Abstract:

The issue of the educational success of university students is relevant, especially in connection with the unexpected transfer to distance learning due to the spread of coronavirus infection. The purpose of this study is to review educational success in conditions of self-isolation and forced distance learning. Educational success has an objective (academic performance) and subjective (self-appraisal of learning, subjective well-being in the educational process) components. Important predictors of educational success are implicit concepts of intelligence and personality, as well as the meaningfulness of learning and acceptance of its goals (C. Dweck, 2000; T. V. Kornilova, 2008).

The hypothesis is that an unexpected transition to distance learning in conditions of self-isolation affects the subjective components of educational success, but does not significantly affect academic performance.

The study followed by 1st – 4th-year university students and master's students of the Department of Psychology of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin (n=280; 33 male, 247 female).

Measures: 1) «Questionnaire of educational success»: include parameters of incremental intelligence, personality growth, acceptance of learning goals, self-appraisal of learning and other parameters related to the meaningfulness of learning, a vision of the near future, a sense of joy in the learning process, the desire to make efforts and compete with yourself. 2) Self-assessment of activity, engagement, and other motivational dispositions in the conditions of distance learning. 3) Academic performance dynamics from the first to the current course.

In general, forced self-isolation and the transition to distance learning do not significantly affect the academic performance of students (F = 0.62 at p=0.42). Moreover, the performance indicators of senior university students and master's students have increased significantly (p≤0.001). Psychology students have growth mindsets. They accept learning goals and generally evaluate their educational success above average. Students have optimal learning anxiety and are ready to overcome failures in the educational process. Regression analysis shows that overall academic performance is influenced by high self-esteem of learning (β=0.62), an optimal level of learning anxiety (β=0.14), and achievement motivation (β=0.12); R2 = 0.33; F = 15.43 (p<0.000). At the same time, in the conditions of distance learning, anxiety and motivation have lost their influence, and only a high self-appraisal of learning (β=0.53) affects academic performance in the 2nd semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. Students note that they have become less active, engaged, and happy in distance learning (p≤0.001). The conclusion is that despite the decrease in activity academic performance has not fallen down due to the high self-appraisal of learning in general.

Keywords:

Educational success, academic performance, educational motivation, growth and fixed mindsets, forced distance learning.