EMOTIONAL AWARENESS IN TIME OF DISRUPTION: THE IMPACT OF TOLERANCE FOR AMBIGUITY, WORRY, PERCEIVED STRESS, HELPFUL COMMUNICATION, AND PAST EXPERIENCE ON STUDENT SATISFACTION

ABSTRACT

During the Spring 2020 semester, university classes abruptly moved online in the wake of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. Unlike courses designed and implemented with an online environment in mind, this transition involved a massive and immediate migration involving faculty and students who had not prepared or registered for online course delivery. Many instructors and students were unfamiliar and/or unskilled for online education. The purpose of this research is to explore the role of tolerance for ambiguity, worry, perceived stress, helpful communication, and past online experience on students’ general satisfaction with the sudden transition to online classes and student satisfaction with individual performance during the transition. Our findings suggest that tolerance for ambiguity, perceived stress, and helpful communication all play a role in understanding general and individual performance satisfaction during a time of disruption. Worry also plays a role in understanding individual performance satisfaction. Identifying influential factors that contribute to student satisfaction during teaching disruptions helps marketing educators better care for and meet the educational needs of students. Ultimately, emotional awareness in the classroom should be a new normal for marketing education.