The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ feelings at high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels

Camacho-Zuñiga, Claudia; Pego, Luis; Escamilla, Jose; Hosseini, Samira

The COVID-19 pandemic and the enforced restrictions have harshly affected educational sectors in 161 countries around the world. With more than 1.6 billion students away from normal school life, the crisis threatens the teaching and learning processes and the students’ emotional health. Herein, we present the result of a careful assessment of the feelings of over 13,000 students at high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels across 36 campuses over 8 subsequent weeks from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate a general low energy level and dominance of negative feelings among the students regardless of their academic levels. We have recorded 5 responses (being anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, tired, and depressed) as the most frequently reported feelings in the time of lockdown. Overall, 14% of those who have reported to suffer from these feelings have also identified a need for professional help in managing their feelings throughout the quarantine period. The current study also presents several strategies to combat the undesirable consequences of COVID-19 pandemic.