Coping is a basic process integral to adaptation and survival that people detect, appraise, deal

with, and learn from stressful encounters. It is any conscious or non-conscious adjustment or
adaptation that decreases tension and anxiety in a stressful experience or situation, especially
it happens in the context of life changes and trying to keep oneself a positive self-image and
emotional equilibrium (Skinner & Gembeck, 2016; American Psychological Association, 2010;
and Thompson et al., 2010). Townsend & Andrews (2019) described coping as the ability to
manage threatening, challenging, or potentially harmful situations and is crucial for well-being.
It mediates between antecedent stressful events and distressing consequences (Endler, 2001).
Likewise, Cramer (2015) states that coping mechanisms are the strategies people often use in
the face of stress and/or trauma to help manage painful or difficult emotions.
Coping mechanisms can help people adjust to stressful events while helping them maintain
their emotional well-being.
Johnston & Jonhston (1998) defined coping as what people do to try to minimize stress and is
commonly seen in health psychology as problem-focused, that is, directed at reducing the
threats and losses of the illness, or emotion-focused, namely directed at reducing the negative
emotional consequences. Furthermore, Algorani & Gupta (2020) defined coping as the thoughts
and behaviors mobilized to manage internal and external stressful situations.
It is a term used distinctively for conscious and voluntary mobilization of acts, different from
'defense mechanisms' that are subconscious or unconscious adaptive responses, both of which
aim to
reduce or tolerate stress.
When individuals are subjected to a stressor, the varying ways of dealing with it are termed
'coping styles,' which are a set of relatively stable traits that determine the
individual's behavior in response to stress.
Decades of research in the social and medical sciences have examined coping in many domains
across the lifespan.
Mainstream research, focusing on the measurement of individual differences and correlates of
coping, suggests that coping can buffer or exacerbate the effects of stress on mental and
physical health and functioning, as well as directly shape the development of psychopathology
and resilience (Skinner & Gembeck, 2016). To adjust to different stress, people may utilize some
combination of behavior, thought, and emotion, depending on the situation.
People may use coping mechanisms for stress management or to cope with anger, loneliness,
anxiety, or depression.
Townsend & Andrews (2019) proposed two different coping strategies such as behavioral or
cognitive.
Behavioral coping efforts are overt physical or verbal activities, whereas cognitive efforts
involve the conscious manipulation of one's thoughts or emotions.
A coping style is a typical manner of confronting a stressful situation and dealing with it.
Endler (1997) as cited in (Endler, 2001) has characterized three basic coping styles: task-
oriented, emotion-oriented, and avoidance-oriented (Endler 1997) as cited in Endler (2001).
Task-oriented coping consists of efforts aimed at solving the problem.
Emotion-oriented coping involves emotional reactions, and avoidance-oriented coping involves
activities and cognitions aimed at avoiding stressful situations and can be of a distraction or
social diversion nature.
One can also conceptualize and investigate coping in terms of how individuals respond to
specific stressful situations, such as coping with an illness.
Coping styles can be problem-focused—also called instrumental—or emotion-focused.
Problem-focused coping strategies are typically associated with methods of dealing with the
problem to reduce stress, while emotion-focused mechanisms can help people handle any
feelings of distress that result from the problem.
Further, coping mechanisms can be broadly categorized as active or avoidant.
Active coping mechanisms usually involve an awareness of the stressor and conscious attempts
to reduce stress.
Avoidant coping mechanisms, on the other hand, are characterized by ignoring or otherwise
avoiding the problem.
Some coping methods, though they work for a time, are not effective for a long-term period.
These ineffective coping mechanisms, which can often be counterproductive or have
unintended negative consequences, are known as “maladaptive coping.
” Adaptive coping mechanisms are generally considered to be healthy and effective ways of
managing stressful situations.
Among the more commonly used adaptive coping mechanisms (Thompson et al., 2010; Galor,
2012; Young, 2012; and Dombeck, 2006) are: Support: Talking about a stressful event with a
supportive person can be an effective way to manage stress.
Seeking external support instead of self-isolating and internalizing the effects of stress can
greatly reduce the negative effects of a difficult situation.
Relaxation: Any number of relaxing activities can help people cope with stress.
Relaxing activities may include practicing meditation, progressive muscle relaxation or other
calming techniques, sitting in nature, or listening to soft music.
Problem-solving: This coping mechanism involves identifying a problem that is causing stress
and then developing and putting into action some potential solutions for effectively managing
it.
Humor: Making light of a stressful situation may help people maintain perspective and prevent
the situation from becoming overwhelming.
Physical activity: Exercise can serve as a natural and healthy form of stress relief.
Running, yoga, swimming, walking, dance, team sports, and many other types of physical
activity can help people cope with stress and the aftereffects of traumatic events.
Thus, the use of effective coping skills can often help improve mental and emotional well-being.
People who can adjust to stressful or traumatic situations through productive coping
mechanisms may be less likely to experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health
concerns as a result of painful or challenging events.

