EFFECT OF THE COVID 19 IN THE MENTAL HEALTH OF LEARNERS

A Research proposal presented to the

Faculty of Santiago National High School
Senior High School

In Partial fulfilment in the subject

Investigation, Immersion, and Inquiries
Second Semester
School Year 2020-2021

Researchers:
Merlyn Nicole Ancheta
Mark Kenneth Campilla
Jhuniel Eligio
John Rey Mamaclay
Charles Darwin Pasion
Jincent Paul Ronquillo
Nathaniel Ronquillo
John Cesar Salatan
Junel Viesta

Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)

Grade XII
CHAPTER I
 THE PROBLEM

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—and the social distancing

measures that many countries have implemented—have caused disruptions to daily

routines. As of April 8, 2020, schools have been suspended nationwide in 188 countries,

according to UNESCO. Over 90% of enrolled learners (1·5 billion young people)

worldwide are now out of education. The UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay

warned that “the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is

unparalleled”.

For children and adolescents with mental health needs, such closures mean a lack

of access to the resources they usually have through schools. In a survey by the mental

health charity YoungMinds, which included 2111 participants up to age 25 years with a

mental illness history in the UK, 83% said the pandemic had made their conditions worse.

26% said they were unable to access mental health support; peer support groups and face-

to-face services have been cancelled, and support by phone or online can be challenging

for some young people.

The most significant impediment to academic success is mental health issues.

Mental illness can have an impact on students' motivation, concentration, and social

interactions, all of which are important factors in their success in higher education. The

COVID-19 pandemic has raised attention to the mental health of those who have been

impacted. Epidemics are known to amplify or create new stressors, such as anxiety and
worry for oneself or loved ones, restrictions on physical movement and social activities

due to quarantine, and abrupt and extreme lifestyle changes. Infection worries, frustration,

boredom, insufficient resources, insufficient information, financial loss, and stigma were

all recognized stresses in a recent assessment of virus outbreaks and pandemics. Much of

the existing material on COVID-19's psychological effects comes from the first hotspots

in China. Although some studies have looked at mental health difficulties in epidemics,

most of them have focused on health care personnel, patients, children, and the public.

People panic when they doubt themselves as COVID Positive, and many more

occurrences occurred. In this pandemic, these psychological effects can be introduced as

poor or broken psychological health because of COVID – 19. Anxiety, depression,

insomnia, mood swings, mind diversion, and other symptoms of poor psychological health

can be identified. Furthermore, the lockdown conditions are one of the primary causes of

this poor psychological health condition. In normal times, depression and anxiety are

caused by lifestyle, social intimacy, success or failure in life, human contact, and social

situations. However, in this pandemic, this rate has increased.

The COVID-19 outbreak prompted widespread government shutdowns. The

mental health effects of these lockdowns are poorly understood. On the one hand, such

significant shifts in everyday patterns may be harmful to mental health. On the other hand,

because the entire population was affected, it may not be perceived negatively.

In this period, the pandemic has caused a delay on the things that students must do.

The mental health of students has been compromised because of the pandemic and it is

important to having a good mental health in these times. The students are not able to learn

a lot because of being concerned about internet connection for their online class, too broad
and arduous reading on their modules coupled with their chores at home. Worst, the grade

of the students is low, and they cannot cope with the changes of the academic curriculum.

This study will provide insights to students on how they can cope with their studies and

make amendments to their daily routine. Furthermore, such possibilities like attending

seminars and trainings, taking advice from health professionals, doing recreational

activities would be recommended if results manifested to be aligned with such.

Statement of the Problem

The aim of this study is to determine effects of CoViD-19 to the mental health of

the students in the School Year 2021-2022.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Age

b. Gender

2. Did CoViD-19 affect the student’s mental health?

3. What learning modality does the respondents prefer?

4. Do the respondents agree on the effects of CoViD-19 to their mental health?

5. What is the significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and

their agreement on the effects of CoViD-19 to their mental health?

