Students’ Wellbeing during Transition from Onsite to Online Education: Are There Risks Arising from Social Isolation?

Gina Ionela Butnaru, Alina-Petronela Haller, Larisa-Loredana Dragolea, Alexandru Anichiti and Georgia-Daniela Tacu Hârșan
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Gina Ionela Butnaru: Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, 700505 Iași, Romania
Alina-Petronela Haller: “Gheorghe Zane” Institute for Economic and Social Research, Iași Branch of Romanian Academy, 700488 Iași, Romania
Larisa-Loredana Dragolea: Department of Business Administration and Marketing, Faculty of Economics, 1 Decembrie 1918 University of Alba Iulia, 510009 Alba Iulia, Romania
Alexandru Anichiti: Department of Business Administration, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 13 University Street, 720229 Suceava, Romania
Georgia-Daniela Tacu Hârșan: “Gheorghe Zane” Institute for Economic and Social Research, Iași Branch of Romanian Academy, 700488 Iași, Romania

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-23

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to activities in many fields, including education and lifestyle. Major changes have taken place in the education system, where specific activities migrated suddenly from onsite to online. As a result, this period has witnessed an increased interest in impact studies that analyse the perceptions of the actors involved in the educational process. Based on the survey data ( N = 665), the perceptions of the students in Romanian universities with regard to the effects of online education during the pandemic on their wellbeing were analysed. The empirical apparatus—SEM analysis—reached the following conclusions: the students’ wellbeing was increased under the traditional education system; the economic crisis has caused concern, and a decrease in their wellbeing; their contamination fear is moderate to low, and does not influence their wellbeing; they have been discouraged in terms of their personal development during the pandemic, and their wellbeing has suffered as a result; the role of institutions is extremely important, given that the students’ ability to study online depends on the universities’ efficiency in implementing the online system.

Keywords: satisfaction and wellbeing; pandemic stress; COVID-19 pandemic; online education; social isolation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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