Post-Pandemic Science Learning: Students’ Boredom and Its Correlation with Their Mental Health

Öz

Boredom and mental health experienced by students in learning are significant aspects, especially after the pandemic. However, they are often ignored by educators. This study aims to explore students' level of boredom and mental health in science learning after pandemic and reveal their relationship. The study used a non-experimental quantitative method with a survey design. The research sample consisted of 62 students in one of the high schools in Sungai Penuh. Data were collected using boredom and mental health questionnaires adapted from previous studies. Descriptive analysis showed that students experienced moderate level of boredom in science learning after pandemic (mean = 3.034 on a scale of 5), with emotional exhaustion as most prominent factor. Students' mental health was also at a moderate level (mean = 3.103) with the emotional aspect with the lowest score. Furthermore, a significant negative relationship was identified between boredom and mental health. These findings suggest that higher levels of boredom, particularly emotional exhaustion, contribute to a decline in students' mental health (emotional state and responsibility). This study provides important implications for educators to create a more engaging science learning environment that supports students' mental health.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Boredom
• Correlation
• Emotion
• Mental Health
• Post-Pandemic
• Science Learning

Kaynakça

1. Boateng, G. O., Doku, D. T., Enyan, N. I. E., Owusu, S. A., Aboh, I. K., Kodom, R. V., Ekumah, B., Quansah, R., Boamah, S. A., Obiri-Yeboah, D., Nsabimana, E., Jansen, S., & Armah, F. A. (2021). Prevalence and changes in boredom, anxiety and well-being among Ghanaians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10998-0
2. Brooks, S. K., Webster, R. K., Smith, L. E., Woodland, L., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N., & Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
3. Chao, M., Chen, X., Liu, T., Yang, H., & Hall, B. J. (2020). Psychological distress and state boredom during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: the role of meaning in life and media use. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1769379
4. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Science. Second Edition. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
5. Danckert, J., & Elpidorou, A. (2023). In search of boredom: beyond a functional account. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(5), 494–507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.002
6. Doll, B., Nastasi, B. K., Cornell, L., & Song, S. Y. (2017). School-Based Mental Health Services: Definitions and Models of Effective Practice. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 33(3), 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2017.1317143
7. Eastwood, J. D., Frischen, A., Fenske, M. J., & Smilek, D. (2012). The Unengaged Mind: Defining Boredom in Terms of Attention. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(5), 482–495. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612456044
8. Elpidorou, A. (2018). The good of boredom. Philosophical Psychology, 31(3), 323–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2017.1346240

