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Cited by 41Student Stress and CopingEducation during COVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19 and Mental Health

Communication Apprehension and Psychological Well-Being of Students in Online Learning

Open access
Agrawal, Somya, Krishna, Shwetha M.·2021·Behavioral Sciences
DOI 10.3390/bs11110145PMC PMC8614880
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Abstract

The current pandemic has modified how education, learning, and technology interact with one another inside universities. The usage of technology for instructional purposes raises the question of whether learning that happens in an online environment is as effective as traditional classroom models. Within this context, this study explores the psychological well-being of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an online cross-sectional survey. Data were collected from 246 university students currently studying at a private university in India. Hierarchical regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used to study the mediating effects between communication apprehension, perceived learning, and psychological well-being under the moderating effects of intention to use social media and psychological stress. Results show that higher intentions to use social media alleviated the negative effects of communication apprehension on perceived learning. Interestingly, it was also found that perceived learning had a significant positive relationship with psychological well-being when students experienced higher levels of psychological stress (eustress). Based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the transactional theory of stress and coping, we attempt to integrate the findings related to these theories, which can be considered distinct to previous studies. Implications, limitations, and future directions for research and practice have also been discussed.

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  • Students in virtual learning environments experience elevated levels of stress and anxiety, particularly when required to interact with peers and instructors in online formats that lack clear social cues and predictable norms.

    “Agrawal and Krishna (2021) have noted that students in virtual learning environments experience elevated levels of stress and anxiety, particularly when required to interact with peers and instructors in online formats that lack clear social cues and predictable norms.”

    From AI Literacy in the Communication Basic Course: Insights on Embedding, Motivation, and Reducing Uncertainty (2026) · cites this paper as Agrawal and Krishna, 2021

    The Introduction links communication apprehension to stress and anxiety about interacting with classmates and teachers, and Methods §3.2.2 describes nervousness during online group discussions. But the paper does not attribute that anxiety to unclear social cues or unpredictable norms. Its Discussion instead suggests that reduced nonverbal cues in online communication can lessen apprehension for shy students. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. [17]Lazarus R.S. Psychological Stress and the Coping Process McGraw-Hill New York, NY, USA 1996
  2. [29]Kearney P. Affective learning scale Communication Research Measures: A Sourcebook Palmgreen R.B.R.P. Sypher H.E. The Guilford Press New York, NY, USA 1994 81 241 81–85, 238–241
  3. [67]McCroskey J.C. Richmond V.P. Willingness to Communicate Proceedings of the 71st Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association Denver, CO, USA 7–10 November 1985
  4. [85]Lazarus R.S. Folkman S. Stress, Appraisal and Coping Springer New York, NY, USA 1984
  5. [87]Frijda N.H. The Emotions Cambridge University Press Cambridge, UK 1986
  6. [94]Selye H. The concept of stress: Past, present and future Stress Research: Issues for the Eighties Cooper C.L. John Wiley New York, NY, USA 1983

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Authors
Agrawal, S., & Krishna, S. M.
Affiliations
  • Chaoyang University of Technology (TW)
  • Vellore Institute of Technology University (IN)
Corresponding author
Krishna, Shwetha M.
ORCID
Venue
Behavioral Sciences
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-10-23
Volume
11
Issue
11
Pages
145
ISSN
2076-328X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/bs11110145
PMC
PMC8614880
OpenAlex
W3208590130
Cited by
41
References
95
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9
FWCI
9.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Behavioral Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education during COVID-19 pandemic
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
communication apprehension, psychological well-being, online learning, COVID-19 pandemic, university students, perceived learning, psychological stress, eustress, technology acceptance model, transactional model of stress and coping, mediating effect

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