Nathan Owens
Longwood University
COVID-19 Research Study Survey at Longwood University
11-24-20
Abstract
The purpose of the research experiment was to determine how respondents at Longwood University felt toward their time through COVID-19 at school and the procedures in place. A few of those procedures researched in this research experiment were: students’ worried feelings toward exposing their friends or family to COVID-19 since returning to school, and their attitudes toward Longwood’s social distancing and mask policies. The research was carried out through an anonymous survey of close-ended multiple choice questions and a few open-ended short answer questions. The survey was sent to every department head who was asked to send it to their students and faculty. The survey was taken by numerous Greek organizations at Longwood, athletics teams, and clubs. This was a mixed methods study which was sampled through google forums and collected quantitative data through the multiple choice questions and qualitative data through the three short answer questions. Some primary themes which were discovered to be similar among most of the respondents which were: feelings toward risk of exposure, distractions of virtual learning result in less learning, and respondents following the mask/social distancing policies. The statistical majority was that most respondents looked kindly on the mask/social distancing policies and agreed to abide by them. Most respondents felt that virtual learning inhibited their ability to focus and learning the material as opposed to in person learning. And the feeling toward risk of exposure were in the midrange with roughly 6/10 being the rate of fear on campus. The implications of the results are that of combatting the problems which respondents aim to be fixed, fixing them and fulfilling any other areas which are shown to not have a positive effect on campus toward COVID-19 precautions.
Introduction
The purpose of this research study involving surveying students, athletic members, Greek organizations and many more is to find out solutions and data on a problem. That problem is COVID-19. COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus is a virus that affects the reportorial functions of the body causing fever and cough which is rapidly spreading in society and college campuses are no different. A survey was developed to find out exactly what is working well at Longwood University and what needs to be fixed. The attitudes and feelings of respondents toward procedures and policies put in place by the school are assessed and described. There are not very many studies which have been conducted other than projections or face to face surveys on campuses which result in little to no answers. That research is not sufficient in that the data is not always reliable due to the limit in amount of participants as well as the lack of in depth questions which aim to really understand how respondents are feeling. This research study does a much better job at relaying what is working on campus, and what people support. The survey was 100% voluntary in a controlled online environment which gives us a much better guarantee that the data is reliable. Respondents got to speak their mind on policies which they believe are not working and show support for the ones which they believe are making a difference. The significance is stated again that this study aims to find out exactly what respondents feel is working or not working for the purpose of a better future not only for students on campus day to day, but so that also other campuses or organizations may look on this data and find what works for them. The bettering of social life and advancing safety through policies and guidelines by assessment of the data on the survey is the main priority.
Literature Review
With COVID-19 spreading all over the United States, some areas more than others, change and adaptation are required to strive forward successfully. This literature review will aim to lay out the attitudes and feelings college students have toward their learning experience, mental health, and feelings of safety on campus by comparing recent times before COVID-19 to the current time affected by the pandemic.
College Students’ Feelings toward Safety at School
College Universities have long been a huge part of the nation’s foundation, teaching countless students who went to do extraordinary things. However, colleges are not always 100% good. They can become a breeding ground for less than safe practices when it comes to binge drinking, partying, and crime. A study which asked the question how students attending college feel about their safety on their college campus found that not all students feel safe. In fact, according to the study by Troy University, “Among the students, 45% feels that security is inadequate” (Chekwa, Thomas, & Jones, 2013). Of the students studied, 45% did not feel safe with the current safety precautions in place on their campus. Safety on college campuses has always been an area which must be strongly cared for and continually made better. These days college campuses are still in a state of unsafe feelings. It still involves violence, rape, and unsafe partying, but just recently includes the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has caused widespread panic and shortage of supplies all over the nation. College campuses are no different. College students’ fears now include spreading and or contracting the virus themselves.
