A Systemic Analysis of the Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Studies of Brazilian Graduate Students - An Exploratory Study

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel

Exploratory sequential mixed-method research examines the systemic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on Brazilian graduate students’ studies. A survey was administered to 38 students enrolled in a University of São Paulo graduate course during the first semester of 2021. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative responses were examined through a language-processing method. Findings connect both data streams through a causal loop diagram. Home confinement emerged as the main learning barrier, alongside digital fatigue, inadequate teaching strategies, and video-conferencing limitations, while the pandemic also enabled courses, webinars, conferences, and new IT and communication skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The context

Theoretical review

A Systemic Analysis of the Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Studies of Brazilian Graduate Students: An Exploratory Study João Alberto Arantes do Amaral Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, [joao.arantes@unifesp.br](joao.arantes@unifesp.br) Izabel Patricia Meister Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, [i.meister@unifesp.br](i.meister@unifesp.br) Luciano Gamez Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, [luciano.gamez@unifesp.br](luciano.gamez@unifesp.br) This article presents the findings related to an exploratory study of the systemic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on the studies of graduate students of Brazil. It was sent a survey to 38 students who attended a University of São Paulo graduate course during the first semester of 2021. An exploratory sequential mixed method approach was followed. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected using questionnaires. The quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive statistics. The qualitative data was examined following a language processing method. The insights gained from both kinds of data were connected using a causal loop diagram. It was found that home confinement was the factor that created the main barriers to learning. In addition, digital fatigue, inadequate teaching strategies and the limitation of video conferencing tools also impacted negatively on learning. On the other hand, the pandemic also brought learning opportunities: the students took advantage of courses, webinars and conferences offered during the pandemic. In addition, the students developed new IT and communication skills. Keywords: covid-19 pandemic, impacts on learning, systemic analysis, graduate students, learning INTRODUCTION The context In the years prior to the pandemic, the majority of Faculty of Education of University of São Paulo (thereafter FEUSP) graduate courses were offered on campus, in face-to-face mode. Usually, the number of students who attended each course was small, generally below 20. The majority of the class was composed of students from University of São Paulo, with a few graduate students from other universities. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the courses were offered online. This brought the opportunity for graduate students from all over the country to enroll in FEUSP courses. In 2021, we offered an online Research Methodology course. Forty-five students from 27 faculties in 10 Universities in seven states of Brazil (Appendix A) enrolled in this course. During our synchronous meetings, they let us know that many of them were suffering diverse problems due to the pandemic. Some of them pointed out that the pandemic also brought new learning opportunities. Therefore, we decided to develop research in order to have a better understanding of how the Covid pandemic impacted their studies. We wanted to understand its systemic impacts ofthe pandemic on the students’studies, unveiling the dynamics the drove the learning processes that occurred during the pandemic. Citation: do Amaral, J. A. A., Meister, I. P., & Gamez, L. (2023) . A systemic analysis of the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic on the studies of Brazilian graduate students: An exploratory study. Anatolian Journal of Education, 8(1), 173-190. [https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2023.8112a](https://doi.org/10.29333/aje.2023.8112a) Theoretical review Well-conducted face-to-face courses allow students to interact with the teacher in a simple and direct way (Gherheș et al.,2021) . More than that, such classes can foster social relationships between participants (Bali & Liu, 2018; Yau & Tang, 2020) and facilitate the development of group activities (Liu et al.,2021). Face-to-face courses may also allow for collaborative learning (Satriani,2022) . Teachers may use several educational approaches in face-to-face courses, including project-based learning (Arantes do Amaral & Fregni, 2021), problem-based learning (Leavy et al.,2022), simulationbased learning (Yan et al.,2022), community-base

FAQs

How was the exploratory study conducted and what data were collected?

The study used an exploratory sequential mixed method. A survey was sent to 38 Brazilian graduate students, collecting quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires.

What was identified as the main barrier to learning during the pandemic?

Home confinement was found to be the factor that created the main barriers to learning.

What learning opportunities emerged for graduate students during the pandemic?

Students leveraged courses, webinars, and conferences offered during the pandemic, and they also developed new IT and communication skills.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel