Exploring preservice teachers’ digital skills, stress, and coping strategies during online lessons amid covid-19 pandemic in Ghana

Figures & data

Table 1. Descriptive statistics for participants (n = 661)

		N	%
Gender
	Female	303	45.8
	Male	358	54.2
Marital status
	Married	23	3.5
	Single	638	96.5
Location
	Urban	203	34.8
	Peri-urban	355	53.7
	Rural	76	11.5
Age
	<25	649	98.2
	26–36	6	0.9
	>37	6	0.9
Programme
	Early childhood	35	5.3
	Primary	326	49.3
	Junior high	300	45.4
Elective course
	Math	77	11.6
	Science	33	5
	ICT	62	9.2
	English Language	37	5.6
	Social Studies	173	26.2
	Early Childhood	38	5.7
	Ghanaian Language	67	10.1
	Other	174	26.3

Table 2. Exploratory factor analysis of digital skills

		Factor Loadings
	Item	Factor 1	Factor 2
		(Basic Office skills)	(Internet skills)
(a)	I know how to change the margins of a document (e.g., using Word)	0.747
(b)	I know how to use a table in a document (e.g., using Word)	0.858
(c)	I know how to insert a table in a document (e.g., using Word)	0.844
(d)	I know how to use a spreadsheet to plot a graph (e.g., using Excel)	0.816
(e)	I know how to create a presentation (e.g., using PowerPoint)	0.763
(f)	I know how to open downloaded files		0.823
(g)	I know how to complete online forms		0.771
(h)	I know how to connect to a Wi-Fi network		0.787
(i)	I find it easy to decide what the best keywords are to use for online searches		0.702
(j)	I find it easy to find a website that I visited before		0.766
Percentage of variances		72.085
Cronbach’s α		0.92

Table 3. Exploratory factor analysis of items measuring causes of stress

		Factor Loadings
		Factor 1	Factor 2
	Item	(Limited resources—related)	(Academic-related)
(a)	Financial problems	0.716
(b)	Limited internet access	0.716
(c)	Difficulty in using digital skills on the learning platform	0.723
(d)	Limited access to digital devices (smart phone, laptop etc.)	0.674
(e)	Frustration when I could not use the learning platform	0.682
(f)	Dissatisfaction with online teaching		0.751
(g)	Difficulty reading and understanding materials		0.771
(h)	Inability to manage time		0.796
(j)	Inability to concentrate during online lectures		0.761
(j)	Anxiety about performance on exams		0.708
(k)	Worries about the future		0.750
Percentage of variances		58.796
Cronbach’s α		0.90

Table 4. Exploratory factor analysis of items measuring stress coping strategies

		Factor Loadings
		Factor 1 (Giving Up)	Factor 2 (Positive Framing)
	Item
(a)	Using tobacco/alcohol/drugs to feel better	0.719
(b)	Making fun of the situation	0.772
(c)	Giving up the attempt to do anything about the situation	0.679
(d)	Doing something about the situation; taking action to negate the stressor		0.668
(e)	Seeing something good in what is happening; learning from experience		0.627
(f)	Getting emotional support/advice from friends and family		0.650
Percentage of variances		58.796
Cronbach’s α		0.705

Table 5. Frequency of use of devices to access online teaching and learning platforms

	Female				Male
	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Never	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Never
Desktop computer	2(0.7)	1(0.3)	25(8.3)	275(90.8)	3(0.8)	5(1.4)	45(12.6)	305(85.2)
Laptop	6(2.0)	4(1.3)	50(16.5)	243(80.2)	20(5.6)	12(3.4)	82(22.9)	244(68.2)
Tablet/iPad	12(4.0)	3(1.0)	28(9.2)	260(85.8)	8(2.2)	5(1.4)	38(10.6)	307(85.8)
Smart phone	69(22.8)	11(3.6)	181(59.7)	42(13.9)	83(23.2)	26(7.3)	203(56.7)	46(12.8)
Borrowed laptop	1(0.3)	4(1.3)	43(14.2)	255(84.2)	5(1.4)	8(2.2)	78(21.8)	267(74.6)
Borrowed smart phone	9(3.0)	6(2.0)	73(24.1)	215(71.0)	21(5.9)	13(3.6)	111(31.0)	213(59.5)

