scholarly journals The Structure of Social Networks and Its Link to Higher Education Students' Socio-Emotional Loneliness During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel D.S. Hopp ◽  
Marion Händel ◽  
Svenja Bedenlier ◽  
Michaela Gläser-Zikuda ◽  
Rudolf Kammerl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Education Student ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Egocentric Networks ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
The Impact

Lonely students typically underperform academically. According to several studies, the COVID-19 pandemic is an important risk factor for increases in loneliness, as the contact restrictions and the switch to mainly online classes potentially burden the students. The previously familiar academic environment (campus) as well as the exchange with peers and lecturers on site were no longer made available. In our study, we examine factors that could potentially counteract the development of higher education student loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic from a social network perspective. During the semester, N = 283 students from across all institutional faculties of a German comprehensive university took part in an online survey. We surveyed their social and emotional experiences of loneliness, their self-reported digital skills, and their current egocentric networks. We distinguished between close online contacts (i.e., mainly online exchanges) and close offline contacts (i.e., mainly in situ exchanges). In addition, we derived the interconnectedness (i.e., the densities of the egocentric networks) and diversity (operationalized with the entropy) of students’ contacts. The results of correlation analyses and hierarchical linear regressions indicate that strong digital skills are related to both a higher number of online contacts and to lower social and emotional experiences of loneliness. Regardless of whether offline or online, the number of reported contacts is indicative of a lower experience of social loneliness. A well-connected network related to lower experiences of social but not emotional loneliness. Finally, findings suggest that homogenous networks tend to be related with lower experiences of both social and emotional loneliness. Overall, our study indicates that barriers to online communication might be mitigating factors to consider when assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student loneliness.

scholarly journals Digital readiness and its effects on higher education students’ socio-emotional perceptions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Händel ◽  
Melanie Stephan ◽  
Michaela Gläser-Zikuda ◽  
Bärbel Kopp ◽  
Svenja Bedenlier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Cluster Membership ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness

The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on higher education in 2020. Worldwide, universities developed and implemented online courses for distance learning within a relatively short amount of time. The current study investigated how ready students were for this exceptional situation and how their readiness for digital learning influenced their socio-emotional experiences. N = 1,826 students from across all institutional faculties of a German comprehensive university took part in the online survey immediately before the semester began. Results indicate that, on average, higher education students seem to be ready for digital learning. A k-means cluster analysis revealed two groups of students that significantly differed with respect to their readiness for digital learning (in terms of technological equipment, prior experiences with e-learning, and skills for digital learning). Finally, students’ socio-emotional experiences, that is, their perceived stress, their work-life-balance as well as social and emotional loneliness significantly differed due to their cluster membership. Hence, the study points to the need to support higher education students in successfully coping with the challenges of emergency remote studying.

scholarly journals The Structure of Social Networks and Its Link to Higher Education Students’ Socio-Emotional Loneliness During COVID-19

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel D. S. Hopp ◽  
Marion Händel ◽  
Svenja Bedenlier ◽  
Michaela Glaeser-Zikuda ◽  
Rudolf Kammerl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Egocentric Networks ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Sharing Behavior ◽  
Close Contacts ◽  
Social Loneliness

Lonely students typically underperform academically. According to several studies, the COVID-19 pandemic is an important risk factor for increases in loneliness, as the contact restrictions and the switch to mainly online classes potentially burden the students. The previously familiar academic environment (campus), as well as the exchange with peers and lecturers on site, were no longer made available. In our cross-sectional study, we examine factors that could potentially counteract the development of higher education student loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic from a social network perspective. During the semester, N = 283 students from across all institutional faculties of a German comprehensive university took part in an online survey. We surveyed their social and emotional experiences of loneliness, their self-reported digital information-sharing behavior, and their current egocentric networks. Here, we distinguished between close online contacts (i.e., mainly online exchanges) and close offline contacts (i.e., mainly in-person face-to-face exchanges). In addition, we derived the interconnectedness (i.e., the densities of the egocentric networks) and heterogeneity (operationalized with the entropy) of students’ contacts. To obtain the latter, we used a novel two-step method combining t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) and cluster analysis. We explored the associations of the aforementioned predictors (i.e., information-sharing behavior, number of online and offline contacts, as well as interconnectedness and heterogeneity of the close contacts network) on social and emotional loneliness separately using two hierarchical multiple linear regression models. Our results suggest that social loneliness is strongly related to digital information-sharing behavior and the network structure of close contacts. In particular, high information-sharing behavior, high number of close contacts (whether offline or online), a highly interconnected network, and a homogeneous structure of close contacts were associated with low social loneliness. Emotional loneliness, on the other hand, was mainly related to network homogeneity, in the sense that students with homogeneous close contacts networks experienced low emotional loneliness. Overall, our study highlights the central role of students’ close social network on feelings of loneliness in the context of COVID-19 restrictions. Limitations and implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Loneliness and Its Association With Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 205630512110338
Author(s):  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
Mary Ruffolo ◽  
Janni Leung ◽  
Daicia Price ◽  
Hilde Thygesen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
Social Loneliness

