Browsing by Author "Kaninjing, Ernest"

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Open Access
Psychosocial Impact Of Covid-19 On Students at Institutions Of Higher Learning
(European Journal of Educational Studies)  Akin-Odanye, Akin-Odanye O; Kaninjing, Ernest; Ndip, Roland N; Warren, Carol L; Asuzu, Chioma C; Lopez, Ivette; Muiruri, Charles; Vilme, Helene
Students at higher institutions of learning are more susceptible to psychosocial problems compared to the general public. These may further be exacerbated by the measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. This mixed methods study examined the factors associated with the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on students’ financial stability, interpersonal relationships and worries related to achieving academic milestones. Data comprised of a series of closed and open-ended questions collected via Qualtrics from students in the United States and Africa (Central and West). The quantitative data were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and chi-square, while the qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. More than 90% of the students resided in the United States, 72.5% were females and 78.4% were undergraduates. Financial hardship was experienced by 26.4% of the students, 55.8% indicated that COVID-19 negatively affected their relationship with friends and over 40% worried over delays in achieving academic milestones. Continent of residence, employment status and financial hardship were significantly associated with the negative impact of COVID-19 on one or more of the students’ relationships and with worries about achieving academic milestones. Qualitative data support the findings that financial hardship contributed to experience of psychological distress by students. It also revealed negative (compromised relationships – broken or fractured relationships and loneliness) and positive (bonding) impact of COVID-19 on interpersonal relationships. School administrators should provide students with resources to access economic relief packages and tele-counseling services to help meet their financial and psychosocial support needs amidst COVID-19.
Open Access
The Academic and Social Impact of COVID-19 Among College Students: Perspectives from the United States of America, Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria
(International Journal of Higher Education) Kaninjing, Ernest; Lopez, Ivette A; Wankie, Che; Akin Odanye, Elizabeth O; Ndip, Roland N; Dokurugu, Yussif M; Tendongfor, Nicholas; Amissah, Felix; Means, Shelley White; Paul, Christopher; Sauls, Derrick L; Vilme, Helene
The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) caused disruptions in the delivery of higher education around the globe. To understand how universities and students are dealing with the sudden change from in-person course delivery to online format, this cross-sectional mixed-method study aimed to (a) ascertain the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ ability to access online learning; (b) examine how college students adapted to changes in the learning/teaching environment; and (c) explore the students’ perspective on measures that institutions of higher learning could have adopted to ease the abrupt transition to online learning. Results indicate a majority of participants in the US reported access to internet and computers for off-campus learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A little over half of participants from Africa reported internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic (82% of participants from Nigeria and 66.7% from Ghana). Participants from Cameroon reported the lowest percentage of access to online learning at 59.1%. Participants from Africa reported challenges in adapting to online format due to inadequate access to necessary technological resources such as a reliable internet and computer. Participants identified internal and external resources that could have been adopted to better deal with the transition to online learning. Institutions of higher learning can learn from their initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic to formulate and adjust policies that provide flexibility to effectively transition to online learning while catering to the social, educational and health needs of their students.