Education is Online learning has increased in popularity; while there are benefits to online education, university students are at-risk for elevated stress and mental health issues [1]. Given the amount of time online students spend on computers, it is important to understand the impact of screen time on stress and flourishing. Since resilience is connected to wellbeing [2], [3], this study also investigated the role resilience plays in students’ stress and psychological flourishing. Online students at Yorkville University completed demographic and screen time questions, Flourishing Scale, Academic Stress Scale, and Resilience Scale for Young Adults, as well as some open-ended questions. Results from correlations and regression analyses highlights the relationship between screen time, resilience, stress, and flourishing. A mediation model was utilized to investigate the role resilience plays in the relationship between academic stress and flourishing. Themes emerging from the qualitative data reveal important components related to the experiences of adult learners in an online environment. As little research has focused on online university students, this study fills a gap and facilitates future research that will expand on these findings. This study increases understanding of online adult learners’ well-being, and is of interest to instructors and university administrators, as well as psychologists. Recommendations for supporting the learning and self-care of online adult learners will be provided.

Authors: Yvonne Hindes, David Nordstokke, Kare Wallace

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2022

• Date of Conference: 21-23 June, 2022
• DOI: 10.20533/CICE.2022.0015
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-913572-49-5
• Conference Location: Virtual (Mississauga, Canada)