Lessons Learned : A Summary of Studies on Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: Because of the sudden removal of teachers’ work routines, we investigated pandemic-related changes in mathematics teachers’ emotional exhaustion and teaching enthusiasm. We drew on data from a 15-year longitudinal study, including four prepandemic (2007–2019) and two pandemic (2021 and 2022) measurement points. During the COVID-19 pandemic, N = 194 teachers participated in 2021 and N = 214 in 2022. The results from latent growth curve models indicated a pronounced increase in emotional exhaustion and a decrease in enthusiasm during the pandemic. We also found that good technical equipment and high openness represent resources associated with a lower increase in emotional exhaustion, whereas difficulties with students during the COVID-19 pandemic and high extraversion were risk factors. Like in other occupations, these results indicate that COVID-19 negatively affected teachers’ experiences and highlight the need to support teachers to avoid further negative consequences for teachers and students.

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic required the deployment of crisis management teams (CMTs) on an unprecedented scale. Due to their high level of responsibility and wide-ranging decision-making authority, the enduring resilience and health of CMT members is essential. Yet, during pandemics, they are permanently challenged. With cross-sectional data from 219 CMT members, we tested six pre-registered hypotheses based on the Job Demands–Resources model. We found the expected positive association between experienced demands and exhaustion (H1), which was moderated by home resources (partly confirming H2); a positive association between experienced resources and work engagement (H3), which was not moderated by demands (rejecting H4); and associations between exhaustion and engagement with outcome measures such as CMT members’ self-assessed performance, satisfaction, and quitting intention (mostly confirming H5 and H6). Furthermore, we explore how the pandemic has changed from experts’ perspectives, describe lessons learned, and derive practical recommendations and suggestions for future research.

Abstract: Challenges for university students were high during distance education in lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-regulation and motivation became more important, but motivation was possibly challenged more. To investigate motivational differences and possible positive effects of evidence-based learning activities, we followed two cohorts of preservice teachers over the course of one semester: One cohort was followed in 2019 in a face-to-face semester ( N 2019 = 225), and another cohort was followed 1 year later during the first lockdown ( N 2020 = 311). Students indicated their motivation at five measurement occasions and reported their use of learning activities twice. Multigroup linear change models indicated an overall decline of motivation in both cohorts. Surprisingly, neither initial motivation level nor motivational change differed between cohorts. Students who used more learning activities reported a more positive motivational development. This highlights the chance of evidence-based learning activities for students’ motivation in regular and distance education.