The Impact of Social Distancing Measures on Higher Education Stakeholders

Abstract

Background and Aim of Study: The global CoVID-19 pandemic has affected education systems dramatically. Remote teaching/learning practices have become everyday reality across the globe. The aim of the study: to assess the level of readiness of higher education stakeholders for distance learning/remote teaching, and to evaluate the role of social distancing measures. Material and Methods: 594 stakeholders (216 teachers and 378 students) provided anonymous responses to a questionnaire. Teacher did so during the round table discussion during the 6th International Academic Conference “Psychological and Pedagogical Problems of Modern Specialist Formation” (June 2020). Students responded using Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Validation by Pearson method χ2 produced statistically significant results (df=4, χ22=22.083, р<0.01; df=4, χ23=44.389, р<0.01; df=4, χ24=29.666, р<0.01). Results: 62.9% of teachers and 56.6% of students consider educational institutions ready for distance learning. The majority of teachers/students seem to be prepared for it (81.0% and 93.4% respectively). 68.5% of teachers are positive about educational outcomes (contrasted with 90.0% of students). Only 37.0% of teachers and 21.7% of students assess the impact of social distancing measures on physical and mental health positively. Conclusions: The survey results prove that social distancing measures impact on higher education is significant. The respondents assess highly their individual levels of preparedness and of satisfaction, students displaying higher levels of both. However, the view on social distancing measures impact on physical and mental health is more negative, the trend being more visible in student responses.