College Students’ Mental Health
Mental health is another factor closely affected by college and higher learning at universities. According to a study among roughly 5,000 college age adults, 2,000 of which were attending college, “Almost half of college-age individuals had a psychiatric disorder in the past year” (Blanco, et al, Comment paragraph 2, 2008). This mental illness is the result of increased alcohol use, stresses of not only growing up but also school workload in general, as well as other factors which affect mental health on campuses like violence or sexual assault. The study found that many students who do attend college have an alcohol abuse disorder, being that it is in fact a mental illness. The environments on campuses are usually the same, welcoming, friendly, and high-spirited. But behind the curtain is time management, getting enough sleep, and eating healthy. All of the stresses of school come down on the mental health of students which in some cases can be severe. According to the National Survey of Counseling Centers, “86 % of college directors report an increase in students’ reporting psychological problems” (Gallagher, Question 20, pg. 11, 2006). Today COVID-19 has played a role in mental health as well with students now having to deal with juggling schoolwork, part-time jobs, maintaining mental well-being, as well as suppressing the spread of a worldwide pandemic. This can and will put severe strains on the normative college life while in some cases cause severe mental stresses which can turn into illnesses. The Center for Collegiate Mental Health reported that in 2015 there were over 100,000 students attending colleges all over the nation seeking mental health treatment (Collegiate Mental Health, 2016). Based on current events that number is bound to go up.
College Students’ Feelings toward the Way of Learning
The way college students learn is usually the same from university to university. Big auditoriums are used for larger universities while smaller classrooms are utilized for smaller schools. Students may often choose whether they would like to attend school online or in person like the majority of students do. A majority of students prefer in person learning however there is data which shows that some students prefer learning over the computer. According to a study on online learning, many students who choose to participate in learning over the web prefer self-regulated learning (You & Kang, 2014). This type of learning allows the student to focus on a particular subject and learn it at their own pace rather than only being able to have so much time for any one particular subject. There has been an increase in the desire for online learning, however. “The increased accessibility and interest in distance learning is resulting in a number of public high schools, such as the public school system in state of Michigan, beginning to require students to successfully complete an online course as a prerequisite to graduation” (Gilbert, 2015, pg. 6). Online work has become more and more utilized with today’s technology and this has only been proven by COVID-19. The virus has caused many colleges nationwide to close down and offer only online versions of their courses. Many students may feel this as unnecessary as they may not be able to learn quite as well over the computer while others prefer this option.
In conclusion, the coronavirus has and will cause many differences in college learning to come. The students’ feelings of safety have changed to adapt to not only their current fears of college violence, but now also preventing the spread of the virus. The mental health of students will be challenged by keeping track of all their schoolwork as well as the happenings around the nation through prevention. The way of learning may never be the same with some students preferring online learning while others cannot seem to grasp it. The coronavirus has caused for adaptation and a whole new way of learning with loads of challenges along the way.
Data and Methods
Sample
The students at Longwood University were surveyed about their feelings and emotions toward some of the changes happening at school due to COVID-19. A nonprobability convenient sample was used. Our survey consisted of a list of mostly close ended questions with a few open ended. The questions varied, for example some asked how students felt toward their safety at Longwood University based on the current precautions in place, some asked about demographics or mental health. However, all of the questions aim to learn exactly how Longwood students feel right now with the pandemic spreading. The survey was sent to every faculty member in the Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice departments. A link to the survey will also be put on every class Facebook page for Longwood as well as to clubs and Greek organizations which some researches were members.
Quantitative
The data from this research came from the 433 anonymous volunteering surveyors who participated in the survey. My research question was do Longwood students feel safe based on the current precautions in place at school. The dependent variable in our study was the students’ feelings of safety and mental wellbeing responses. The multiple choice responses from the survey will give us a sense of how they are feeling. The independent variable was the safety precautions set in place by Longwood because of COVID-19. We analyzed our close-ended survey questions using descriptive statistics and figures. The specific variables were chosen to determine the feelings and attitudes students have during the pandemic for the public knowledge and to see if further precautions or help are needed.
Qualitative
We analyzed the three open-ended questions on the survey which are: “What seems to be working well this semester”, “Have the changes to classes affected your motivation to learn course material? If yes, how so”, and “Is there anything you would like us to know related to Longwood and changes due to COVID-19? Please use the space below to tell us”. Our participants were recruited through Greek organizations, clubs, athletics, multiple faculty departments, and students on campus who were willing by simply asking them to take the survey.
