Functional State of Teachers of a Northern University When Switching to Distance Education

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to perform a comprehensive study of the functional state of male and female teachers of a northern university during the quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, when they had to switch from on-campus to distance teaching. Materials and Methods. The study involved 56 teachers (36 men and 20 women) from Surgut State Pedagogical University, who were examined before and after the switch to distance teaching. The functional state of the central nervous system (CNS) was evaluated according to the data of simple visual-motor reaction. The state of autonomic regulation was characterized based on the dynamics of heart rate variability at rest and during active orthostatic test. Peripheral systolic and diastolic blood pressure and central systolic aortic pressure were measured. The psychophysiological state was analysed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Eysenck’s “Self-assessment of anxiety, frustration, aggressiveness and rigidity”. The quality of life was evaluated using the Short Form (36) Health Survey. Results. During on-campus teaching, female university teachers showed more pronounced impairments of autonomic regulation and functional state of the CNS compared to their male colleagues. In addition, women experienced professional burnout more often, while an increase in central and peripheral blood pressure was less common among them. After the transition from on-campus to distance teaching during the COVID-19 quarantine, functional disorders of autonomic hear rate regulation and haemodynamics were more pronounced in men than in women. Women under the same conditions had greater impairments of the functional state of the CNS, while demonstrating improvements in the psychophysiological state. Thus, the research found that changes in the form of teaching produce different effects on the functional state of male and female university teachers.