The mental impact of digital divide due to COVID-19 pandemic induced emergency online learning at undergraduate level: Evidence from undergraduate students from Dhaka City

Abstract

Background COVID-19 outbreak has drawn out institutions to closure with several challenges for university students of undergraduate level in Dhaka city including an emergency shift from traditional learning to online learning, which associated digital divide, left several arguments in response to technological inefficiency, pedagogic inefficiency of teachers, inappropriate study environment and so on. Previous literature shows that the COVID-19 is imposing a threat to mental health all over the nation since its spread. This study intended to evaluate the emerging reasons for psychological distress among university students of undergraduate level in Dhaka, also assess the execution methods, barriers of online learning, and lastly, the attitudes of students regarding online learning throughout the pandemic. Methods A mixed methodology was used to conduct the research. Primary data has been collected using simple purposive sampling on 180 undergraduate students, 9 interviews were taken including 6 in-depth interviews of different university undergraduates from Dhaka city and also 3 (KIIs) from specialists of pedagogy and medical anthropology, and a high official from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Results Based on the Kessler K-10 distress scale, the study found that the prevalence of no psychological distress (16.67%) followed by mild (40%), moderate (30.56%), and severe psychological distress (12.78%). Conclusion The results concluded considering several reasons for mild to severe psychological distress. The findings suggest some recommendations to accumulate the process of online learning effectively and also strategies to regulate the preferred mode of learning in future.

Pedati Model Online Learning in University

“…The world must adapt to its various activities (Dhawan, 2020;Maulana, 2021). The world of education has also not been spared the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (Ali, 2020;Saha et al, 2021). Early childhood education, primary and secondary education, and higher education are expected to adapt to continue to provide good services in the field of education (Browning et al, 2021;Satyawan et al, 2021).…”

“…Distance Learning is defined as a learning process that does not take into account space and time, has an independent nature for developing students using methods and media in learning activities (Kor et al, 2014;Satyawan et al, 2021). Online learning is one of the best solutions to overcome learning problems in the covid-19 pandemic (Heng & Sol, 2020;Saha et al, 2021;Satyawan et al, 2021). Previous research findings state that online learning will help students learn remotely (Asmuni, 2020;Lorenza & Carter, 2021).…”

Cross-sectional Survey on Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

“…However, according to the household income and expenditure survey 2020, approximately 12.70 percent of poor families do not own a mobile phone, despite the fact that students require at least a Smartphone and a stable internet connection to participate in online education [13]. Bangladesh has already been linked to various issues and challenges in the field of digitalization, including online learning, digital infrastructure, and digital inefficiency, all of which are related to the phrase digital divide [18]. Students may experience unique challenges relating to online class preparedness, participation, and activities after transferring to online classrooms during the pandemic [13].…”

Management and Plan of Undergraduates’ Mental Health Based on Keyword Extraction

“…The widespread public reports on the Internet and the media have made simple and inexperienced undergraduates unable to distinguish. So, the management and plan of undergraduates' mental health are important under COVID-19 pandemic [ 4 , 5 ].…”