EXAMINING PREDICTORS OF ZOOM FATIGUE AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a paradigm shift in online instruction that is mainly driven by an urgent necessity to curb the spread of Coronavirus. With Zoom being the most adopted videoconferencing platform, faculty and students reported use of the tool was “exhausting,” resulting in a phenomenon called “Zoom fatigue”. Using a close-ended survey, this study examined predictors of Zoom fatigue among students as a means to explain why some students experience greater Zoom fatigue than others. The study expanded current understanding of Zoom fatigue through the following theoretical lenses: Social Influence Model of Technology Use (Fulk et al., 1990), Social Presence Theory (Short et al., 1976), Self-Presence (Biocca, 1997), Perceived Social Support, and Big Five Personality Traits (Goldberg, 1990; Costa and McCrae, 1992) with the focus on Extraversion. One of the major findings from this study was that perceived self-presence predicted lower levels of Zoom fatigue students. Another important finding was that perceived emotional support from instructors lowered levels of fatigue. This finding is somewhat in line with previous research that described how emotional instructor support relates to positive reactions necessary, particularly during perceived challenges. One finding, however, ran counter to expectations. That is, perceived emotional support from classmates predicted higher levels of fatigue.