Now Look What You’ve Done, COVID-19! The Impact on Academic Survival among Postgraduate Students in Malaysia

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of various sectors in Malaysia including the education sector. The COVID-19 pandemic caused major concerns among postgraduate students. Little is known about the academic survival impacts of COVID-19 among tertiary students, especially among the postgraduates. Therefore, this article aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on academic survival among postgraduate students in Malaysia. An online survey through Google Form is conducted in October 2020, participated by a total of 606 postgraduate students from different backgrounds. Several postgraduate students have high level of social relationships; however, they are facing problems in terms of academic performance and financial stress. This study suggests that strategies and actions are urgently needed between the higher education ministry and universities to ensure the academic survival among postgraduate students amid the pandemic.

Insights into the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on postgraduate students at a university of technology

“…It is perhaps at this time that the university must devote greater time to ensuring that these students receive psychological services, as well as social and financial support to mitigate the effects of personal losses, infection, loneliness, anxiety, and fears emanating from Covid-19 to ensure their academic success. Nasir et al (2021) suggest that universities launch an intervention using a digital platform, for instance, a chat box, which can connect them with the students at any time. This will allow students to pose any questions regarding their situation or highlight any problems they are confronted with.…”

“…In South Africa, several studies have emerged related to the effects of Covid-19 on learning and mental-health well-being (Govender et al, 2021;Onwuegbuzie & Ojo, 2021;Osman & Keevy, 2021;Makhado et al, 2022;Mphahlele et al, 2021;Rwafa-Ponela et al, 2022). However, little exists in the literature on the experiences of postgraduate students (Nasir, Ramli & Som, 2021;King, 2022), particularly in the local context. The confusion, stress, and anxiety that emanated from various aspects of the pandemic would inevitably affect the research progress of many postgraduate research students, warranting a deeper understanding of the problems that this group of students faced.…”

In a road of trying times: Unraveling the lived experiences of students in the new normal

“…Previous research has shown that students had financial problems throughout the pandemic. A recent comprehensive study in Malaysia [29] found that students are under financial stress. Also, financial constraints are the leading cause of our country's poor college graduation rate, ranging between 18 and 20% for the last decade [30].…”