Navigating challenges during Covid-19 pandemic: experiences and coping strategies of Singapore students

ABSTRACT

Objectives

This study explores the experiences and coping strategies of secondary students as they engaged in learning activities during the pandemic. It investigated the sources of student stress during the pandemic, and the extent to which the pandemic influenced the stress that they usually experience.

Method

Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit details of the students’ lived experiences as they navigated learning via an online platform, their coping strategies in managing stress.

Results

With regards to academic experiences, many students found online learning challenging and ineffective and were concerned about their examinations. Under social experiences, many students shared that they missed social and recreational activities during the “circuit breaker”. However, some students demonstrated resilience and were able to see the benefits of going through the pandemic. More students reported academic-related than social-related stress. The students coped with stress in three ways: (1) disengagement, (2) taking active steps and (3) turning to others.

Conclusion

Academic concerns were a major source of distress among adolescents. Insights that were drawn from the results of the study can be utilized to support students in managing stress and mitigate its adverse effects on student learning and functioning.

KEY POINTS

What is already known about this topic:

• (1) The pandemic has a more serious impact on adolescents’ mental health and emotional well-being and many adolescents experience anxiety during this period.

• (2) Positive reappraisal, strengths use and emotional processing are some strategies used by adolescents to cope with stress during the pandemic.

What this topic adds:

• (1) Although many students found online learning stressful and ineffective, some students in this study had meaningful and positive experiences during the period when they had online lessons at home.

• (2) Despite the challenges, some students demonstrated resilience and were even able to see the benefits arising from going through the pandemic. Others appreciated spending more time with their family members.

• (3) Adolescents coped with stress experienced during the pandemic in three ways: (1) disengagement, (2) taking active steps and (3) turning to others.

KEYWORDS:

• Stress
• coping strategies
• COVID-19
• emotional problems

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

The protocol for this study was reviewed by the Nanyang Technological University Institutional Review Board. The study’s ethics review approval form has a reference no of IRB-2019 November 2003.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Tan Chee Soon, upon reasonable request.

Notes

1. As part of the larger study, we assessed the students’ subjective level of stress experienced over a month using Cohen et al. (1983) Perceived Stress Scale. The students’ belief about stress was assessed using Crum et al. (2013) instrument, with higher scores on the scale suggesting stronger endorsement of the stress-is-enhancing mindset (SEM), which pertains to the belief that stress has beneficial effects; lower scores suggest stronger endorsement of the belief that stress has harmful effects on productivity, well-being, health and growth. The four clusters that were determined using cluster analysis applied on students’ perceived stress and SEM scores, along with the breakdown of the number of students’ interviewed per cluster, are as follows: Cluster 1(n = 11) = moderate to high stress and low SEM scores, Cluster 2 (n = 9)= high stress and very low SEM scores, Cluster 3 (n = 10) = low stress level with moderate SEM scores, and Cluster 4 (n = 11) = low moderate stress and low SEM scores.

2. The categorization was based on the student's aggregate scores in the national examination given at the end of their primary education. Students in the lower achievement band had scores lower than the cohort mean and those from the moderate to high achievement band had scores above the cohort mean.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Education Research Funding Programme of the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University under Project Grant OER 15/19 ISC.