Horizon of Medical Education Development

Relationship between electronic learning and academic burnout among students of theschool of public health of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd : 2023

10.22038/hmed.2025.84058.1441
Volume 17, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 51-66
Horizon of Medical Education Development

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Fatemeh Dehghan banadkooki 1
Mohamad kazem Rahimi 1
Tahereh Shafaghat 1
Hasan Jafary 1
Sara Jambarsang 2

1 Health policy and management research center, Department of health management and economics, school of public health, Shahid sadoughi university of medical sciences, Yazd, Iran

2 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology، School of public health، Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences، Yazd، Iran

Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, the subject of e-learning has been discussed as one of the important applications of new information technology in the world, and one of the factors affecting the academic performance of students, which has recently been studied in universities, is academic burnout. ‌‌Considering the importance of these two topics, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between e-learning and academic burnout among students of the school of Health at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in Yazd in 2023.
Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted cross-sectionally among health faculty students. ‌‌In this research, two electronic learning questionnaires by Watkin et al. and the academic burnout questionnaire by Bresso et al. were used. The SPSS version 24 software and descriptive statistics tests, ANOVA statistical tests, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis.
Results:A significant relationship was obtained between the dimensions of e-learning, except for the dimension of online group discussions, with the dimensions of academic fatigue and apathy (P<0.001), but a significant inverse relationship was obtained with the dimension of academic inefficiency. A direct and significant relationship was obtained between the three dimensions of e-learning (motivation, access to technology, and important issues for success) with academic burnout, and a significant inverse relationship was obtained with the dimension of online group discussions (r=-0.14). In general, there was no significant relationship between e-learning and academic burnout (P=0.14).
Conclusion:Given that e-learning does not affect academic burnout, it can be suggested to managers and officials to provide the necessary infrastructure (hardware and software) for e-learning and also to hold workshops on the benefits, applications, and familiarity with e-learning.

Acknowledgments:We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the respected professors and students of the Faculty of Health at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, who participated in this research. We also extend our appreciation to the Dean of the Faculty and the Student Research Committee for their necessary coordination and support.

Availability of Data and Materials:The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.
Conflicts of Interest:The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest regarding the design, execution, analysis, and writing of this research.

Consent for Publication:All participants were informed about the objectives of the study and the possibility of publishing the results in an aggregated and anonymous format.

Ethical Considerations:This study was conducted in full compliance with ethical principles. Ethical approval for this research project was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, under the code IR.SSU.SPH.REC.1402.067. The participants were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary. The participants’ data were analyzed and reported anonymously and confidentially. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

Funding:This research is the result of a research project (Project Code: 15081) approved by Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, and has received financial support from this university.

Authors’ Contributions:Mohammad Kazem Rahimi: Conceptualization, study design, supervision of research execution, drafting the initial manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript.H. Jafari: Conceptualization, Interpretation of Findings, drafting the initial manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript.T.Shafaghat: Conceptualization, Interpretation of Findings, drafting the initial manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript.S.Jam barSang: Performing statistical analyses, drafting the initial manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript.F. Dehghan Bandkooki: Data collection, data entry into software, drafting the initial manuscript, critical revision and finalization of the manuscript, and responsibility for correspondence.

Open Access Policy: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. To view a copy of this licence, visit.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

Keywords

electronic learning
academic burnout
students
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