9. Furlong, M., Smith, D. C., Springer, T., & Dowdy, E. (2021). Bored with school! Bored with life? Well-being characteristics associated with a school boredom mindset. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 5(1), 42–64. https://doi.org/10.47602/jpsp.v5i1.261
10. Goldfeld, S., Kvalsvig, A., Incledon, E., O’Connor, M., & Mensah, F. (2014). Predictors of mental health competence in a population cohort of Australian children. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 68(5), 431–437. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-203007
11. Jose, B., Varghese, S. M., Suma, S. R., Oommen, S. E., & Antony, R. V. (2025). The silence curriculum: emotional neglect in schools as a hidden psychiatric risk. Frontiers in Education, 10(September), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1631264
12. Kern, L., Mathur, S. R., Albrecht, S. F., Poland, S., Rozalski, M., & Skiba, R. J. (2017). The Need for School-Based Mental Health Services and Recommendations for Implementation. School Mental Health, 9(3), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-017-9216-5
13. Lister, K., Seale, J., & Douce, C. (2021). Mental health in distance learning: a taxonomy of barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing. Open Learning, 38(2), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2021.1899907 Macklem, G. L. (2014). Preventive Mental Health at School. In Preventive Mental Health at School. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8609-1
14. Macklem, G. L., & Gayle, L. (2018). Boredom in the Classroom: Addressing Student Motivation, Self- Regulation, and Engagement in Learning. In Springer (SpringerBr). Springer.
15. Martin, M., Sadlo, G., & Stew, G. (2006). The phenomenon of boredom. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(3), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qrp066oa
16. O’Connor, M., Cloney, D., Kvalsvig, A., & Goldfeld, S. (2019). Positive Mental Health and Academic Achievement in Elementary School: New Evidence From a Matching Analysis. Educational Researcher, 48(4), 205–216. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19848724
17. Obergriesser, S., & Stoeger, H. (2020). Students’ emotions of enjoyment and boredom and their use of cognitive learning strategies – How do they affect one another? Learning and Instruction, 66(October 2019), 101285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.101285
18. Özerk, G. (2020). Academic boredom: An underestimated challenge in schools. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 13(1), 117–125. https://doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2020.177
19. Panova, T., & Lleras, A. (2016). Avoidance or boredom: Negative mental health outcomes associated with use of Information and Communication Technologies depend on users’ motivations. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 249–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.062
20. Pekrun, R., Goetz, T., Daniels, L. M., Stupnisky, R. H., & Perry, R. P. (2010). Boredom in Achievement Settings: Exploring Control-Value Antecedents and Performance Outcomes of a Neglected Emotion. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 531–549. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019243
21. Pekrun, R., & Stephens, E. J. (2011). Academic emotions. In APA educational psychology handbook, Vol 2: Individual differences and cultural and contextual factors. (pp. 3–31). https://doi.org/10.1037/13274-001
22. Pranata, O. D., & Seprianto, S. (2023). Pemahaman Konsep Siswa Melalui Skema Blended learning Menggunakan Lembar Kerja Berbasis Simulasi. Karst : Jurnal Pendidikan Fisika Dan Terapannya, 6(1), 8–17. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46918/karst.v6i1.1724
23. Pranata, O. D., & Ulandari, S. (2025). Eksplorasi Mental Health Siswa dalam Pembelajaran Sains. Hamzanwadi Journal of Science Education (HiJaSE), 3(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.29408/hijase.v3i1.28633
24. Putri, D. H., & Pranata, O. D. (2023). Eksplorasi Kejenuhan Siswa dalam Pembelajaran Sains Setelah Pandemi. Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Sains (JIPS), 4(2), 62–70. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.37729/jips.v4i2.3367
25. Putri, D. H., Pranata, O. D., & M, N. (2024). Analisis Emosi Siswa dalam Lingkungan Akademik : Studi Deskriptif dan Komparatif. BIOSFER: Jurnal Biologi Dan Pendidikan Biologi, 9(1), 9–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23969/biosfer.v9i1
26. Schaufeli, W., & Enzmann, D. (1998). The Burnout Companion to Study and Practice. CRC Press.
27. Seprianto, S., Pranata, O. D., Juniyati, S., & Susanti, S. (2024). Eksplorasi Emosi Dalam Pembelajaran Fisika di Sekolah Menengah Atas. Studi Deskriptif dan Perbandingan Antar Tingkatan Kelas. Diksains: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Sains, 4(2), 101–108. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33369/diksains.4.2.101-108
28. Talevi, D., Socci, V., Carai, M., Carnaghi, G., Faleri, S., Trebbi, E., Bernardo, A. D. I., Capelli, F., & Pacitti, F. (2020). Mental health outcomes of the CoViD-19 pandemic. Riv Psichiatr, 55(3), 137–144.
29. Tam, K. Y. Y., Chan, C. S., van Tilburg, W. A. P., Lavi, I., & Lau, J. Y. F. (2023). Boredom belief moderates the mental health impact of boredom among young people: Correlational and multi-wave longitudinal evidence gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Personality, 91(3), 638–652. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12764
30. Tutzer, F., Frajo-Apor, B., Pardeller, S., Plattner, B., Chernova, A., Haring, C., Holzner, B., Kemmler, G., Marksteiner, J., Miller, C., Schmidt, M., Sperner-Unterweger, B., & Hofer, A. (2021). Psychological Distress, Loneliness, and Boredom Among the General Population of Tyrol, Austria During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12(June), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.691896
31. Utami, A. F., Pranata, O. D., & Angela, L. (2024). Analisis Tingkat Kejenuhan Siswa Sebelum, Selama, dan Setelah Pembelajaran Sains. PENDIPA Journal of Science Education, 8(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33369/pendipa.8.1.1-9
32. van Hooft, E. A. J., & van Hooff, M. L. M. (2018). The state of boredom: Frustrating or depressing? Motivation and Emotion, 42(6), 931–946. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9710-6
33. Vilhunen, E., Chiu, M. H., Salmela-Aro, K., Lavonen, J., & Juuti, K. (2023). Epistemic Emotions and Observations Are Intertwined in Scientific Sensemaking: A Study among Upper Secondary Physics Students. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 21(5), 1545–1566. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-022-10310-5
34. Wagner, T. (2008). The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need—and What We Can Do About It. Basic Books. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21226399
35. Weiss, E. R., Todman, M., Maple, E., & Bunn, R. R. (2022). Boredom in a Time of Uncertainty: State and Trait Boredom’s Associations with Psychological Health during COVID-19. Behavioral Sciences, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12080298
36. Westgate, E. C., Buttrick, N. R., Lin, Y., El Helou, G., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J. J., Gützkow, B., Kreienkamp, J., Abakoumkin, G., Abdul Khaiyom, J. H., Ahmedi, V., Akkas, H., Almenara, C. A., Atta, M., Bagci, S. C., Basel, S., Berisha Kida, E., Bernardo, A. B. I., Chobthamkit, P., … et al. (2023). Pandemic boredom: Little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries. Emotion, 23(8), 2370–2384. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118
37. Weybright, E. H., Schulenberg, J., & Caldwell, L. L. (2020). More Bored Today Than Yesterday? National Trends in Adolescent Boredom From 2008 to 2017. Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(3), 360–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.09.021
38. World Health Organization. (2021). Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030.
39. World Health Organization. (2022). World mental health report: Transforming mental health for all. In World Health Organization. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o1593