Psychology Students’ Motivation and Learning in Response to the Shift to Remote Instruction During COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to dramatic shifts in the teaching and learning of psychology. The purpose of this study was to document the impact of those shifts on undergraduate psychology students’ motivation and self-regulation of learning during the initial shift to remote instruction. Psychology majors (N = 358) attending a public land-grant university in the southeastern U.S. voluntarily completed a survey at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. Closed- and open-ended items assessed students’ self-reported behavioral and psychological wellness, motivation, and learning experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak. A convergent mixed methods analysis was used in which open-ended questions provided context and experiential nuance to quantitative findings. Students reported increases in sleep, social media use, gaming, and procrastination, but decreases in academic motivation and self-regulation (e.g., focusing, juggling responsibilities). Over 75% reported increases in stress, which they attributed most frequently to motivational and academic challenges. Students reported learning less in most of their classes following the shift. They attributed this to numerous internal (e.g., self-regulatory/motivational difficulties) and external (e.g., online delivery modality, changes to workload, poor communication, insufficient instructional accommodations) factors. Although most perceived their instructors as understanding, nearly half reported a decline in instructional quality and communication after the shift to remote instruction. Over one third of students reported feeling less certain about their future educational plans. Implications for the provision of institutional and instructional supports for college students during and beyond the pandemic are provided.

The effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on French‐Canadian adolescents' academic motivation: A follow‐up study

“…Indeed, in the longer run (by the end of the school year), not only adolescents' interest in learning decreased, but so did their utility value and mastery goals. These results are consistent with previous studies 10,11 which investigated fluctuations in motivation toward schoolwork during the COVID‐19 pandemic and particularly while adolescents experienced an alternation between remote teaching and in‐class activities. Usher et al 11 suggested that youth may have revised their priorities and, instead of focusing on learning opportunities, they sought to preserve their health and safety as well as the one of relatives they care for.…”

“…In sum, the results of this follow‐up study seem to be less situational and may reflect potential chronic effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on adolescents' academic motivation. The findings are in line with several recent studies indicating that youth experienced a decrease in motivation toward schoolwork 10,11 as well as high levels of distress during the COVID‐19 pandemic 12‐18 . Consequently, it is likely that they had difficulties engaging in activities that, in normal circumstances, were salient to them.…”

Relationships Between Remote Learning Modalities and Nursing Students' Perceptions of Their Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The current literature indicates that the relationship between RL and sleep quality among college students is inconsistent. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and psychology students reported getting more sleep,10,11 while medical students reported less sleep during the transition to RL 12. Transitioning to RL has affected students' academic performance 13.…”

The study strategies of small liberal arts college students before and after COVID-19

“…And of course, these academic changes were in addition to numerous other stressors related to the pandemic. For example, 71% of students reported an increase in stress during the pandemic [ 44 – 46 ]. Did the pandemic change study behaviors?…”

“…The first is that given the tumultuous nature of moving online students might revert to using less effective, easier strategies, such as rereading, studying at the last minute, or not studying at all. Indeed, surveys indicate that students experienced a loss of motivation during the pandemic [ 44 – 47 ]. Additionally, they spent less time studying and more time procrastinating or embracing distractions [ 48 ], likely exacerbating student tendencies to multitask during online lectures [ 49 ].…”