Table 6. Digital skills of pre-service teachers by gender (M, SD, p-value and effect size)

		Males (n = 358)		Females (n = 303)
		Mean	SD	Mean	SD	Sig	Effect size
Basic Microsoft Office skills
	I know how to change the margins of a document (e.g., using Word)	2.63	1.01	2.09	0.85
	I know how to use a table in a document (e.g., using Word)	2.67	0.95	2.22	0.83
	I know how to insert a table in a document (e.g., using Word)	2.64	0.96	2.15	0.84
	I know how to use a spreadsheet to plot a graph (e.g., using Excel)	2.23	0.94	1.93	0.78
	I know how to create a presentation (e.g., using PowerPoint)	2.55	0.94	2.02	0.87
	Overall mean	2.57	0.83	2.15	0.75	0.01*	0.08
Internet Skills
	I know how to open downloaded files	3.14	0.69	2.84	0.76
	I know how to complete online forms	2.92	0.84	2.59	0.78
	I know how to connect to a Wi-Fi network	3.05	0.78	2.63	0.87
	I find it easy to decide what the best keywords are to use for online searches	2.62	0.81	2.25	0.82
	I find it easy to find a website I visited before	2.78	0.89	2.40	0.81
	Overall mean	2.78	0.64	2.34	0.62	0.01*	0.07

*Statistical significance = p < .05.

Table 7. Causes of stress during online teaching and learning by gender

		Male (358)		Female (303)		Sig	Effect size
		Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Limited resources–related stressors				2.6	0.9		-
	Financial problems	3.38	0.78	3.28	0.81
	Limited internet access	3.37	0.80	3.31	0.81
	Difficult in using digital skills on the learning platform	2.92	0.95	3.08	0.83
	Limited access to digital devices (smart phone, laptop etc.)	3.14	0.91	3.12	0.91
	Restlessness when unable to use the learning platform	3.11	0.94	3.24	0.88
	Overall mean	2.84	0.68	2.83	0.76	0.08*
Academic-related stressors
	Dissatisfaction with online teaching	2.97	0.97	2.90	0.94
	Difficulty reading and understanding materials	2.77	1.01	2.90	0.90
	Inability to manage time	2.94	0.93	2.93	1.01
	Inability to concentrate during online lectures	3.0	1.01	3.01	1.02
	Anxiety about performance on exams	2.84	0.68	2.83	0.76
	Worries about the future	3.01	0.99	2.99	1.02
	Overall mean	2.95	0.69	3.07	0.70	0.03*	0.01

Table 8. Correlation between digital skills and stress during online teaching and learning

		1	2	3	4	5
1	Digital skills
2	Basic Microsoft Office skills	.927**
3	Internet skills	.896**	.670**
4	Limited resources–	−.659	−.051	−.038
5	related stress Academic-related	−.097*	−.083*	−.078*	.840**
	stress	−.015	−.014	.003	.900**	.518**

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)

* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

Table 9. Pre-service teachers’ strategies for coping with stress

		Male		Female
		Mean	SD	Mean	SD
Giving up
	Using tobacco/alcohol/drugs to feel better	1.38	0.66	1.46	0.75
	Making fun of the situation	1.73	0.83	1.75	0.83
	Giving up the attempt to do anything about the situation	2.15	0.89	2.20	0.98
Positive framing
	Doing something about the situation; taking action to negate stressor	2.70	0.91	2.71	0.97
	Seeing something good in what is happening and learning from the experience	2.78	0.88	2.65	0.88
	Getting emotional support/advice from friends and family	2.64	0.95	2.74	0.93