Online Learning is a Rollercoaster: Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities Navigate the COVID-19 Pandemic

School burnout among students with and without disabilities before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Students' mental health problems increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and persisted afterward. Evidence regarding school burnout-particularly among disabled students-is limited.

OBJECTIVE

We assessed school burnout and its changes among students with specific (only cognitive, only sensory, only mobility, or several) and any (at least one of the three domains) disabilities compared to those without disabilities before (2019), during (2021), and post-pandemic (2023).

METHODS

We analyzed population-level cross-sectional data from the Finnish School Health Promotion study, including 467,186 lower secondary, upper secondary, and vocational students (mean age = 16.2; SD = 1.22) from 2019, 2021, and 2023 using logistic regression.

RESULTS

At all school levels, students with any disabilities reported school burnout more often than those without disabilities. Those with several disabilities were the most vulnerable, particularly girls. At vocational level, burnout prevalence was about half that of other levels among girls and boys with and without any disabilities. In lower secondary school, burnout increased among girls with and without any disabilities from 2019 to 2021 and remained high post-pandemic. For lower secondary boys, burnout increased only among those without disabilities from 2019 to 2021 and persisted post-pandemic. For boys with any disabilities, burnout began to increase post-pandemic. In upper secondary and vocational schools, burnout increased among girls and boys with and without any disabilities from 2019 to 2021. Post-pandemic, these increases declined.

CONCLUSIONS

Schools require resources addressing school burnout inequalities, especially during crises and among disabled girls. Post-pandemic, addressing persistent school burnout among lower secondary students with disabilities is crucial.

Chiropractic students' perception of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To investigate chiropractic students' preferences and perceptions of remote learning with a secondary aim of comparing individuals with and without learning challenges.

METHODS

Following the mandatory period of remote education, a 33-question, mixed-methods, anonymous online survey was distributed from March to September 2021 to a single-campus chiropractic student body with an estimated sample study population of N = 1375. Demographic variables, self-reported learning challenges, technology skills, and perceptions of remote and on-ground learning delivery modalities were gathered. Percentages, measures of central tendency, and chi-square tests were performed on the data.

RESULTS

There were 117 participants (8.5%), of whom 63.2% were female (n = 74) and 87.2% (n = 102) were aged 18-34 years. Self-identified learning challenges were present in 33.3% (n = 39) of participants, of whom 28 stated they had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or attention-deficit disorder. More than 85.5% (n = 100) of participants agreed they were proficient with the necessary technology. For basic science classes with a lecture and lab component, 61.5% (n = 72) preferred on-ground labs and remote lectures. Participants agreed that remote lectures and on-ground labs were a good use of time (75.2% [n = 88] and 79.5% [n = 93], respectively). There was a significant χ2 between individuals with and without learning challenges for the perception of "stimulating and interesting" (p = .044) and "attention" (p = .001) for on-ground lectures.

CONCLUSION

Chiropractic students preferred remote and on-ground education differentially for labs and lectures. On-ground labs provided greater perceived educational benefits; perceived benefits of remote lecture courses were only modestly supported. Students with self-identified learning challenges presented with some differences related to perception of on-ground lectures.

Students with learning disabilities/attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in higher education dealing with remote learning: lessons learned from COVID-19 era

Introduction

The current study aimed to examine how students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) adjusted to higher education during the transition to remote learning (RL) in Israel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

The study involved 621 undergraduate students, 330 of whom participated during the COVID-19 pandemic and 291 before the pandemic. Among these students, 198 had been diagnosed with LD and/or ADHD, while 423 had no reported disabilities (control group).

Results

Students with LD/ADHD generally had lower adjustment scores during face-to-face learning and RL than the control group. In-depth analyses of four subgroups revealed that students with LD + ADHD reported lower academic, emotional, and institutional adjustments as well as reported lower satisfaction with life during RL than the control group members. ADHD was found to directly predict low satisfaction with life through the mediation of adjustment scores.

Discussion

In conclusion, it is recommended that support be provided to high-risk LD/ADHD populations during a crisis. Furthermore, the implication of this study can inform intervention during emergency times.