The coronavirus pandemic caused a rise in emergency remote learning.

Most colleges and universities in the Philippines have had to shut their doors to protect their
faculty and students, they sent students home to study remotely. However, teaching and
learning continue at pre-determined times, but students watch the lectures online rather than
sitting in the classroom. Online learning strives to re-create the classroom environment as the
student learns through the computer. This means the student logs in to the virtual classroom
environment at scheduled times to view lectures or participate in group learning activities
(www.geneva.com, 2020). Furthermore, remote learning happens when the students and the
educator are not physically present in a traditional classroom environment. Relatively,
instruction is done through technology tools such as discussion boards, video conferencing,
and virtual assessments. It is an attempt to recreate the in-person, face-to-face classroom over
the internet (https://www.albert.io/blog/what-is-remote-learning/). Likewise, online learning is
where the student and the educator, or information source, are not physically present in a
traditional classroom environment.
Information is relayed through technology, such as discussion boards, video conferencing, and
online assessments.
Remote Learning can occur synchronously with real-time peer-to-peer interaction and
collaboration, or asynchronously, with self-paced learning activities that take place
independently of the instructor.
Online learning refers to educational activities that have a variety of formats and methods,
most of which take place online. There are several online options available for communicating
with students, collecting assignments, and distributing educational material. Therefore, online
learning is the process of teaching and learning performed at a distance.
Rather than having students and teachers coming together in person, remote learning means
that students are distanced from their teacher and their peers.

Online learning tries to mirror the traditional classroom, it cannot carry all of the paybacks of
the classroom to the home.
Students do not interact with their classmates unless they initiate communication online.
Online learning also does not provide the flexibility of face-to-face learning. Some students
might be struggling to log in to the online classroom at the scheduled times or might be having
difficulty connecting to the internet due to poor signal. There are so many drawbacks to remote
learning since this mode of learning is still in its trial and error phase. In this time of the
pandemic, online learning is at the forefront of education sectors. However, this mode of
learning delivery has its own set of challenges that can catch even seasoned educators off
guard. Here’s some actionable advice you can implement to overcome these remote learning
challenges (Colman, 2020). Distractions everywhere. Distractions are a reality of remote
learning. For instance, a parcel delivery into the home office is just a distraction if a learner is
answering emails, but if he or she is in the middle of a virtual classroom session, it’s disruptive
for everyone involved. Scheduling problems. Scheduling remote learning can be a bigger
challenge both for teachers and students. When blended learning solution that requires
attendees to commit to multiple synchronous and asynchronous activities (e.g., eLearning,
virtual instructor-led training (VILT), and video check-in sessions) adds another layer of
complexity. Poor online learning content. What works well in an instructor-led environment
does not always translate perfectly to good remote learning. Presentations used in an
instructor-led environment such as face-to-face may work in a virtual classroom context with a
bit of tweaking, but for interactive eLearning courses, it will need to repurpose existing content.
Technical issues. Even in the classroom environment, technical issues can interrupt learning
sessions. Remote learning is even more vulnerable.
From unstable network connections to software bugs and training environment access
problems, the list of things that can go wrong is extensive.
Learners are being left behind. In the classroom, the instructor can monitor the students and
adjust his or her pace to accommodate anyone who needs extra time.
In a virtual classroom, it’s more difficult to do so.
Learners may stay silent or “put on a brave face” and then leave the session feeling hopeless,
frustrated, and having learned nothing. Therefore, online learning presents its fair share of
challenges, and it can be especially problematic for students who are used to face-to-face
instruction. The key to delivering any good teaching-learning is planning and preparation, and
remote learning is no exception to this rule. By taking the proper time to plan and keep
participants informed, it will go a long way toward avoiding some of these remote learning
challenges.

