Students’ attitudes and coping strategies relating to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced most classes at the tertiary education level to be held online or in a digital mode. This study investigates Multimedia University (MMU) students’ attitudes and coping strategies in relation to online learning classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis among students at the MMU campus in Malaysia. Student respondents were chosen using simple random sampling. They answered online surveys developed through Google forms with an appended consent form. Two questions were developed inquiring about students' acceptance of online learning courses to gauge their attitudes. The coping strategies questions were adapted from the Brief-COPE questionnaire with 28 items. There are 14 strategies in the Brief-COPE: self-distraction, active coping, denial, substance use, emotional support, instrumental support, behavioural disengagement, venting, positive reframing, planning, humour, acceptance, religion, and self-blame. We hypothesised that there would be a significant correlation between attitudes and coping strategies among MMU students taking online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: 8 out of 14 coping strategies were significantly correlated with students’ attitudes towards online learning. The study showed that those students with a positive or accepting attitude towards online learning were more likely to use positive coping strategies. Those students with negative, less accepting attitudes towards online learning seemed to use more negative coping strategies. Conclusion: The study focuses on students studying at MMU. Therefore, the outcome cannot be generalised for all university students in Malaysia. The primary goal of the study was to investigate the attitudes and coping strategies of Multimedia University students when confronted with the unexpected outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study may assist MMU in understanding student behaviour and developing strategies to assist the students.

Sociodemographic and Digital Education Factors Are Associated to General Health, Coping Strategies, and Academic Outcomes of Undergraduate Students during the Post-Pandemic Period

“…While Transcendent Orientation, Positive Attitude, and Orientation to Problem predicted higher levels of general health, the avoiding coping strategy showed negative effects. The results support those of previous studies, which showed that positive coping strategies are important variables able to moderate the relationships between pandemic-related difficulties (both personal and academic) and the self-reported level of health [ 42 , 43 ].…”

“…In the study of Savitsky et al [ 42 ], positive coping strategies (i.e., humour) were found to be associated with positive attitudes (i.e., low anxiety levels). More recently, Rahmat et al [ 43 ] found that positive attitudes toward online learning (or acceptance) significantly correlated with the use of positive coping strategies (e.g., planning, positive reframing, active coping), while negative attitudes were significantly associated with negative strategies (e.g., self-blame, denial, substance use).…”

The psychometric properties of students’ attitudes, coping strategies, and psychological symptoms

“…In further, Rahmat et al [49] conducted a study involving 353 students at a multimedia university in Malacca, Malaysia reported that 8 out of 14 coping strategies had a moderate correlation with students' attitudes towards online learning. This shows that students who have a positive attitude towards online learning are likely to use positive coping strategies which are active coping, positive reframing, planning, and acceptance.…”

Threat Appraisal, Resilience, and Health Behaviors in Recovered COVID-19 Patients: The Serial Mediation of Coping and Meaning-Making

“…Likewise, highly resilient people tend to engage in active solutions [ 36 ], and largely choose problem-focused coping [ 37 ]. Stronger resilience was related to lower levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 38 ]. Emotional coping is often considered less adaptive [ 39 ].…”