Social distancing rules during the COVID-19 pandemic changed social interaction for many and increased the risk of loneliness in the general population. Social media use has been ambiguously related to loneliness, and associations may differ by age. The study aimed to examine loneliness and its association with social media use within different age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia during April/May 2020, and 3,810 participants aged 18 years or above were recruited. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between social media use and social and emotional loneliness within separate age groups. Emotional loneliness was higher among young adults and among those who used social media several times daily. Adjusting by sociodemographic variables, using more types of social media was associated with lower social loneliness among the oldest participants, and with higher emotional loneliness among the youngest participants. Among middle-aged participants, using social media more frequently was associated with lower social loneliness. We found that the associations between social media use and loneliness varied by age. Older people’s engagement on social media may be a resource to reduce loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. We observed higher levels of loneliness among high-frequent social media users of younger age.

scholarly journals Investigating the impact of status and context on workplace incivility.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Irwin ◽  
Charlotte Patricia Irvine ◽  
Barbara Bekes ◽  
Emily Nordmann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Behavior ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Staff Retention ◽  
Teaching Context ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Incivility has been reported as having an adverse impact on student learning, faculty staff retention and student commitment within Higher Education. As such this behaviour has the potential to reduce student achievement and could have a financial impact on institutions. The aim of this two-stage study was to examine the impact of teaching context (lecture versus tutorial) and instigator status (staff versus student) on the perception and impact of incivility in academia. Study 1 recruited participants from Scotland and utilised a vignette-based approach to evaluate status and context effects across four fictional teaching scenarios, each illustrating the uncivil behaviour of ignoring someone. Study 2 recruited participants from the UK and Ireland and used an online survey to gather quantitative and qualitative data investigating uncivil behaviours within lectures and tutorials. The combined results indicate that the uncivil behaviours absenteeism, non-participation, ignoring and unrelated behaviours were all more frequent during a lecture in comparison to a tutorial. Uncivil behaviours were associated with a higher emotional impact within tutorials as opposed to lectures and an assertive response to incivility was more likely in a tutorial than a lecture. In terms of status student behavior was perceived as more uncivil than the equivalent staff behavior, yet a higher emotional response was reported for staff as opposed to student incivility, regardless of context. These results indicate the need for a tailored context-specific approach to addressing incivility within Higher Education, with practical implications discussed.

scholarly journals Validating the technology-assisted supplemental work scale (TASW)

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 475-481
Author(s):  
Kajal Kotecha ◽  
Wilfred Isioma Ukpere ◽  
Madelyn Geldenhuys
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Information Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
The Impact

The traditional advantage of using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to enhance work flexibility also has a drawback of enabling academics to continue working even after regular working hours. This phenomenon has been referred to as technology-assisted supplemental work (TASW). Although TASW enhances academics’ work productively, they also have a negative impact on their family-life. The impact TASW has on academics and on higher education institutions can be understood by measuring the phenomenon properly by using a reliable and valid scale. The aim of this study is too validate a newly developed TASW scale by Fenner and Renn (2010). This study adopted a quantitative research approach and used an online survey to gather data. The sample included academic from a higher education in South Africa (n = 216). The results indicate that the TASW is a valid and reliable measure of technology among the sample of South African academics.

A Preliminary Look at the Development on Websites of Higher Education Institutions

2011 ◽  
pp. 414-429
Author(s):  
Harrison Hao Yang ◽  
Na Yao ◽  
Pinde Chen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Digital Citizenship ◽  
Multimedia Resources ◽  
Self Service ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social Networking Tools

This chapter provides an overview of websites of higher education institutions. It then discusses the impact of emergent Web 2.0 technologies and social media on the online communication and society, and presents a study focusing on trends and issues of the development on websites of higher education institutions. The results of the study in this chapter indicates that under the influence of Web 2.0 and social media, websites of higher education institutions have been developed on: building a strong sense of community via embedding social networking tools, endorsing open education via sharing multimedia resources, and enriching users’ experience via offering self-service. The study also indicates that in order to develop effective websites, authenticity and digital citizenship should be considered and managed by administrators and technologists of higher education institutions.

