Outcomes of Online Learning in Physiology Course amid COVID-19 in Taiwan: The Role of Mental Health and Academic Motivation

10.6145/jme.202206_26(2).0004

Yun-Wen Chan；Ting-An Lin；Shuoh-Wen Chen；Yi-Jing Chen；Hsiao-Chun Yao；Chi-Chang Juan；Hsun-Yu Chan；Yuan-I Chang

COVID-19 ； physiology ； online instruction ； academic achievement ； motivation ； mental health

Journal of Medical Education

26卷2期（2022 / 06 / 01）

84 - 99

英文

Purpose: The study explores whether and how the online instruction in the course of physiology is related to students' perceived learning outcomes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the course of physiology switched from face-to-face to online instruction in Taiwan. However, little is known whether students' academic motivation and outcomes changed accordingly, when accounting for students' mental health, which could be compromised by the pandemic-related stress. Methods: Sixty undergraduate students who were taking physiology in spring 2020 completed a survey questionnaire and responded to questions pertaining to motivation of learning physiology, level of depressive symptoms, and mid-term and final grade before and after the transition to online instruction. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to answer the research questions. Results: Students reported a higher level of attainment value and self-efficacy in physiology after transitioning to online instruction after Bonferroni adjustment. Moreover, an improvement in the positive mood before and after the transition was related to a better perceived academic achievement in physiology. Conclusions: The study highlights the potential of online instruction of physiology for aspiring medical professionals. In particular, instructors and counseling services should pay close attention to students' mental health in order to support academic success during online instruction under the pandemic.

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