Student Vulnerabilities and Confidence in Learning in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors

Silvia K. Bartolic, University of British Columbia
Uwe Matzat, Eindhoven University of Technology
Joanna Tai, Deakin University
Jamie-Lee Burgess, University of New South Wales
David Boud, University of Technology Sydney
Hailey Craig, University of British Columbia
Audon Archibald, University of North Texas
Amy De Jaeger, University of Manitoba
Regina Kaplan-Rakowski, University of North Texas
Jenilyn L. Agapito, Ateneo de Manila UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1-2022

Abstract

How did the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic impact student learning in higher education? Everywhere, Sars-CoV-2 struck hardest in the most disadvantaged communities. This paper asks whether the virus's disproportionate effect on more vulnerable groups is replicated among college and university students. Data come from approximately 3800 students studying at nine higher education institutions located in six different countries around the globe. Conventional imagery of the ‘Ivory Tower’ treats colleges and universities as cloistered academic spaces beyond the ‘real world.’ Such imagery suggests that the patterns of COVID-19 inequity seen in the general population might not hold within higher education. However, the composition of the post-secondary student body has become more diverse and more representative. This could mean that patterns of inequity from the general population might hold, although perhaps at muted strength, among college and university students. We investigate the higher education context, asking how the characteristics of students, such as their gender or family background, their digital access, and their living arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacted their self-reported ability to learn. The paper finds that students in more difficult situations – no study space, too much noise, and poorer health – reported greater disruption to their learning than did their peers who experienced fewer challenging living arrangements. Vulnerability, as measured by students in traditionally marginalized positions, had smaller impacts on student's confidence in learning.

Recommended Citation

Bartolic, S., Matzat, U., Tai, J., Burgess, J.L., Boud, D., Craig, H., Archibald, A., De Jaeger, A., Kaplan-Rakowski, R., Lutze-Mann, L., Polly, P., Roth, M., Heap, T., Agapito, J., & Guppy, N. (2022). Student vulnerabilities and confidence in learning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies in Higher Education, 47(12), 2460-2472. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2081679