The impact of imposed COVID-19 measures on Belgian higher education students

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore how higher education students behave when they are confronted with imposed measures that provide temporal cues, also called organizational temporal structures, and how their behavior evolves with time.

Theoretical Framework: The Temporal Cognitive-Affective Processing System (T-CAPS), developed by Shipp and Richardson (2021) is used as the overarching theory to study the phenomenon. The theory describes five possible behavioral responses when individuals are confronted with organizational temporal structures.

Method: The study uses a mixed-method design including surveys and interviews during three large COVID-19 waves in Belgium. In total, 1246 students filled in the survey and 30 interviews were carried out.

Results and Discussion:
The findings suggest that, in general, students mostly complied to the imposed measures. Especially in the beginning of the pandemic, resistance was almost non-existent. However, resistance increased over time, particularly when measures interfered with social life. Our qualitative data provides more insight into the reasoning behind indicated behavioral responses. Convenience
appeared to be an important reason for compliance with remote learning and resistance towards the restrictions in social contact increased because of their deteriorating effect on mental health.

Research Implications: Our research gives rise to recommendations aimed at
governments, educational institutions and people entrusted with educational policy making, as it provides better insight into when and why students comply to new regulations.

Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by applying the
conceptually developed T-CAPS in an empirical setting and as a result validates
propositions related to the theory.