Studying U.S. college faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions of severity, concerns, sources of information, preventive behaviors, barriers to work performance, and impact on work productivity
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Edward Hebert 1 * , Kwonchan Jeon 2 , Ralph Wood 1 , Ismatara Reena 3 , William Hey 4 , Sabrina Hickey 1 , Kayla Noll 5 , Andrea Peevy 5 , Jessica Reynolds 4 , Penny Thomas 6
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1 Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA2 Public Health Program, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD, USA3 School of Kinesiology, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette, LA, USA4 Department of Kinesiology, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Monroe, LA, USA5 University Health Center, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA6 School of Nursing, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study examined perceptions of and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic among 489 faculty from four public universities in the southeast United States. Data were collected via an online survey during the Fall 2020 semester, when campuses re-opened after closing in March. Two thirds of faculty perceived the severity of COVID-19 as severe, and their greatest concerns related to preventive behaviors, the possibility of a virus resurgence, and concern for the health of family/friends. The majority reported frequently engaging in COVID-19-preventing behaviors, which was highest among female and older faculty, and those with higher perceived severity and concern for personally contracting the virus. Over half of respondents reported teaching and scholarly activities were negatively impacted by the pandemic; most notable barriers to productivity included anxiety/stress and a distracted home environment. The study adds to the research on university faculty during the pandemic and aligns with research on the adult population.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

PEDAGOGICAL RES, Volume 9, Issue 1, January 2024, Article No: em0175

https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/13885

Publication date: 01 Jan 2024

Online publication date: 10 Nov 2023

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