FRUSTRATION AND STRESS IN THE ONLINE EDUCATION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM LITHUANIA AND ROMANIA
FRUSTRATION AND STRESS IN THE ONLINE EDUCATION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FROM LITHUANIA AND ROMANIA

Summary/Abstract: The pandemic generated by COVID-19 has a tremendous impact on the economy, society, and life of people all over the world. People suffer from the lockdown restrictions, reduced and very limited space. The situation is further aggravated by illnesses of family members, acquaintances, friends, illnesses caused by the coronavirus, and sometimes losses. This not only stresses, but also leads to exhaustion, burnout, and life with a continuous feeling of fear and stress. Although online learning is familiar and broadly accepted, there is a huge difference between going online to complement learning and find additional sources of information and knowledge and going online instead of going to school or university. Extant research reports on several side effects of online classes, such as stress, frustration, lack of engagement, and motivation. At present, it is noticed an abundance of research, showing that over-prolonged focus on the screen (computer, tablet, phone) increases stress and anxiety. And though digital devices are indispensable human attendants in the 21st century, nevertheless, twice the extended time allotted to them has negative consequences. During such a pandemic, such symptoms as anxiety, fear of infection and death, anger, hopelessness, stigma, and guilt can occur. This study aims at analyzing two negative perceptions of university students as regards the online lectures during the pandemic: frustration and stress. Online lectures refer to various activities, such as courses, seminars, talks, or debates. The research is using samples of Lithuanian and Romanian university students from three universities. Multiple linear regression has been used to analyze the influence of boredom, concentration difficulties, learning difficulties, and fatigue on the frustrating and stressful learning experience. The results show all four factors have a significant positive influence on the dependent variables. While learning difficulty is the most important factor leading to a frustrating learning experience, fatigue has been found as the main cause of the stressful learning experience.

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