The Impact of Distance Learning on the Psychology and Learning of University Students during the Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 saw the world face a serious global health crisis which had a negative impact on all sectors of life especially education. Educational institutions across the globe were forced to temporarily close and use distance education as an alternative to face-to-face teaching. The current study explored the impact of the sudden transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning on students' psychology and learning. Four hundred and one (N=401) undergraduate students from the University of Petra, Jordan were surveyed using a user-designed online questionnaire. Results highlighted negative impacts of distance education on both participant's psychology and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, results showed that first and second year students and those with lower computer skills reported the highest negative psychological effects (i.e., feeling anxious, bored and nerves). Further first-year students and those with lower computer skill levels reported a negative impact on learning (i.e., experiencing lethargy and laziness when taking online lectures, poor focus and inability of being self-reliant when learning) by distance education when compared with students in their third and fourth year or those with higher and average computer skills. Finally, this paper discusses recommendations and implications for future distance learning.