Abstract:

The post-covid era reconsidered the “new normal” in the context of education. After a two-year pandemic period, students returned to classroom education with mixed emotions facing new challenges. Coming back with deteriorated social skills and emotional readiness for face-to-face interaction, students struggle to adapt to routine classroom activities that hinder their academic performance. The article explores students’ perceptions and attitudes toward their emotional well-being and readiness to return to a “new normal” education environment. A survey in Likert scale and multiple choice format (rating) was administered with 200 university students, and its results were treated statistically. The obtained data revealed that students suffered emotionally after the pandemic, which affected their social skills and resulted in poor academic performance. Focus group discussions were conducted with teachers to identify the gaps hindering students to excel in their studies. The research findings became the basis for recommendations for educators to assist students in overcoming the challenges inherited from the pandemic period.

Keywords:

Post-covid challenges, emotional well-being, academic performance, social skills.