HOW DID ONLINE LEARNING AFFECT PHYSIOTHERAPY STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

Abstract

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic, which affected almost all areas of life, has had serious effects on education as well. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the online education process on physical activity, perseverance, and coronaphobia among undergraduate physiotherapy students during COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Method A total of 185 undergraduate physiotherapy students were included in the study. Physical activity level was assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), perseverance with the Short Perseverance Scale (Grit-S), and coronaphobia with the COVID-19 Fear Scale. In addition, the perceived changes in physical activity and perseverance levels during the pandemic were evaluated. The academic performance was determined with the grade point average (GPA). Results It was determined that most of the students perceived a decrease in their physical activity (82.7%) and perseverance (69.2%) levels. There was a moderate positive correlation between GPA and COVID-19 Fear Scale score (rho:0.407, p