Article Gold Open Access 2021

Associations between depression, anxiety, fatigue, and learning motivating factors in E-learning-based computer programming education

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Journal · Vol. 18 · Issue 17 · Art. 9158
Abstract

Quarantines imposed due to COVID-19 have forced the rapid implementation of e-learn-ing, but also increased the rates of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, which relate to dramatically diminished e-learning motivation. Thus, it was deemed significant to identify e-learning motivating factors related to mental health. Furthermore, because computer programming skills are among the core competencies that professionals are expected to possess in the era of rapid technology devel-opment, it was also considered important to identify the factors relating to computer programming learning. Thus, this study applied the Learning Motivating Factors Questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 (MFI-20) instruments. The sample consisted of 444 e-learners, including 189 computer programming e-learners. The results revealed that higher scores of individual attitude and expectation, challenging goals, clear direction, social pressure, and competition significantly varied across depression categories. The scores of challenging goals, and social pressure and competition, significantly varied across anxiety categories. The scores of individual attitude and expectation, challenging goals, and social pressure and competition significantly varied across general fatigue categories. In the group of computer programming e-learners: challenging goals predicted decreased anxiety; clear direction and challenging goals predicted decreased de-pression; individual attitude and expectation predicted diminished general fatigue; and challenging goals and punishment predicted diminished mental fatigue. Challenging goals statistically significantly predicted lower mental fatigue, and mental fatigue statistically significantly predicted depression and anxiety in both sample groups. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Anxiety Learning depression Fatigue Motivating factors

Index Keywords

E-learning Teaching learning adult female human male questionnaire Humans Article motivation COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 controlled study policy implementation attitude mental health Health education anxiety expectation Competition Computer-Assisted Instruction social problem depression Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Patient Health Questionnaire 9 questionnaire survey software health survey computer simulation prediction punishment health policy linear programing Learning Motivating Factors Questionnaire mental fatigue Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory 20 computer Computers
Author Affiliations
Faculty of Creative Industries, Vilniaus Gedimino Technikos Universitetas, Vilnius, Lithuania, Institute of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania
Institute of Psychology, Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania
Department of Psychology, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Kaunas, Lithuania
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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