The Impact of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Mexican University Students: Emotions, Coping Strategies, and Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

One of the main challenges in higher education is promoting students' autonomous and self-regulated learning, which involves managing their own emotions and learning processes in different contexts and circumstances. Considering that online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic may be an opportunity for university students to take greater responsibility for their learning, it is essential to explore the strategies they have developed in the face of emotional and learning challenges during the health crisis. This study aimed at analyzing the relationships between students' emotions, coping strategies, and self-regulated learning in online learning during COVID-19 home confinement. The participants were 1,290 Mexican students from different universities throughout the country, who answered an online self-report questionnaire from standardized instruments adapted to the pandemic. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential analyses, including a structural equation model (SEM). Findings indicate that, although anxiety, boredom, and frustration were present among participants during confinement, the primary emotions were gratitude, joy, and hope. Second, the main coping strategies used by students participating were focused on facing and reassessing the situation. Furthermore, tranquility, hope, gratitude, and joy were positively related to self-regulated learning, although, loneliness and disinterest were negatively related. Finally, it was found that an approach to coping strategies mediated the relationship between emotions and self-regulated learning. Thus, teachers should help students understand the relevance of active coping strategies and use student-centered learning models that promote autonomous and self-regulated learning, considering each learner's needs, during and after confinement.

The Impact of Demographics, Life and Work Circumstances on College and University Instructors’ Well-Being During Quaranteaching

“…To cope with stress and anxiety, participants sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms. Clabaugh et al (2021) found that levels of stress and difficulty with coping with pandemic disruptions were related to neuroticism, an external locus of control, gender, and ethnicity, while a study from Mexico (Gaeta et al, 2021) discovered a relationship between university students' self-regulated learning and emotions such as tranquillity, hope, gratitude, joy, loneliness, and disinterest, mediated by coping strategies. A study by Alemany-Arrebola et al (2020) showed that college students with a higher level of anxiety expressed more negative emotions and declared lower academic self-efficacy.…”

Emotional Cognitive Regulation in University Students during Lockdown: A Comparative Analysis of Students from Spanish Universities

“…Every student has their own way of confronting the social isolation resulting from the lockdown, as they must deal with uncertainty, anxiety, and worries caused by the situation [53]. Family support becomes an important element that can help to lessen some of the less adaptive emotions.…”

Language Learning Strategies among Undergraduates During Online Learning in Covid-19 Pandemic in A Public University in Malaysia

“…We also can learn by watching others people during the presentation too." As previous studies have implied, these new teaching and learning norms might negatively impact students' language learning development (Di Pietro et al, 2020;Gaeta et al, 2021;Lovrić et al, 2020). These sudden changes in learning situation might require the students to adjust to the new learning settings as they were considerably dependent on their individual preferences and influenced by traditional learning methods…”

“…Some prefer to intensify their English language by learning from making mistakes. It can be assumed that the learner's self-regulation in ascertaining their development during a virtual learning environment (Gaeta et al, 2021).…”

“…The appropriate environment settings will promote autonomy and independence in language learning. The Malaysian ESL students widely admitted the online learning environment as an infinite opportunity for language learning (Gaeta et al, 2021). The students could decide the most relevant resources to assist their language learning during online sessions.…”