Impact of E-learning Crackup on Psychological Distress of University-Level Students in Pakistan: The Mediatory Role of Fear of Academic Year Loss Complemented by Instructional Strategy and Teachers’ Motivation

Due to the rapid spread of Corona Virus (Covid-19) the pandemic of 2020 and the resultant shutdown of Economics and its sectors, Education suffered a prolonged consequence that lead to the adaptation of E-learning during the period. Many good reviews were written and elaborated about how safe and cost-effective it but it contained some detrimental impacts on students’ mental state. The crackup caused by e-learning gave emergence to psychological distress among all levels of students and caused fear of academic year loss due to delay in completion of education as the change of teaching from the classroom, in-person to online and multimedia-based platforms such as google classroom, zoom, skype, etc. The study proposed that an E-learning crackup seems to affect Psychological Distress by inculcating the Fear of Academic Year Loss. We also contend that Instructional Strategy and Teachers’ Motivation seem to complement the effect of E-learning crackups on Psychological Distress in a way that better Instructional Strategy and higher Teachers’ Motivation decrease the impact of E-learning crackups on Psychological Distress. Empirical validity was established by conducting a survey using a close-ended questionnaire. Data was collected from 389 respondents and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling. The study is evaluated using Smart PLS(SEM), with techniques of bootstrapping, algorithm, model fit analysis, and path analysis to assess the impacts and model. The results suggested that E-learning Crackup seems to affect Psychological Distress directly, as well as through inculcating the Fear of academic year loss. Results also suggested that Instruction strategy has a positive moderating effect on students’ psychological distress.