Applied Economics Teaching Resources

an AAEA Journal

Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Research Article

Course-Related Student Anxiety During COVID-19: A Problem and Some Solutions

Roger Brown(a), Steve Buck(a), Michelle Kibler(b), Jerrod Penn(c), and Na Zuo(d)
(a)University of Kentucky, (b)Illinois State University, (c)Louisiana State University, (d)University of Arizona

JEL Codes: A12, A22
Keywords: Anxiety, COVID-19, and online learning

Publish Date: March 18, 2021
Volume 3, Issue 1

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Abstract

We examine the prevalence and sources of student anxiety during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 23 to May 10, 2020) and the implications for online course design and delivery. Using a standard screening tool (GAD-7) with supplemental open-response questions, we show that students had relatively high levels of anxiety based on a convenience sample of 266 undergraduate students enrolled at four U.S. institutions. In this sample, we find that 58 percent of students had clinically significant levels of anxiety in one or more weeks of the seven-week study period. Thirty-six percent of students sustained this level of anxiety on average over the entire period. These rates are high compared to published rates for the general population (1.6 percent to 8.5 percent) and even among college students (17 percent to 40 percent). Using content analysis, we identify five primary sources of student anxiety: traditional academic concerns (72 percent), online learning (67 percent), general uncertainty (38 percent), health and safety (27 percent), and financial issues (12 percent). We similarly identify four ways that students say instructors can help them reduce their anxiety: improve the course structure and organization (36 percent), improve communication (35 percent), improve course materials and assignments (33 percent), and continue expressions of care and support (27 percent). Finally, we look at how these four student recommendations connect more broadly to (1) the published academic literature, (2) our own experiences as instructors, and (3) suggestions from other practitioners.

About the Authors: Authors are listed alphabetically based on last names with Roger Brown and Steve Buck as leading authors and Roger Brown also as corresponding author. Roger Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky (Corresponding author: rogerbrown@uky.edu). Steve Buck is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky. Michelle Kibler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University. Jerrod Penn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at Louisiana State University. Na Zuo is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona. Acknowledgements: The authors wish to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and Sapana Bastola, a doctoral candidate in Agricultural Economics at Louisiana State University, for de-identifying student response data, a critical part of the University of Kentucky approved IRB protocol (No. 61269).

Copyright is governed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-SA

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