The impact of a global pandemic on undergraduate learning experiences: lifting the restrictions

• Published in: European journal of psychology of education Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 2435 - 2459
• Main Authors: Caron, Emilie E., Drody, Allison C., Carriere, Jonathan S. A., Smilek, Daniel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Affect (Psychology); Anxiety; Attribution Theory; Behavior Theories; Beliefs; COVID-19; Distance Education; Distance learning; Education; Educational Experience; Educational Psychology; Electronic Learning; Emotional Response; In Person Learning; Instructional Materials; Learning Experience; Motivation; Pandemics; Pedagogic Psychology; Perceptions; Restrictions; Retention (Psychology); Student Motivation; Students; Success; Learning; Pandemic; Affect; Attention
• ISSN: 0256-2928; 1878-5174
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-023-00790-6

Aim The aim of this study is to determine how students believe their learning-related experiences (i.e., attention, affect, and time perception) have changed over the course of the pandemic. Subject and methods This study documented students’ ( N analyzed  = 191) relative judgments of change between their current experiences (measured April 2022) and their remembered experiences from three different timepoints: (1) before the pandemic-related restrictions (before March 2020; pre-restriction), (2) immediately after the restrictions were implemented (spring 2020; early restriction), and (3) immediately after they were lifted (~ winter/spring 2022; post-restriction). This study also captured how students predicted their experiences would change in the future. Results and conclusion Roughly 2 years after pandemic-related restrictions were introduced, students reported perceiving reductions in their attention, affect, and time-perception compared to their remembered pre- and early restriction learning-related experiences. They also reported perceived reductions in their attention and affect even as pandemic-related restrictions were beginning to lift, though these declines were slightly attenuated. Regarding the future, students were optimistic that their learning-related experiences would improve in the coming months. These findings can support the creation of future approaches targeting the improvement of attention, affect, and productivity in learning and performance-based environments.