Online learning’s toll on the mental health of Rafflesians
By: Aavanthika Sukesh
October 21, 2021
Photo by Jonathan Naples via Tiger Times
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed lives during these past 2 years. One aspect students had to adapt to was the tremendous change in the way they studied, from face to face learning to online learning. The change in environment, routine and method of studying has affected many students, mainly mentally.
From the strain of staring at a screen for 8 hours a day, the immense amount of homework given by teachers to the sadness of not seeing friends and messed-up sleep schedules, almost all our mental well being has been affected by these.
In The Loop conducted a survey, which got 53 answers and we observed how home-based learning (HBL) has affected Rafflesians.
We received a range of answers from the ages 12 to 18, from this we asked various significant questions specifically about mental health.
The first question we asked was the condition of their mental health before HBL on a scale from 1 to 10. From the answers we were able to see that around 50% of students ranged from 7-8 and most answers were 5 or above.
Secondly, we asked their condition during HBL and the answers, unsurprisingly, were vastly different compared to the first questions. With the majority (54%) answers being 5 or below, we can see a substantial decrease in the condition of mental health of students. A study done by Hutomo Atman Maulana about the physiological impact of online learning showed that online learning has resulted in 29% of depression above normal levels, 70% increase in anxiety and a 46% percent increase in stress levels among students.
Next we asked what caused their deteriorating mental health. The most prominent answer, with 40 people choosing this, was lack of motivation to study or listen in class. This was followed by: increased workload, less social interaction, increased screen-time and even the inability to adapt to the changes of online learning. Some answers also included stress about university applications, extracurriculars and the current socio-political environment of the world.
A few answers that stuck out when asked to explain the previous question was:
“‘School’, in its true definition, is a place or a noun, rather than the environment. HBL unfortunately is forcing the school curriculum while the environment is extremely not a suitable environment to study in. It is one of the reasons why we go to a place called ‘School’ in the first place. It is the most suitable and most viable place to learn with the perfect environment for it. So if we were to apply the same or similar regulations as offline school into online school, it would automatically not be fair since it is putting something that is not supposed to be in a certain way. ‘Home’ differs from ‘House’. Of course, where we most live is a ‘House’, but it has transformed into a ‘Home’. Having to study and listen to class for the majority of the time being in ‘Home’, it is demotivating since I believe "Home" is a place of leisure and rest. ‘Home’ and ‘School’ are separated for the use of both of the places being different and shouldn't usually be the same.”
“Our workload has been heavier due to HBL, since we get homework from every single one of our classes, including subjects we wouldn't usually get homework from like PE. We don't have much time during school hours to finish assignments because class hours are used for Zoom meetings which are usually for lectures, but at the same time we finish school very late, giving us little time to do homework on top of other things we have outside of school.”
“I now spend the majority of my time at home doing schoolwork. Since learning at home provides a more flexible schedule, teachers were quick to become more comfortable in assigning assignments. In most cases, assignments are due at midnight and in some, they are due on the weekends, and are supposed to be time off from school. Though flexibility comes as an advantage to an extent, it has increased our workload by a lot and has contributed to deteriorating my mental health. After having to spend more than a year of online classes, I started to feel a loss of motivation. I constantly feel this heavy burden and honestly, I am exhausted. Classes are getting harder, the amount of workload is increasing and I'm just so so tired.”
Surely, most students have gone through what the above mentioned has experienced. With the new school year stretching out school days to 16:15 or more, it seems like school is just consuming our lives and not giving us any time for our personal lives. The main thing we, as students, can do is find healthy and safe coping mechanisms. This can be allotting time in your days to unwind and keep away from the screen or taking breaks from school work to do what you want to do.
A large number of students said watching movies/ TV shows or listening to music helped them cope through these times. Many also said sleeping and eating comfort food has helped. Other responses include: playing games with friends, learning new hobbies and continuing to do different activities like reading, painting, drawing, journaling and exercising.
If you find the right coping mechanism that works for you, you can balance your life and get through rough days. Here are a few suggestions for healthy mechanisms:
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Staying social: Find fun activities you can do together with your friends and family, online and social-distancing. These can include playing video games together, calling each other, or even just texting others to catch up.
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Getting enough sleep: While school is stressful and keeps us up till late hours, always make sure to get the optimal hours of sleep for teenagers, 7-9 hours.
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Exercise: This might be hard to fit into our busy schedules, but even a simple 10 minute walk or quick stretch can boost your mood and reduce your stress levels. This is a proven method to increase endorphins, reduce stress and help your mind and body.
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Eat well and stay hydrated: Our comfort foods, often unhealthy, will be very tempting to eat during hard times but ensure that you always get your daily nutrients through vegetables, fruits, protein and grains. Always make sure to be hydrated!
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Get organized: Clean up your room and desk, digital files and your daily planner. Your brain will thank you!
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Take breaks: Never over-work yourself because it will lead to burnout! Breaks can be short or long, during this time you can fill up your water bottle or even watch a quick YouTube video!
Many schools in Jakarta are opening up and those who are more comfortable with face to face learning can get back to the classrooms and those who prefer HBL still have the option to remain home.
Stay safe and take care of your health, physically and most importantly, mentally.
Thank you to all those who answered the survey!