Online learning, especially in developing countries where resources are a real problem, poses
overwhelming stress among the students amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic.
It emerged that the students employ the following coping strategies: looking for good space
and time; borrowing learning resources; seeking support from peers; approaching the teachers;
practicing time management;
doing learning tasks ahead; extending the time for learning tasks; diverting attention; regulating
the self; taking extra jobs; crying, and praying.
This paper provides evidence as regards the contextual coping strategies of students in trying
to succeed in remote learning amid a global crisis.
The conclusions and recommendations are offered at the end of the paper (Cahapay & Rotas,
2020). Overall, college students reported moderate levels of lockdown fatigue, with a mean
score of 31.54 (out of 50). Physical exhaustion or tiredness, headaches, and body pain
decreased motivation, and increased worry was the most pronounced manifestations of fatigue
reported.
Gender and college year were identified as important predictors of fatigue.
Increased personal resilience and coping skills were associated with lower levels of lockdown
fatigue.
College students experience moderate levels of fatigue during the mandatory lockdown or
home confinement period.
Resilient students and those who perceive higher social support experience lower levels of
fatigue during the lockdown period compared to students with low resilience and social
support.
Lockdown fatigue may be addressed by formulating and implementing interventions to
enhance personal resilience and social support among college students (Labrague, & Ballad,
2020). This study was designed to identify the causes of stress and coping strategies adopted
among distance education students at the College of Distance Education at the University of
Cape Coast. A total of 332 diploma and post-diploma final year students in the 2014/2015
academic year were selected from two study centers using a random sampling procedure to
respond to a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire which was adapted to suit the
study context was pre-tested to ensure that it elicited a valid response.
The results of the study showed that ‘academic workload’, ‘high frequency of examinations’,
‘financial problems, family/marriage problems’ were the major causes of stress among the
students.
The study also found some statistically significant differences between married and unmarried
students with married students feeling more stressed with ‘financial problems’ and
‘family/marriage problems’ than unmarried students.
Students used multiple strategies, mainly praying/meditating, self-distracting activities such as
watching TV and listening to music to cope with stress.
Other important stresses coping strategies were emotional and instrumental support from
family, friends, and lecturers. The study recommended among others that the need for the
counseling unit at the College of Distance Education of UCC to organize frequent stress
management programs for students and assign academic counselors to students (Kwaah &
Essilfie, 2017).

Synthesis

Due to the threat of COVID-19, colleges and universities are facing decisions about how to
continue teaching and learning while keeping their faculty, staff, and students safe from a
public
health emergency that is moving fast and not well understood.
Many institutions have opted to cancel all face-to-face classes, including labs and other learning
experiences, and have mandated that faculty move their courses online to help prevent the
spread
of the virus that causes COVID-19. Institutions of all sizes and types—state colleges and
universities making this decision have grown over time. Everyone involved in this abrupt
migration to remote and online learning must realize that these crises and disasters also create
disruptions to student, staff, and faculty lives. Instructors and administrators are urged to
reflect that students might not be able to attend courses immediately.
As a result, asynchronous activities might be more reasonable than synchronous ones.
Flexibility with deadlines for assignments within courses, course policies, and institutional
policies should be considered.
The threat of COVID-19 has presented some unique challenges for institutions of higher
education.
All parties involved—students, faculty, and staff—are being asked to do extraordinary things
regarding course delivery and learning that have not been seen on this scale.
Although this situation is stressful, when it is over, institutions will emerge with an opportunity
to evaluate how well they were able to implement remote teaching-learning to maintain
continuity of instruction. Allowing those involved to highlight strengths and identify weaknesses
to be better prepared for future needs to implement remote learning. Therefore, as the
Philippines ventures into a new mode of learning, several factors need to be considered.
This includes teacher capacity, situation and context of the learner, and efficiency of the
learning environment.
These are, of course, on top of the more obvious issues of internet speed, cost of materials, and
mode of delivery.
The best way to move forward is to take a step back and design a strategy that engages
teachers, students, parents, school administrators, and technology-based companies.
This collaborative response based on a collective vision is the kind of creative solution this novel
problem warrants.
These steps will further ease the stress and challenges that might be experienced by students
in the future.