Hypothesis

1. There is no significant relationship between the profile of the respondents and their

level of agreement on the effects of CoViD-19 to their mental health.

Assumption
 The responses of the respondents are true and are free of bias. Their responses

come from their prior knowledge about the effect of CoViD 19 to their mental health.

Theoretical Framework

This study is supported by Mezirow (1997) theory of transformative learning. This

theory explains that the learning begins when the learners experience an anticipated

situation or a discomfort position. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic created

dissonance in the education system around the world, and caused paradigm shifts and

transformation in higher education. Transformative learning is the expansion of

conscience through self-adaption to a changing situation. Mezirow believes that

disorienting dilemma causes alterations that leads to cognitive differences and dramatic

changes in the education.

This theory is suitable for the current paper because it examines students'

experience of teaching and learning during a sudden transformation in Afghan higher

education. The theory of transformative learning focuses on experiences of a person to the

learning situation. It states that when students experience learning, they create meaning

which causes transformation in their attitudes, behavior and understanding. This theory

proposes that learners experience challenging tasks during the paradigm shifts so that they

should be encouraged to think critically and rationally to measure their understanding of

the learning process (Hashemi et al., 2021).

Mezirow points out that transformative learning happens when the learners interact

with the environment and integrate with the learning process. Learners may face problems

to access the resources in developing countries because the facilities are limited. This
restrict is understandable and highly affects students' learning outcome in higher

education. In order to enhance students' learning during a cognitive dissonance, educators

should utilize useful techniques and shift the learning process to new norms. This change

will lead to sense of control and self-awareness among the learners. As a result, these

variations will lead to innovation and transformation in the learning process.

Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS

 Profile of the respondents:  Significant relationship the

Age profile of the respondents and

Gender their level of agreement on

 Agreement of the the effects of CoViD-19 to

respondents on the effects of their mental health.

CoViD-19 to their mental

health

Figure 1. Research Paradigm of the Study

Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework/research paradigm of this study. It made

use of the Input-Process (IP) paradigm to gather the desired results. The study gathered

age and gender as part of the profile of the respondents, and their agreement on the effects

of CoViD-19 to their mental health. Afterwards, the researchers used Pearson-r Moment

Correlation Coefficient to determine the significant relationship the profile of the

respondents and their level of agreement on the effects of CoViD-19 to their mental

health.
Significance of the Study

Results and findings of this study are deemed significant to the following:

Administrators. The output of this study will provide an insight in providing

better programs or trainings and activities that could help teachers and students have a

better mental health.

Teachers and Future Teachers. The findings of this study would be of

significance to teachers and potential teachers in enhancing the critical role of raising

mental health on the students.

The Researcher. Results of this study has helped the researcher realized the

importance of mental health among the students. The appropriate remedy to augment

problems of the students should be given great importance.

Future Researchers. This study can serve as reference of future research

endeavors to be conducted by other researchers.

Scope and Limitation

The focus of this study is the determine the Effect of Covid 19 in the Mental

Health of the Learners of Grade 12 HUMSS (Rosaline). The students were chosen as

respondents since they are being stricken with the CoViD-19 pandemic and directly

compromised on their mental health and their education. Questionnaires will be floated to

the respondents and utmost anonymity and confidentiality.

 The aspects looked upon on this study are the Effect of Mental Health of Learners,

specifically on how the CoViD-19 affected the students’ mental health, and if what

learning modality do they mostly prefer to use during the pandemic.

Definition Of Terms

Age. The period someone has been alive, or something has existed.

Gender. Characteristics of women, men, girls, and boys that are socially

constructed. This includes norms, behaviors and roles associated with being a woman,

man, girl or boy, as well as relationships with each other.

CoViD-19. An infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In this

research, it is the reason why students have mental health problems.

