eysenck et al, 2007 ). In line with this assumption, more anxious students were found to have more negative perceptions of online learning and more negative educational experiences at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic (Jojoa et al, 2021 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ). Anxiety was higher in students during online learning at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to face-to-face learning (Besser et al, 2022 ), but anxiety was also found to decrease with experience in online courses (Abdous, 2019 ).…”