Student Mental Health, Academic Resilience, and Learning Outcomes in the Digital Age: A Systematic Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70670/sra.v4i2.2289Keywords:
Student Mental Health, Academic Resilience, Learning Outcomes, Digital Learning, Online Education, Educational Technology, Systematic Review, PRISMAAbstract
Digital learning environments are rapidly growing and have fundamentally changed educational experiences, along with presenting new challenges for students' mental health. This digital shift has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and students are now experiencing more online learning, remote instruction, and digital engagement than ever before. The relationship between student mental health, academic resiliency, and learning outcomes in these digital contexts is increasingly important for educational stakeholders aiming to enhance student success and well-being. This is a systematic review that aims to summarize the current body of knowledge regarding the links between mental healths, academic resilience, and learning outcomes in digital-age learning environments in line with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A thorough search of Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, and other databases yielded 1,083 records. 17 studies were included after screening and deduplication. Appropriate quality assessment tools (JBI, MMAT, CASP) were used to appraise studies, and certainty of evidence was assessed by using GRADE methodology. Data synthesis was done by using narrative synthesis and thematic analysis. Six major themes emerged from the review: (1) mental health issues such as anxiety (reported in 71% of studies), depression, stress and burnout; (2) dual nature of digital learning environments and mental health; (3) psychological resilience in learning as a protective factor, mediated by self-regulation, persistence and adaptability; (4) important relationships between mental health and learning outcomes; (5) intervening factors such as self-efficacy, social support, and self-regulated learning; and (6) methodological issues such as the lack of longitudinal studies and the underrepresentation of vulnerable populations. The certainty of GRADE ranged from very low to moderate for outcomes. Academic resilience has proven to be an important mediator between mental health problems and learning outcomes in digital environments. A comprehensive strategy that focuses on psychological wellbeing, resilience development and pedagogical design is crucial for providing students with success in the digital age.
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