Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences

Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences

Measuring Online Learning Stress: Psychometric Validation of a Scale Tailored for Iranian Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Fariba Gadari 1
Azita Amirfakhraei 1
Saeid Kiani 2
1 Department of Psychology, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2 Department of Educational Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
10.30476/ijvlms.2024.103197.1309
Abstract
Background: Academic stress in online education is a growing concern across different educational and cultural contexts. Given the increasing need to assess academic stress accurately in diverse student populations, this study aimed to validate the Online Learning Stress Scale (OLSS) for high school students in Iran, ensuring the tool’s applicability in measuring academic stress during online classes.
Methods: This descriptive psychometric study validated the Persian-translated OLSS among Iranian high school students. The sample included students from 18 high schools in Kerman City, Iran, who were engaged in online learning from February to March 2022. Cluster sampling was employed, selecting three classes per school. Data were collected via Google Forms, using OLSS and the High School Stress Scale (HSSS), with the final 1251 valid participant responses. Validity and reliability assessments involved content validity, concurrent validity with HSSS, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses (EFA and CFA), and internal reliability testing. Analyses were conducted using SPSS 18 and Lisrel 8.8 software.
Results: The Content Validity Ratio (CVR) ranged from 0.80 to 1.00, and the Content Validity Index (CVI) varied between 0.83 and 0.97. Concurrent validity was established with a significant correlation coefficient (r) of 0.651 at a significance level of P<0.001 with the HSSS, confirming the OLSS's capability to measure academic stress. EFA identified four factors accounting for 62.272% of the variance, aligning with the original scale's dimensions. CFA indicated a good fit with all factor loadings above the 0.40 threshold. Additionally, the OLSS exhibited high reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.935.
Conclusion: The OLSS is a dependable tool for assessing academic stress in online educational environments. In Iran's unique context, this tool can facilitate the understanding and management of students' academic stress, thereby enhancing educational strategies and promoting student well-being.

Highlights

Fariba Gadari (Google Scholar)

Azita Amirfakhraei (Google Scholar)

Keywords
Academic Stress
Online Learning
Psychometrics
Students
Iran
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  • Receive Date 30 June 2024
  • Revise Date 21 September 2024
  • Accept Date 24 September 2024
  • Publish Date 01 December 2024