Is it a matter of trait or state? Understanding IT-mediated learning effectiveness during COVID-19
Résumé
Despite the many expected positives of online learning, during the current COVID-19 impacted scenario, students have reported mixed-outcomes. While some students could adapt to the increased IT demands for learning, others struggled to adjust to this sudden transformation. Grounding our work in IT mindfulness literature, we theorize a differential in the students’ learning effectiveness based on the level of their IT mindfulness trait. Further, leveraging the “mindfulness to meaning” theory, we hypothesize the mediating role of techno eustress in the relationship between student IT mindfulness and the two learning effectiveness outcomes of productivity-in-learning and creativity-in-learning. The theorized model is tested via data collected from a two-wave survey among graduate students who had to abruptly switch to an exclusive IT-enabled learning environment during the pandemic lockdown period. Results show that IT mindfulness has a significant positive relationship with both the learning effectiveness outcomes and these relationships are mediated by the students’ techno eustress perceptions. The emerging theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.