Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T21:36:41.592Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Comparing Satisfaction, Life-Stress, Coping and Academic Performance of Counselling Students in On-Campus and Distance Education Learning Environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2014

Brett Furlonger  and
Emilia Gencic
Brett Furlonger*
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Development and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Emilia Gencic
Affiliation:
Institute of Human Development and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Brett Furlonger, PhD, Institute of Human Development and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Building 5, Clayton Campus, Wellington Road, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia. Email: brett.furlonger@monash.edu
Get access

Abstract

Distance education students are confronted with a range of additional challenges as part of their tertiary study experience. A quantitative approach was used to identify the challenges they face, their relative levels of satisfaction, coping strategies, and academic performance. Two hundred and ninety-five students (64 male and 231 female) participated by completing a survey that included measures of satisfaction, stress, coping, and academic performance. All were enrolled in an Australian university and studied either on campus or in one of two distance education (DE) modes, off-campus and offshore. While there were some differences in satisfaction expressed between DE and on-campus students, there were no significant differences between the groups on measures of stress or academic performance. The differences between the three groups’ use of coping strategies was less clear. Possible explanations for the differences between the groups are discussed.

Keywords

studentscopingstresssatisfactionacademicperformancedistance education
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , June 2014 , pp. 76 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amirkhan, J.H. (1990). A factor analytically derived measure of coping: The Coping Strategy Indicator, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 1066–1074.Google Scholar
Andrews, B., & Wilding, J.M. (2004). The relation of depression and anxiety to life-stress and achievement in students. British Journal of Psychology, 95, 509–522. doi:10.1348/0007126042369802Google Scholar
Carey, J.M. (2001). Effective student outcomes: A comparison of online and face- to-face delivery modes. DEOSNews, 11. Retrieved from http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews11_9.aspGoogle Scholar
Chapman, A., & Pyvis, D. (2005). Identity and social practice in higher education: Student experiences of postgraduate courses delivered ‘offshore’ in Singapore and Hong Kong by an Australian university. International Journal of Educational Development, 25, 39–52. doi:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2004.05.003Google Scholar
Cohen, M., Ben-Zur, H., & Rosenfeld, M. (2008). Sense of coherence, coping strategies, and test anxiety as predictors of test performance among college students. International Journal of Stress Management, 15 (3), 289–303. doi: 10.1037/1072–5245.15.3.289Google Scholar
Dell, C.A., Low, C., & Wilker, J.F. (2010). Comparing student achievement in online and face-to-face class formats. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6 (1), 30–42. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/Google Scholar
Evans, T., & Tregenza, K. (2002, December). Academic’ experiences of teaching in Australian ‘non-local’ courses in Hong Kong. Paper presented at the Australian Association for Research in Education conference, ‘Crossing borders: New frontiers for educational research’, Brisbane, Australia. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/02pap/eva02510.htmGoogle Scholar
Furnham, A. (2004). Foreign students: Education and culture shock. Psychologist, 17 (1), 16.Google Scholar
Gadzella, B.M. (1991). Student-Life Stress Inventory, Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse.Google Scholar
Gadzella, B.M., & Baloglu, M. (2001). Confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency of the Student-life Stress Inventory. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 28, 84–94.Google Scholar
Galusha, J.M. (1997). Barriers to learning in distance education. Interpersonal Computing and Technology, 5 (3/4), 6–14.Google Scholar
Johnson, S.D., Aragon, S.R., Shaik, N., & Palma-Rivas, N. (2000). Comparative analysis of learner satisfaction and learning outcomes in online and face-to-face learning environments. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 11 (1), 29–49. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/8371Google Scholar
Kekkonen-Moneta, S., & Moneta, G.B. (2002). E-learning in Hong Kong: Comparing learning outcomes in online multimedia and lecture versions of an introductory computing course. British Journal of Educational Technology, 33 (4), 423–433. doi:10.1111/1467–8535.00279.Google Scholar
Khawaja, N.G., & Stallman, H.M. (2011). Understanding the coping strategies of international students: A qualitative approach. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 21 (2), 203–224. doi:10.1375/ajgc.21.2.203.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Lebowitz, G. (1997). Library services to distant students: An equity issue. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 23 (4), 303–308. doi:10.1016/S0099-1333(97)90137-3Google Scholar
