Social anxiety of online learners: A case study of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences using the social anxiety scale in electronic learning environments (SASE)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 MSc Student, Department of Medical Education, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of Medical education, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

3 Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran

4 Department of Community Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

5 Department of Psychiatry, Ibn Sina Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1.5 billion learners worldwide were deprived of access to in-person learning. Consequently, there was a significant shift towards e-learning. Social anxiety is a limiting barrier to e-learning. This study aimed to examine the level of social anxiety in e-learning environments among medical students.
Method: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 150 medical students from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, selected through convenience sampling, completed the Social Anxiety Scale in E-Learning Environments (SASE) questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics by SPSS20 software.
Results: The results of this study showed that the social anxiety of students in e-learning environments was not high, with a range of (1-6). Additionally, the levels of social anxiety were higher in students without academic progress during e-learning (p=0.887) compared to students with academic progress (p=0.702), but this difference was not statistically significant. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant relationship between the level of social anxiety in e-learning environments and variables such as gender, semester, and type of study.
Conclusion: Despite the lack of a statistically significant relationship between the variables of present study and social anxiety, and changes in social interaction environments, efforts to reduce the level of social anxiety among medical students and enhance learning are essential. The SASE is a valid and reliable tool for assessing social anxiety in e-learning environments.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Gezelbash S, peyeavi H, Inanlo M, Haghani H. Relationship between social anxiety and some demographic variables of nursing student. Health and Care. 2015;17(1):19-29.
  2. Alsudais AS, Alghamdi AS, Alharbi AA, Alshehri AA, Alzhrani MA, S K, et al. Social Anxiety in E-Learning: Scale Validation and Sociodemographic Correlation Study. Education and Information Technologies. 2022.
  3. . Keskin S, Şahin M, Uluç S, Yurdugul H. Online Learners’ Interactions and Social Anxiety: the Social Anxiety Scale for E-Learning Environments (SASE). Interactive Learning nvironments. 2020:1-13.
  4. Neufeld CB, Palma PC, Caetano K, Brust-Renck PG, Curtiss J, Hofmann SG. A Randomized Clinical Trial of Group and Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approaches for Social Anxiety Disorder. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology. 2020;20(1):29–37.
  5. McGonagle K, Kessler R, Zhao S, Nelson C, Hughes M, Eshleman S. Lifetime and 12- month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the united states. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1994;51(1):8-19.
  6. Zargar Y, Beh Sak Nejad S, Akhlaghi Jami L, Zemestani M. the Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group Training of Social Skills and Group Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety Among Students. Studies in Medical Sciences. 2014;25(3):172-81.
  7. Asadi H, Mohammadi M, Naziri Q. Challenges and Integrative Treatment Models Based on Acceptance and Commitment in social anxiety disorder. Thought & Behavior in Clinical Psychology. 2020;14(55):87-105.
  8. Al-Hazmi BH, Sabur SS, Al-Hazmi RH. Social anxiety disorder in medical students at Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Journal Family Medicine and Primary Care Review. 2020;9(8):4329– 32.
  9. Hakami RM, Mahfouz MS, Adawi AM, Mahha AJ, Athathi AJ, Daghreeri HH, et al. Social Anxiety Disorder and its Impact in Undergraduate Students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. Mental Illness. 2018;9(2).
  10. Reta Y, Ayalew M, Yeneabat T, Bedaso A. Social Anxiety Disorder Among Undergraduate Students of Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ethiopia. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2020;16:571–7.
  11. Castella K, Goldin P, Jazaieri H, Ziv M, Heimberg R. Emotion Beliefs in Social Anxiety Disorder: Associations with Stress, Anxiety, and well-being. Australian Journal of sychology.2014;66(2):39- 48.
  12. Randle J. Bullying in the Nursing Profession. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2003;43(4):395-401.
  13. UNESCO. COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response (2020, March 24).
  14. Keskin S, Yurdugül H. Factors affecting students’ preferences for online and blended learning: Motivational vs. cognitive. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning. 2019;22(2):72-86.
  15. Vaona A, Banzi R, Kwag KH, Rigon G, Cereda D, Pecoraro V, et al. E-learning for Health Professionals. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018;1(1):5-10.
  16. Khan P. Effect of Social Anxiety Disorder on Students’ Academic Achievement Across the University Years. Pakistan: Bi-Annual Research Journal 2021:58.
  17. Shahrabi Farahani H, Rafiee Por A, Rezaeean S. Examining the Role of Gender in Social Anxiety. Roish Psychology Journal. 2018;7(10):243-54.
  18. Russell LM, Gould KL, Fergus TA. Self-Construal and Gender Interact to Cause Social Evaluative Concerns. Personality and individual Differences. 2017;109:51-5.
Future of Medical Education Journal
Volume 14, Issue 3
September 2024
Pages 10-15

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics