An Assessment of the Sense of Coherence among Third Year Medical Technology Students Taking Online Classes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world in a way that it has halted the normal effectiveness of the economy. One sector majorly affected was education which shifted the learning educational system towards a fully online system for universities. It is on this premise that the researchers decided to conduct a study on the sense of coherence of the students concerned. Sense of Coherence (SOC) is a form of measurement to interpret the efficiency of coping strategies against stressors in life. This study aims to determine the SOC of third-year Medical Technology students currently taking online classes, specifically by classifying the responses as either normal or low, determining possible factors (socio-demographic, lifestyle-related, academic-related) that affected the respondents’ SOC, and by identifying which factors had the greatest impact in predicting the students’ SOC. These were accomplished through a survey using a standard SOC questionnaire and answered online. The data gathered were analyzed using measures of central tendency, linear regression, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that 64.5% of the respondents were classified with a low SOC and factors such as subjective health status, degree of health awareness, and pressure from family were significant in affecting the SOC scores. It was found that the factor with the greatest negative impact was pressure from family while subjective health status was the greatest positive predictor of SOC. It was concluded that majority of the students have a low SOC, and the factors identified can be improved to achieve a better SOC.