Online teaching during COVID-19 crisis: the role of technostress and emotional dissonance on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity

Abstract

PurposeAmid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, higher education institutions (HEI) all over the world have transitioned to online teaching. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of technostress and negative emotional dissonance on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity.Design/methodology/approachSurvey methodology was used to collect data from faculty members in Jordanian universities. A total of 217 responses were analyzed to test the research model.FindingsThe research findings reveal that technostress creators have various impact on online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity. Negative emotional dissonance has positive impact on both online teaching exhaustion and teaching staff productivity. Further, online teaching exhaustion is negatively associated with teaching staff productivity.Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends prior literature on technostress by examining the phenomenon in abnormal conditions (during a crisis). It further integrates technostress theory with emotional dissonance theory to better understand the impact of technostress creators on individual teaching staff productivity while catering for the interactional nature of teaching which is captured through emotional dissonance theory.Practical implicationsThe research offers valuable insights for HEI and policymakers on how to support teaching staff and identifies strategies that should facilitate a smooth delivery of online education.Originality/valueUnlike prior research that have examined technostress under normal operational conditions, this research examines the impact of technostress during a crisis. This study shows that technostress creators vary in their impact. Moreover, this study integrates technostress theory with emotional dissonance theory. While technostress theory captures the impact of technostress creators on individual teaching staff productivity, emotional dissonance theory captures the dynamic nature of the teaching process that involves interactions among teachers and students.

How remote leaning during crisis affect technostress levels experienced by academicians

“…The results also show that there is a high level of uncertainty and uselessness among Palestinian academicians due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was in line with the findings of Dahabiyeh et al ( 2022 ) in terms of uncertainty in the mandatory use of new technology during a crisis. Based on the findings of Dahabiyeh et al ( 2022 ), uncertainty, as one of the technostress drivers, has a negative impact on online teaching, exhaustion, and teachers’ productivity.…”

Technostress Creators in Higher Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Comparison of Faculty Perceptions and Experiences

“…The scholarship to investigate the causes and antecedents of this techno-user contagion from a range of contexts is emerging but has exacerbated with the intensified role of technology since the start of the pandemic (Boyer-Davis, 2020, 2019a, 2019bDahabiyeh et al, 2022;Lee, 2021;Li & Wang, 2021;Upadhyaya & Vrinda, 2021;Wang & Li, 2019). However, technostress scholarship generally follows two research paths, the person-environment (P-E) fit theory and the transaction theory (Ayyagari et al, 2011;Edwards et al, 1998;Fuglseth & Sorebo, 2014).…”

“…The P-E theory focuses on the alignment between a person and the environment in which they engage. With this theory, stress does not stem from the person or the environment in isolation; rather stress materializes when a misalignment occurs between the person and their complex multidimensional environment (Bradshaw & Zelano, 2013;Chuang et al, 2016;Dahabiyeh et al, 2022;Day et al, 2010;Ennis, 2005;Jena, 2015;Maier et al, 2019;Marchiori et al, 2019;Pirkkalainen et al, 2019;Ragu-Nathan et al, 2008;Tarafdar et al, 2007Tarafdar et al, , 2015Tarafdar et al, , 2019Tarafdar et al, , 2020Wang et al, 2020;Tams et al 2014;Yu et al, 2017). Contrastingly, the transaction theory examines technostress from situation-based perspectives and consequences such as the use of social media or networking sites (Li & Wang, 2021;Rasmussen et al, 2020;Salo et al, 2019;Tarafdar et al, 2020;Yao & Cao, 2017).…”

“…Technostress perceptions of faculty teaching in higher education pre-pandemic and during have been identified (Boyer-Davis, 2020). Technostress can increase teaching exhaustion and negatively impact teaching productivity (Dahabiyeh et al, 2022). Faculty are exposed to the infection that is techno-distress on a regular basis.…”

Impact of Techno-Creators and Techno-Inhibitors on Techno-Stress Manifestations in Chilean Kindergarten Directors in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Teleworking

“…Due to the emergency installation of this telework modality using information and communication technologies during the pandemic of COVID-19, several studies have been conducted on technostress at different educational levels, for example, at the level of primary and secondary education, higher stress levels have been reported in teachers due to online education (Truzoli et al, 2021 ), with greater anxiety and fatigue manifestations for female teachers (Estrada-Muñoz et al, 2021 ), and decreased job performance (Cahapay and Bangoc, 2021 ). On the other hand, at the higher education level, in the study by Dahabiyeh et al ( 2022 ), it is mentioned that the technostress creators were associated with burnout and decreased teacher productivity, and in the research by Penado-Abilleira et al ( 2021 ), it was found that the teachers who suffered the most from the negative technological consequences were those who were older, with more years of experience and, consequently, who held a higher position.…”