Introduction to the Current Problem
When the COVID-19 pandemic burst, educational institutions were forced to transfer all full-time students online. Isolation from society and the radical changes in the usual way of life had an obvious impact on the mental state. However, society’s reaction to the problem of increasing stress during online learning varied. The need to change the usual pattern of education revealed supporters of two opposing points of view.
One of the perspectives shows that distance learning harms the mental stability of students. Supporters of this version believe that being isolated for a long time disrupts students’ communication skills and academic performance, leading to depression and a decrease in self-esteem. Studies prove that isolation impairs the ability to concentrate and maintain motivation, and contributes to increased stress level and learned helplessness (Garcia et al., 2021). All these facts together provide a solid basis for supporting the idea of the negative impact of online learning on mental state. The general belief in the presented point of view may lead to increased attention to students’ health, but the needs of a group experiencing stress from full-time education will be ignored.
Another perspective shows that distance learning, on the contrary, helps to balance the chaotic student life and concentrate on slow learning, which positively affects the emotional state. Supporters are sure that studying in a familiar home environment away from social impressions significantly reduces stress. This perspective is backed by the fact that online learning helps to develop a unique pace of learning for each student without the pressure of imposed competition (Salih & Ibrahim, 2021). The presented belief focuses on improving students’ academic performance and contributes to those experiencing difficulties with social life but ignores students with more pronounced social needs.
The Connection of Perspectives with the Concept of Confirmation Bias
The relevance of the social problem posed in a pandemic gives rise to heated debates among supporters of two opinions. Even without having a professional psychological education that could provide more arguments and substantiation of the position, people continue to insist on their point of view and not deviate from the course initially chosen. The opposite opinion is considered incorrect and inappropriate, which is why the problem of the impact of online learning on mental health may be linked to the discussion of confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias is a quality of the human subconscious mind in which people give preference to information that contributes to their already existing point of view. It occurs when a person concentrates on the evidence confirming previous beliefs and underestimates the evidence that may refute them. Confirmation bias manifests itself in selective memorization of material or interpretation of facts favoring one’s opinion. This means that even with a more in-depth study of the topic, a person does not look at the problem from different aspects but purposefully identifies the data that could strengthen the chosen position. This concept is especially acute when discussing deeply rooted or emotionally charged issues, and the topic presented in the study fits the latter criterion.
The manifestation of confirmation bias is visible in the example of how supporters of the two points of view associate the deterioration of mental health in distance learning with academic performance. The argument of the supporters of the first perspective is based on the fact that online education reduces the ability of students to concentrate and deteriorates overall motivation (Garcia et al., 2021). As a result, academic performance worsens, which leads to a loss of self-confidence and the development of depressive states among students. At the same time, supporters of the second perspective emphasize that distance learning helps students to develop at their own pace (Salih & Ibrahim, 2021). Consequently, they experience less pressure from the learning process and naturally improve their performance.
Limitations and Implications
In the study, the limitations mainly affected the sample of respondents who most often participate in surveys on changing their mental state during distance learning. Due to the novelty of the problem and its lack of study, representatives of the LGBTQ+ community are not singled out among respondents, which potentially distorts the results in areas such as mental health (Garcia et al., 2021). Bullying, stereotypes, and prejudices usually serve as a factor in the deterioration of the mental state. There is a possibility that the minority group most susceptible to negative public reaction significantly reduces its stress level during distance learning. The implication is that gnoring this division, the opportunity to get a more explicit argumentation to confirm the second perspective is missed.
Nevertheless, overall progress in the established direction will help students to cope with the stress of online learning faster. The mental health aspect of students is often ignored for the sake of good academic performance and the need to maintain safety in a pandemic, which can provoke further difficulties when entering the adult world. Attention to distance learning from the point of view of a catalyst for mental deterioration will help create a generation of healthy people who are not subject to emotional instability.
Comparison and Conclusion
The conflict between the two points of view is based on a different understanding of the ways to maintain mental health. Despite the different approaches, both theories have their strengths. Supporters of the first point of view pay considerable attention to personal connections and the development of communication skills. The advantages of the second theory are that the interests of a group that needs a calm environment for comfortable learning are finally beginning to be taken into account. Nevertheless, the provided comfortable environment also becomes the main drawback of the latter perspective, complicating further communication of students with the outside world. At the same time, the weakness of the first theory lies in the fact that concentration on a certain group of students completely ignores the interests of another.
Conclusion
Based on the arguments presented in the paper, it can be concluded that the first perspective offers the best solution to overcome the deterioration of the mental state among students. Research has shown that the prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety among students was significantly higher throughout the entire period of distance learning compared to the full-time study (Salih & Ibrahim, 2021). Focusing on the big picture, it can be assumed that even students with a more introverted personality, who have already adapted to one form of learning, experienced stress when they are abruptly switched to another. Students’ mental health suffered from the deterioration of aspects of motivation, personal connections, and grades, which also applies equally to people of all temperaments (Garcia et al., 2021). These indicators reflect that supporters of the first perspective are closest to solving the problem of mental stability among students during the pandemic.
References
Garcia, A., Powell, G. B., Arnold, D., Ibarra, L., Pietrucha, M., Thorson, M. K.,… & Webb, S. (2021). Learned helplessness and mental health issues related to distance learning due to COVID-19. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-6).
Salih, Y., & Ibrahim, R. A. (2021). Impact of distance learning on mental health during COVID-19: A review. International Journal of Ethno-Sciences and Education Research, 1(4), 76-79.