Findings
Quantitative Findings
The independent variable is respondents’ support for Longwood’s guidelines and mask policy. Respondents answered “yes”, “no”, “maybe”, “does not apply”, or “other”. The dependent variable is how worried you are about exposing your family and friends to COVID-19. This is asked on a 0 (not at all) to 10 (an extreme amount) scale. The hypothesis is respondents who do not like how Longwood University is handling COVID-19 guidelines will be more fearful of COVID-19 exposure.
The mean score for how worried respondents are about exposing themselves, their family members and friends was 6.02. The standard deviation was 2.98. This means that about 68% of students answered between 3.04 and 9. This shows that answers on this variable varied greatly.
Table 1
Students’ support for Longwood’s mask policy and social distancing policies
| Support for Longwood’s mask/social distancing policies | Count | Percent |
| yes | 366 | 84.53 |
| no | 31 | 7.16 |
| maybe | 26 | 6.00 |
| does not apply | 10 | 2.31 |
Note. N=433
Table 1 shows that the majority of respondents are supportive of the mask and social distancing policies at Longwood with 84.53% of respondents answering yes. Only just over 7% of respondents reported being unsupportive of the policies. Only 6% of respondents reported they are maybe in support of the policies and 2.31% said it does not apply to them.
Table 2
On a scale of 0-10 how worried respondents are toward exposure.
_________________________________________________________________
How worried respondents are toward
exposing family and friends since
returning back to campus.
______________________________ Count Percent
0 22 5.1%
1 27 6.3%
2 13 3.0%
3 26 6.0%
4 40 9.3%
5 52 12.1%
6 45 10.5%
7 48 11.2%
8 50 11.6%
9 41 9.5%
10 66 15.3%
________________________________________________________________
Note. N=430
Table 2 asked how worried are you about exposing your family and friends since returning to school. The majority of respondents answered that they were a little bit worried, but not extremely with the average being 6.02 on the 0-10 scale. Of the respondents, 15.3% of them reported they were extremely worried about exposure while 5.1% reported they were not worried at all.
The original hypothesis stated that students who do not like how Longwood University is handling COVID-19 guidelines will be more fearful of COVID-19 exposure and the data is supported. It turns out that a majority of respondents actually do support the guidelines in place which in turn caused most of them to respond that they were somewhat worried, but not extremely. If the majority of respondents reported non-supportive feelings toward the guidelines then there would be a much higher average of respondents who answered extremely worried.
Qualitative Findings
We analyzed the three open-ended questions on the survey which are: “What seems to be working well this semester”, “Have the changes to classes affected your motivation to learn course material? If yes, how so”, and “Is there anything you would like us to know related to Longwood and changes due to COVID-19? Please use the space below to tell us”. Our participants were recruited through Greek organizations, clubs, athletics, multiple faculty departments, and students on campus who were willing by simply asking them to take the survey.
The data gathered from respondents’ survey responses resulted in three substantial issues – College students’ feelings toward risk of exposure, following safety policies on campus, and learning less during virtual online schooling. The data was gathered from three open-ended questions on our survey which are: “Have the changes to classes affected your motivation to learn course material?” “What seems to be working well this semester?” and “Is there anything you would like us to know related to Longwood and changes due to COVID-19?” There was an overall consensus among the respondents that online learning is “frustrating,” and “difficult,” just to name a few. The feelings and opinions of online learning, risk of exposure, and policies are examined.
Virtual Learning Results in Less Learning
The open-ended question “Have the changes to classes affected your motivation to learn course material?” resulted in roughly 400 responses with a majority of respondents reporting the same idea. Of the respondents who participated and replied to the open-ended question, a lack of motivation and increase in distraction during online learning versus in person learning is a substantial reoccurring theme in the responses. Respondent 162 replied saying “Yes. I feel like I’m not learning as much as I would in person. Just submitting assignments before 11:59.” Respondent 92 said “Yes definitely, now it all seems like only turning stuff in is our job and not learning with this online.” Both of these respondents represent a larger number of other participants who replied with the same themed responses all aiming toward a similar idea. The idea is that online learning has a negative effect on the learning ability of many students by causing a lack of focused attention on virtual lectures along with decreased desire to actually want to understand the material rather than just turning it in. Take respondent 194 for example, “It can be hard to stay motivated and not get distracted by wanting to do other work during online classes. It is also easy to skip “optional” or extra resources.” This response is similar to the other responses in that they all point toward a lack of motivation and increased distraction while learning online. One difference in respondent 194’s response compared to a majority of others’ however is that they mention how easy it is to skip “optional” work. The lack of students’ teachers holding them accountable in a face to face setting causes for even less motivation and increased distractions which in turn means less learning.
