Students’ Emotions in Online Learning Post-Covid-19: A Study of Malaysian University Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/tur.7757.2025Keywords:
Online learning, post-Covid-19, Student emotions, Malaysian university, Digital educationAbstract
This study explores the emotional experiences of the students in a Malaysian university in online learning post-COVID-19. The pandemic forced a shift from traditional to online learning, leading to various emotional responses among students. However, there is limited understanding of how these emotional responses impact students’ engagement and learning satisfaction in the Malaysian context. A survey of 121 students revealed mixed feelings. While some appreciated the flexibility and comfort of learning from home, others faced anxiety, boredom, and challenges with maintaining focus and motivation. The study found that students enjoyed certain aspects of online learning, such as recorded lectures, but struggled with engagement and technical issues. The findings highlight the need for more interactive and supportive online learning environments to enhance student satisfaction and learning outcomes.
References
A'yunin, A. (2023). Vocational high school students’ emotional experiences of English online learning during pandemic. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 06(01). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i1-89
Ainiyah N, Zahroh C, Khamida K, Budury S, Nurjanah S, Hasina SN & Wardhany SE (2021). Emotional intelligence and self-efficacy as predictor factors of student resilience in online learning during pandemic era. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9(T5), 40-43. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2021.7854
Alam, F., Yang, Q., Bhutto, M. Y., & Akhtar, N. (2021). The influence of E-learning and emotional intelligence on psychological intentions: study of stranded Pakistani students. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.715700
Baltà-Salvador, R., Olmedo-Torre, N., Peña, M., & Renta-Davids, A. I. (2021). Academic and emotional effects of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on engineering students. Education and Information Technologies, 26(6), 7407-7434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10593-1
Baticulon, R., Sy, J., Alberto, N., Baron, M., Mabulay, R., Rizada, L., & Reyes, J. (2021). Barriers to online learning in the time of COVID-19: A national survey of medical students in the Philippines. Medical Science Educator, 31(2), 615-626. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01231-z
Boca, G. D. (2021). Factors influencing students’ behavior and attitude towards online education during COVID-19. Sustainability, 13(13), 7469. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137469
Chung, E., Subramaniam, G., & Dass, L. (2020). Online learning readiness among university students in Malaysia amidst COVID-19. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(2), 45. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i2.10294
Deng, W., Lei, W., Guo, X., Ge, W., & Hu, W. (2021). Effects of regulatory focus on online learning engagement of high school students: The mediating role of self-efficacy and academic emotions. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(3), 707-718. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12642
Fawaz, M., & Samaha, A. (2021). E‐learning: Depression, anxiety, and stress symptomatology among Lebanese university students during COVID‐19 quarantine. Nursing Forum, 56(1), 52-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12521
Hamzah, F., Soo, Y. P., Sharifudin, M. A. S., Zain, Z. M., & Rahim, M. (2021). exploring students’ readiness on English language blended learning. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(4), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.24191/ajue.v16i4.11948
Hernández-Torrano, D., Ibrayeva, L., Sparks, J., Lim, N., Clementi, A., Almukhambetova, A., Nurtayev, Y., & Muratkyzy, A. (2020). Mental health and well-being of university students: A bibliometric mapping of the literature. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 540000. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01226
Hrastinski, S. (2019). What do we mean by blended learning? Techtrends, 63(5), 564-569. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00375-5
Ishak, S., Ahmad Mokhtar, E. A., Abdul Jamil, N. & Haron, H. (2021). Measuring students emotion on online learning during Covid-19 pandemic using conditional probability. European Proceedings of Multidisciplinary Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epms.2022.10.33
Jafar, A., Dollah, R., Mittal, P., Idris, A., Kim, J. E., Abdullah, M. S., et al. (2023). Readiness and challenges of e-learning during the Covid-19 pandemic era: a space analysis in Peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 905. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020905
Johnson, N., Seaman, J., & Poulin, R. (2022). Defining different modes of learning: Resolving confusion and contention through consensus. Online Learning, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i3.3565
Kreijns, K., Xu, K., & Weidlich, J. (2021). Social presence: Conceptualization and measurement. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 139-170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09623-8
Landra, I. K. G., Dantes, I. N., Suarni, N. K., Budiawan, M., & Permana, I. G. Y. (2022). EFL students’ anxiety in remote learning during COVID-19 pandemic. JETT, 13(2), 236-242.
Li, H., Zhu, S., Wu, D., Yang, H., & Guo, Q. (2023). Impact of information literacy, self-directed learning skills, and academic emotions on high school students’ online learning engagement: A structural equation modeling analysis. Education and Information Technologies, 28(10), 13485-13504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-11760-2
Marks, H. (2000). Student engagement in instructional activity: Patterns in the elementary, middle, and high school years. American Educational Research Journal, 37(1), 153-184. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312037001153
Mohammed, L. A., Aljaberi, M. A., Amidi, A., Abdulsalam, R., Lin, C., Hamat, R. A., & Abdallah, A. M. (2022). Exploring factors affecting graduate students’ satisfaction toward e-learning in the era of the COVID-19 crisis. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 12, pp 1121–1142. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12080079
Peck, D. (n.d.). Online learning statistics. Devlin Peck. [Retrieved 5 March 2024], from https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/online-learning-statistics.
Project SVM2021. (2021). Student Voice Matters (SVM) 2021 articles. [Retrieved 5 March 2024], from https://project-id.org/svm2021
Ranganathan, H., Singh, D. K. A., Kumar, S., Sharma, S., Chua, S. K., Ahmad, N. B., & Harikrishnan, K. (2021). Readiness towards online learning among physiotherapy undergraduates. BMC Medical Education, 21, 376. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02803-8
Siddique, M., Hamayun, M., & Khan, M. A. (2022). Effect of COVID-19 on the mental health of students in Pakistan: The online education pressure, fear of failing and psychological distress. Gomal University Journal of Research, 38(2), 180-192. https://doi.org/10.51380/gujr-38-02-05
Sun, J., & Zhang, X. (2023). Exploring Chinese college students’ emotions as they engage in online learning during a pandemic. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 43(4), 984-995. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1965541
Vo, P. (2021). Achievement emotions and barriers to online learning of university students during the COVID-19 Time. Proceedings of the AsiaCALL International Conference, 621, 109–120. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.211224.012
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 UNIMAS Publisher

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds copyright, or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subject to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.
4) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.