The Role of Virtual Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic on Students' Cognitive Outcome through the Mediation of Psychological Health and Learning Motivation

The epidemic of corona disease in all the countries of the world, due to its vague, unpredictability and uncontrollable nature, has provided the ground for the spread of all kinds of behavioral and psychological problems.The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the structural relationships of virtual education with students' cognitive outcome(academic performance) and considering the mediating role of psychological health and learning motivation.

Methods and Materials: 

The statistical population of this descriptive research based on structural equation modeling was all the students of Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan (2021-2022) who were selected by the available sampling method in the number of 363 people and answered Questionnaires of attitude towards virtual education (Vatanparast et al. 2015), learning motivation (Kashifet al. 2013), general health (Goldberg, 1972) and Academic average. SPSS software was used to calculate descriptive and correlation indices, and AMOS software was used to model structural equations.  

The results of the survey showed that there is no significant relationship between Virtual education and cognitive outcome (academic performance) (effect size: -0.12 and P:0.10). According to the predicted paths, the direct effects of virtual Education on psychological health -0.45 (P<0.05), psychological health on academic performance 0.18 (P<0.05), virtual Education on learning motivation -0.23 (P<0.05), learning motivation was significant on academic performance (P<0.05) 0.34. Also, considering the mediating effect of learning motivation and psychological health  on cognitive outcome (academic performance) , the standard effect size It was -0.15 (P<0.05), which shows the significance of this indirect path.

Based on the results, it can be said that learning motivation and psychological health have a significant negative mediating role in the relationship between virtual education and cognitive outcome (academic performance).