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Global Health Econ Sustain Self-directed learning supporting mental health

consider the transition to self-directed online learning Galdolage, 2023). The second group consists of students
as a positive development. Instead, it associates this shift who were not inclined to begin self-directed learning but,
with negative mental health in the children. Notably, the with the right support from teachers, transitioned into
study aligns with previous research (Al-Adwan et al., becoming self-directed learners. In this group, the teachers
2022; Maltais et al., 2021) by attributing these negative placed significant emphasis on their role in fostering self-
results primarily to parental expectations regarding their directed learning, leading to a number of students in
children’s learning during the lockdown. The authors the second group developing a positive outlook on their
suggested that in the absence of these expectations, self-directed learning. For the last group, they displayed
mental health in online learning would be positive. While neither an interest in self-directed learning nor the ability
the study maintains a balanced assessment of the three to benefit from the accommodations provided by the
variables, it does not delve into the importance of self- teachers. Consequently, it was only within this group that
initiated learning. self-directed learning was not viewed positively. However,
what also differed in this group was, unlike the other two,
A comparative analysis of online learning challenges was they lacked the same positive motivation to learn English.
undertaken in another study, which resulted in a negative Consequently, they began with negative mental health in
assessment of self-directed learning, online learning, and relation to their studies. A common thread among all the
the mental health of both adults and public school students students was the challenge of poor internet connections.
during the COVID-19 pandemic (Manoharan et al., 2022). The difficulty in consistently and regularly accessing online
The authors initially assert that online learning represents learning due to these connectivity issues led to a negative
an “education revolution.” However, when it comes to assessment of online learning. On the other hand, had
the evaluation of public school students, they attribute the connection been reliable, the article would have been
the negative perception of self-directed online learning included among those with positive assessments for all
to inadequate support from parents and teachers. This three variables. This article does not delve into the role
lack of support negatively affects students’ mental health. of parental expectations, nor does it clarify whether the
In the view of these authors, this negative assessment self-directed learning encouraged by the teachers was self-
can only be improved through enhanced online learning initiated by the students.
support provided by these adults. Thus, it is implied that
such support will inevitably become more prevalent due In the context of the literature review examining the
to the increasing importance of online learning. Once impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning, the article
again, the study does not address the importance of self- of Pokhrel & Chhetri (2021) represents the second of two
initiated learning for achieving a positive assessment of papers that held a positive view of self-directed learning
self-directed learning. but negative concerning both online learning and mental
health. The authors assume that self-directed learning is the
4.2. Articles with negative assessments resulting preferred method of learning. Nevertheless, predominantly
from poor internet connectivity due to poor internet connections, students had a negative
The success of self-directed online learning for public experience with online learning. However, it is crucial to
school students hinges on their access to a stable internet note that the negative perspective on the mental health
connection (Basar et al., 2021). Therefore, it is pertinent of the students under study was not a result of either self-
directed learning or online learning. Instead, this negative
to examine the extent of retrieved articles addressing perspective on mental health was attributed to the rise in
internet connectivity issues. Notably, two articles explicitly domestic violence and child abuse cases that occurred as a
discuss this concern: Dwilestari et al. (2021) and Pokhrel consequence of children being required to stay at home for
& Chhetri (2021). extended periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. This
The article, which explores self-directed learning in paper did not comment on whether self-directed learning
the context of English language learning (Dwilestari is self-initiated or on the role of parental expectations in
et al., 2021), provides insights into the emergence of maintaining standardized learning.
three different types of self-directed learners when the
COVID-19 pandemic demanded self-directed online 4.3. Articles presenting biased perspectives
learning. The first group comprises students who self- In assessing the articles obtained from this Google Scholar
initiated their learning and preferred self-directed search, it is important to consider the objectivity of the
learning. For these students, self-directed learning is authors in making their assessments regarding the mental
a positive experience, consistent with findings in the health of students with respect to self-directed online
previous research (Kuntz & Manokore, 2022; Mathana & learning. Out of the 21 articles, 8 (38%) reached specific

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1219