Graduate public health student learning experiences, social connectedness, and mental health during COVID-19: pedagogical implications for public health academic departments

Resumo

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic impacted college student learning both globally and nationally. Current literature points to decreases in social connectedness, adverse mental health outcomes, and decreased overall learning outcomes; however, there are limited findings from higher education institutions within the Bay Area, California. There are also limited studies that examine the COVID-19 impact among public health graduate students, especially to understand how the pandemic renewed their interest in the field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on graduate student learning experiences, social connectedness and mental health within the Master of Public Health program at San José State University in San Jose, California. Methods We employed a convergent mixed-methods design using a survey that quantitatively assessed student learning experiences through a retrospective pre-and post-design, and a semi-structured interview guide that qualitatively assessed student learning experiences and its relationship with mental health and social connectedness using a phenomenological design. Data were collected between September 2022 and June 2023 and analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results A total of 22 students completed the survey and four participated in follow-up semi-structured interviews. Of the 22, 12(54%) were among the 18–29-year age group, 9(41%) identified as Asian, 21(95%) identified as female, a

Tipo

Artigo

Área

Saúde

Ano

2024

Idioma

Inglês

Licença

CC BY

DOI

10.3389/fpubh.2024.1394034

Como citar (ABNT)

AGROIA, Harit et al.. Graduate public health student learning experiences, social connectedness, and mental health during COVID-19: pedagogical implications for public health academic departments. Frontiers in Public Health, v. 12, 2024. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1394034.