Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Self-Isolation on Students and Staff in Higher Education: A Qualitative Study

Holly Knight, Sophie Carlisle, Mórna O’Connor, Lydia Briggs, Lauren Fothergill, Amani Al-Oraibi, Mehmet Yildirim, Joanne R. Morling, Jessica Corner, Jonathan Ball, Chris Denning, Kavita Vedhara and Holly Blake
Additional contact information
Holly Knight: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Sophie Carlisle: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Mórna O’Connor: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
Lydia Briggs: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
Lauren Fothergill: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
Amani Al-Oraibi: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
Mehmet Yildirim: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK
Joanne R. Morling: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Jessica Corner: University Executive Board, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Jonathan Ball: Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Chris Denning: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Kavita Vedhara: School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Holly Blake: School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2HA, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: This qualitative study explored the impact of COVID-19 self-isolation and social restriction measures on university students, through the perspectives of both students and the staff supporting them. The study comprised 11 focus groups (students) and 26 individual interviews (staff) at a higher education institution in England during a period of national lockdown (January–March 2021). Participants were university students ( n = 52) with self-isolation experiences and university staff ( n = 26) with student-facing support roles. Focus group and interview data were combined and analysed using an inductive thematic approach. Four themes emerged: ‘Adaptation during the pandemic’, ‘Practical, environmental, and emotional challenges of self-isolating’, ‘Social factors and their impact on COVID-19 testing and self-isolation adherence’, and ‘Supporting self-isolation’. Students and staff struggled with the imposed restrictions and shift to online education. Students found it difficult to adapt to new expectations for university life and reported missing out on professional and social experiences. Students and staff noted concerns about the impact of online teaching on educational outcomes. Students endorsed varied emotional responses to self-isolation; some felt unaffected whilst others experienced lowered mood and loneliness. Students were motivated by pro-social attitudes; campaigns targeting these factors may encourage continued engagement in protective behaviours. Staff struggled to manage their increased workloads delivering support for self-isolating students. Universities must consider the support needs of students during self-isolation and prepare for the long-term impacts of the pandemic on student wellbeing and educational attainment. Greater support should be provided for staff during transitional periods, with ongoing monitoring of workforce stress levels warranted.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; workplace; workforce; social isolation; mental health; students; staff; focus groups; semi-structured interviews; qualitative (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 (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/20/10675/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/20/10675/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:20:p:10675-:d:654108

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().