1. The Difference in Learning Activities of Postgraduate Students of Different Qualification Types Under the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Group Latent Class Analysis
- Author
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Liang,Zhengyan, Wang,Jinqing, Zhang,Minqiang, He,Yingshi, Quan,Jiaxin, and Yi,Da
- Subjects
Psychiatry and Mental health ,Psychology Research and Behavior Management ,education ,General Psychology - Abstract
Zhengyan Liang,1 Jinqing Wang,1 Minqiang Zhang,1â 4 Yingshi He,1 Jiaxin Quan,1 Da Yi1 1School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Peopleâs Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, Peopleâs Republic of China; 3Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, Guangzhou, Peopleâs Republic of China; 4Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Peopleâs Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Minqiang Zhang, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, No. 55, West of Zhongshan Avenue, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, 510631, Peopleâs Republic of China, Email zhangminqiang@m.scnu.edu.cnIntroduction: There are two types of masterâs qualifications in China. One is the academic qualification that pays more attention to academic research, aiming to cultivate research-oriented talents; while the other is the application-oriented qualification that focuses more on practical ability, aiming to cultivate applied-oriented talents. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 on the learning activities of postgraduate students, as well as the differences in the extent to which the learning activities of postgraduate students of different qualification types are affected and their mental health status.Methods: A self-constructed scale for the pandemicâs impact on masterâs students, the self-rating anxiety scale and the self-rating depression scale were applied in the study. The single- and multi-group latent class analyses were used to investigate the impact of the pandemic on postgraduate students of different qualification types.Results: A total of 2818 responses were collected. The single-group latent class analysis identified four classes. The multi-group latent class analysis showed that no absolute homogeneity existed between different groups. In general, the number of academic masterâs students affected was greater than application-oriented masterâs students. Application-oriented masterâs students were more affected by course activities, while academic masterâs students were more affected by academic and social activities. Results show that individuals more affected had higher levels of anxiety and depression. Compared to course activities, impacts on social activities were more likely to cause anxiety and depression.Discussion: Universities can provide a more flexible way of assistance to different qualification types of postgraduate students. Furthermore, social activities play an important role in the mental health of postgraduate students. Therefore, under the background of normalization of pandemic prevention and control, schools should pay more attention to studentsâ interpersonal communication activities to help relieve studentsâ anxiety, depression, and other negative emotions.Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, application-oriented postgraduate students, academic postgraduate students, learning activities, multi-group latent class analysis
- Published
- 2022