Learning Modality. The sensory channels or pathways through which individuals

give, receive, and store information. Perception, memory, and sensation comprise the

concept of modality. The modalities or senses include visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic,

smell, and taste.

HUMSS. Known as Humanities and Social Sciences is a Senior High School

strand that covers a wide range of disciplines that delve into the investigation and inquiry

of the human conditions that uses empirical, analytical, and critical methods of studying

human behavior and societal changes

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW AND RELATED LITERATURE

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, affecting

almost all countries and territories. The outbreak was first identified in December 2019 in

Wuhan, China. The countries around the world cautioned the public to take responsive

care. The public care strategies have included handwashing, wearing face masks, physical

distancing, and avoiding mass gathering and assemblies. Lockdown and staying home

strategies have been put in place as the needed action to flatten the curve and control the

transmission of the disease (Sintema, 2020).

Bhutan first declared closing of schools and institutions and reduction of business

hours during the second week of March 2020 (Kuensel, 2020, 6 March). The complete

nationwide lockdown was implemented from 1 August 2020 (Palden, 2020). In between,

movements were allowed, offices began functioning, schools and college reopened for

selected levels and continued with online class for others. More than 170,000 children in

Bhutan from classes PP–XII are, today, affected by the school closure. The impact is far

reaching and has affected learning during this academic year or even more in the coming

days. Several schools, colleges and universities have discontinued face-to-face teaching.

There is a pressing need to innovate and implement alternative educational and

assessment strategies. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to

pave the way for introducing digital learning (Dhawan, 2020).

Research highlights certain dearth such as the weakness of online teaching

infrastructure, the limited exposure of teachers to online teaching, the information gap,

non-conducive environment for learning at home, equity and academic excellence in

terms of higher education. This article evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

on teaching and learning process across the world. The challenges and opportunities of

online and continuing education during the COVID-19 pandemic is summarized and way

forward suggested.

Lockdown and social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have

led to closures of schools, training institutes and higher education facilities in most

countries. There is a paradigm shift in the way educators deliver quality education—

through various online platforms. The online learning, distance and continuing education

have become a panacea for this unprecedented global pandemic, despite the challenges

posed to both educators and the learners. Transitioning from traditional face-to-face

learning to online learning can be an entirely different experience for the learners and the

educators, which they must adapt to with little or no other alternatives available. The

education system and the educators have adopted “Education in Emergency” through

various online platforms and are compelled to adopt a system that they are not prepared

for.

E-learning tools have played a crucial role during this pandemic, helping schools

and universities facilitate student learning during the closure of universities and schools

(Subedi et al., 2020). While adapting to the new changes, staff and student readiness needs

to be gauged and supported accordingly. The learners with a fixed mindset find it difficult

to adapt and adjust, whereas the learners with a growth mindset quickly adapt to a new

learning environment. There is no one-size-fits-all pedagogy for online learning. There are

a variety of subjects with varying needs. Different subjects and age groups require

different approaches to online learning (Doucet et al., 2020). Online learning also allows
physically challenged students with more freedom to participate in learning in the virtual

environment, requiring limited movement (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020).

As schools have been closed to cope with the global pandemic, students, parents

and educators around the globe have felt the unexpected ripple effect of the COVID-19

pandemic. While governments, frontline workers and health officials are doing their best

slowing down the outbreak, education systems are trying to continue imparting quality

education for all during these difficult times. Many students at home/living space have

undergone psychological and emotional distress and have been unable to engage

productively. The best practices for online homeschooling are yet to be explored (Petrie,

2020).

The use of suitable and relevant pedagogy for online education may depend on the

expertise and exposure to information and communications technology (ICT) for both

educators and the learners. Some of the online platforms used so far include unified

communication and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom,

Canvas and Blackboard, which allow the teachers to create educational courses, training

and skill development programmes (Petrie, 2020). They include options of workplace

chat, video meeting and file storage that keep classes organized and easy to work.