Lumley, M.A., & Provenzano, K.M. (2003). Stress management through written emotional disclosure improves academic performance among college students with physical symptoms. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95 (3), 641–649. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.95.3.641CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luo, Y., & Wang, H. (2009). Correlation research on psychological health impact on nursing students against stress, coping way and social support. Nurse Education Today, 29, 5–8. doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2008.05.019Google Scholar
Maki, R.H., & Maki, W.S. (2000). Evaluation of a web-based introductory psychology course: I. learning and satisfaction in on-line versus lecture courses. Behaviour Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, 32 (2), 230–239. doi:10.3758/BF03207788CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McBurnie, G. (2000). Quality matters in transnational education: Undergoing the GATE review process. An Australian-Asian case study. Journal of Studies in International Education, 4, 23–38. doi:10.1177/102831530000400104Google Scholar
MacGeorge, E.L., Samter, W., & Gillihan, S.J. (2005). Academic stress, supportive communication, and health. Communication Education, 54 (4), 365–372. doi:10.1080/03634520500442236Google Scholar
McClelland, D.C. (1961). The achieving society. Princeton, NJ: D. Van Nostrand.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., Bakia, M., & Jones, K. (2009). Evaluation of evidence-based practices in online learning: a meta-analysis and review of online learning studies. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdfGoogle Scholar
Misra, R., McKean, M., West, S., & Russo, T. (2000b). Academic stress of college students: Comparison of student and faculty perceptions. College Student Journal, 34 (2), 236–245. Retrieved from http://www.projectinnovation.biz/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Moore, M.G. (1991). Distance education theory. American Journal of Distance Education, 5 (3), 1–6.Google Scholar
Moore, M.G. (1993). Theory of transactional distance. In Keegan, D. (Ed.), Theoretical principles of distance education. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Pallant, J. (2011). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS (4th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Pierceall, E.A., & Keim, M.C. (2007). Stress and coping strategies among community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 31, 703–712. doi:10.1080/10668920600866579Google Scholar
Robotham, D. (2008) Stress among higher education students: Towards a higher research agenda. Higher Education, 56, 735–746. doi:10.1007/s10734-008-9137-1Google Scholar
Salisbury, D., Pearson, R.A., Miller, D.W., & Marrett, L.K. (2002). The limits of information: A cautionary tale about one course delivery experience in the distance education environment. e-Service Journal, 1I (2), 65–81. doi: 10.2979/ESJ.2002.1.2.65Google Scholar
Sasaki, M., & Yamasaki, K. (2007). Stress coping and the adjustment process among university freshmen. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 20 (1), 51–67. doi:10.1080/09515070701219943CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sher, A. (2009). Assessing the relationship of student-instructor and student-student interaction to student learning and satisfaction in web-based online learning environment. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 8 (2), 102–120. Retrieved from http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/Google Scholar
Siu, A.F.Y., & Chang, J.F. (2011). Coping styles and psychological distress among Hong Kong university students: Validation of the collectivist coping style inventory. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 33 (2), 88–100. doi:10.1007/s10447-011-9114-8Google Scholar
Song, L., Singleton, E.S., Hill, J.R., & Koh, M.H. (2004). Improving online learning: Student perceptions of useful and challenging characteristics. Internet and Higher Education, 7, 59–70. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2003.11.003Google Scholar
Stecker, T. (2004). Well-being in an academic environment. Medical Education, 38, 465–478. doi:10.1046/j.1365–2929.2004.01812.xGoogle Scholar
Steers, R.M., & Braunstein, D.L. (1976). A behaviorally based measure of manifest needs in work settings. Journal of Vocational Behaviour, 14, 251–266.Google Scholar
Stizmann, T., Kraiger, K., Stewart, D., & Wisher, R. (2006). The comparative effectiveness of web-based and classroom instruction: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 59, 623–664. doi:10.1111/j.1744–6570.2006.00049.xGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Vroom, V.H. 1964. Work and motivation. New York: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Wentzel, K.R., & Wigfield, A, (1998). Academic and social motivational influences on students’ academic performance. Educational Psychology Review, 10 (2), 155–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winkelman, M. (1994). Culture shock and adaptation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73, 121–126 Retrieved from http://aca.metapress.com/link.asp?id=112973Google Scholar