Communicating science in higher education and research institutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-205
Author(s):  
Thorsten Schwetje ◽  
Christiane Hauser ◽  
Stefan Böschen ◽  
Annette Leßmöllmann
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Internal Stakeholders ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Executive Boards ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe paper reports on a research project exploring the change in the organizational context of communicators and communication units in higher education and research institutions (HERIs), the importance of informal processes within their daily work and the great diversity of expectations communicators have to tackle.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature review, a mixed-methods study combining expert interviews with 54 German HERI heads of communication units, an online-survey and a document analysis of organizational characteristics was conducted. Findings were validated in four focus groups.FindingsThe study illuminates the impact of organizational and operational structures of HERIs on communicators and their boundary spanning activities. Due to varying expectations of stakeholders, communicators constantly have to switch roles. Members of HERIs' executive boards affect status and working conditions for communicators in the organization.Research limitations/implicationsInterviews with other HERI actors, especially members of the executive board, are proposed to get more thorough insights into the organizational context of HERIs and the mutual expectations of different internal stakeholders.Practical implicationsInsights from the project may help HERI actors to reflect their organizational context and to identify potentially contentious structures or processes.Originality/valueCommunicating science sometimes clashes with complex organizational and operational structures. Despite the “organizational turn” in HERI research, there is a lack of data on the relation between communicators, their communication units and the larger organizational context. The exploratory study addresses this gap.

The older, the lonelier? Risk factors for social loneliness in old age

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 1177-1196 ◽  
Author(s):  
LEEN HEYLEN
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Attachment Figure ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Loneliness ◽  
The One ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social Loneliness

ABSTRACTLoneliness is often associated with old age, but many studies have shown that the relationship is not straightforward. This paper seeks a better understanding of the impact of social isolation on feelings of loneliness among older people, by building on the theoretical and actual distinction between social and emotional loneliness. Social loneliness refers to a lack of feelings of social integration; emotional loneliness emerges in the absence of an attachment figure. This paper focuses on social loneliness and has two aims, first to disentangle the direct and intermediate effects of both the number and the quality of social relationships on social loneliness in old age, and second to detect the groups at risk of social loneliness by identifying which personal features correspond with which relational deficits and therefore indirectly increase the risk on social loneliness. Data are analysed for a sample of 1,414 respondents aged 55 or more years drawn from the Panel Study of Belgian Households conducted in 2000. The results confirm that improved understanding is gained by decomposing the interrelation between age and other background features, on the one hand, and the social relational features, on the other, as indirect and direct predictors of social loneliness. Generally, this approach promotes a correct identification of the groups at risk of social loneliness in old age.

The effect of online learning on communication between instructors and students during Covid-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Alawamleh ◽  
Lana Mohannad Al-Twait ◽  
Gharam Raafat Al-Saht
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Online Chat ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sample Technique ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to explore whether online learning has an effect on communication between instructors and students in a negative way, whether online learning affects students' productivity levels and to evaluate and suggest ways of improving effective online communication between instructors and students.Design/methodology/approachThis study used is a quantitative research study which was conducted through a semi-structured online survey through a random sample technique.FindingsResults revealed that the vast majority agree with the questions of the study. Students still prefer classroom classes over online classes due to many problems they face when taking online classes, such as lack of motivation, understanding of the material, decrease in communication levels between the students and their instructors and their feeling of isolation caused by online classes.Research limitations/implicationsThis research studied the impact from students' perspective only as the sample was selected only from students.Originality/valueThis research reached the students’ point of view in a broader way which will help understanding the issues and provide effective solutions. This research suggested that instructors must communicate with their students and vice versa in more informal channels (instant messages online chat groups, audio calls, private video calls …) in parallel with the formal channels (online platforms, email …). Finally, instructors should encourage students to participate and study more by providing different kind of incentives.

Impact of COVID-19 on the system of higher education

2020 ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
S.L. Talanov ◽  
◽  
F.Yu. Kushnarev ◽  
D.T. Berezin ◽  
E.S. Rumyantseva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Coronavirus Infection ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Analyzed is the impact of restrictions on higher educational system introduced by the Government of the Russian Federation in connection with spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19. Sociological study (online survey) was conducted among students, enrolled in budgetary and extra-budgetary forms of education, as well as among graduates of secondary schools (11th classes), located in small, medium and large cities of Yaroslavl region. In addition, video interviews were conducted, using Zoom service among number of applicants, parents of applicants, teachers, positional experts. It was established, that emergence and spread of COVID-19 and limitations, associated with it, made certain adjustments to strategies of applicants and students. Despite all changes that have arisen due to coronavirus infection, only a small part of applicants and students studying on extrabudgetary basis, decided to change their plans. It is concluded, that for significant part of applicants, obtaining higher education is an attempt to continue to remain in a familiar comfortable environment (continuation of “childhood”). Despite constant stresses at school, expectation from prospect of losing a measured, familiar, predictable life is even more stressful. Parents from families, belonging to medium-resource and high-resource groups, as a rule, support decision of their children to keep on studying. In this case, decision to enter university is made long before graduation. Parents from low-resource groups, as a rule, try to give profession, not a higher education. At the same time, it was revealed, that children from families, belonging to low-resource groups, for the most part, anyway note that if they had necessary resources, they would try to get higher education. In addition, the authors conclude, that decision on admission to university is greatly influenced by not at all economic capital of family, how much family’s value, as well as influence of the reference person.

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