Feelings of Risk of Exposure
There are many respondents who feel strongly that Longwood could have done a better job at preventing the spread of COVID-19 on campus. Respondent 399 provides their opinion, “I think that Longwood should have tested and quarantined all students when we arrived back on campus.” Some respondents feel that if Longwood would have gotten ahead of the wave and tested everyone then there would be much less risk. Others put forth similar concerns toward their risk of exposure. For example:
“I think that there is clear evidence that Longwood is trying to keep us safe but I think that it is still in the very beginning stages. The health center should be more thorough about re-testing people at the end of their quarantine to ensure that they are not positive. I tested negative but still had to quarantine, and I have friends that tested negative at the same time as me but then tested positive on the last day of quarantine. If they didn’t have symptoms, they wouldn’t have been retested and would’ve exposed a lot of people.” (Respondent 237)
“I think it is a severe oversight that Longwood has not been doing sample testing. Also, while I may have missed some stuff due to being an out-of-town commuter, I think the absence of active campaigning for students to wear masks even with close friends, when sharing a car, in small groups, etc., has also been an oversight. Our civic responsibility in nearly doubling the population of a town when school is in session should be really hammered home, not just occasionally mentioned in emails.” (Respondent 317)
Respondents 237 and 317 both voice their feelings towards risk of exposure due to the lack of adequate testing and communication of the health center to the university. Other respondents felt that Longwood is not doing enough to manage the happenings which are not seen on campus. Respondent 48 says “I don’t think Longwood is doing enough to manage the off campus parties and spread of COVID. Some students aren’t taking this serious at all.” Respondent 48 represents a wide array of other respondents who also feel the same way.
Compliance towards Policies (Masks/Social Distancing)
One of the open-ended questions listed on the survey stated “What seems to be working well this semester?” A consensus formed among the hundreds of respondents which leaned in the direction of overall compliance and understanding towards the newly implemented mask and social distancing policies. When asked the open-ended question stated above, respondent 2 replied “People wearing masks.” Respondent 40 said “People following the mask policy on campus and social distancing.” And respondent 69 stated “Face mask signs all over campus are good. The social distancing stickers remind people.” These respondents do not stand alone. Many other respondents feel that most people seem to be okay with the current distancing policies and understand that they are there to keep everyone safe.
The results are conclusive. Respondents feel that Longwood could have done a much better job of preventing spread at the beginning of the semester. They believe that the communication of the health center is insufficient as well as the ability to be tested is highly inadequate. Respondents report a lack of effort to control off campus spreading also. Virtual learning has been reported to result in much less learning and focus due to the distracting nature of not being in class as well as the lack of accountability from professors to push the students to keep going. Despite all of the other data, respondents feel that mask policies and social distancing are being adhered by with many reporting they fully support it.
Conclusion
The study aimed to determine exactly how respondents at Longwood University felt toward the changes incorporated on campus due to the rapid spreading COVID-19 pandemic. The results conclusively showed for the most part respondents felt that the mask/social distancing policies are there for a reason and it is to keep them safe. Almost 85%, or 366 respondents reported support for the policy while only 31 respondents or just over 7% said they did not support it. In the grand scheme of things this goes against what a lot of people seem to believe that the mask policies in and out of campus are an inconvenience and they hate to wear them. This proves that respondents understand why the policy is in place and are willing to abide by it. The feelings of respondents toward being exposed or exposing their friends and families since returning to campus are up and down. This meaning that some respondents chose a low score on the scale which means they are not worried at all while others picked a high score on the scale which means they are extremely worried for their safety. After analyzing the data and discovering the average we found that most people are mildly worried about exposure. The average score was 6.02 putting it in the near mid-section of the scale. Only 22 people said they were not worried at all and 66 reported extreme worry. This means that there are some changes which must happen on campus to help alleviate the worried feelings of respondents.