Videoconferencing and sleep quality in Slovenian university students : is there a mediating role of Zoom fatigue?

Vuk, Vita (author), Horvat, Marina (author), Vrečko Pizzulin, Vesna (author), Štukovnik, Vita (author)

Given the expanding utilisation of technology in educational settings, online learning has become a common teaching method. It prevailed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the effects of attending videoconferences with active participation on psychological functioning have not yet been studied in detail. This article aimed to evaluate the relationship between videoconferencing and sleep quality – one of the crucial mechanisms promoting physical and mental well-being. Additionally, we were interested in the potential mediating role of videoconferencing fatigue in this relationship. The survey took place during the Covid-19 epidemic (in Spring 2021). Our results show a negative relationship between videoconferencing/screen device use and sleep quality and that this relationship is mediated by videoconferencing fatigue. Results of the further analysis revealed that perceived study suitability plays a significant role in determining to what extent the duration of videoconferences relates to feelings of videoconferencing fatigue. Our findings aid in understanding the relationships between videoconferencing, Zoom fatigue, and sleep better. They may be helpful in optimising remote learning today, as they remain frequently used in higher education worldwide.

• Language: English
• Keywords: online learning, sleep quality, university students, videoconference fatigue, Zoom fatigue
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 157-185
• Numbering: Vol. 16, no. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-181736
• UDC: 378
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1697
• COBISS.SI-ID: 198400003
• Publication date in RUL: 15.04.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Udeležba na videokonferencah in kakovost spanja pri slovenskih študentih : mediacijska vloga Zoom izčrpanosti

Abstract

S porastom rabe tehnologij v izobraževanju je spletno učenje postalo pogosta metoda poučevanja. Prevladovalo je med epidemijo covida-19, vendar učinki aktivne udeležbe na videokonferencah na psihološko delovanje niso bili podrobneje raziskani. Namen tega članka je bil preučiti odnos med udeležbo na videokonferencah in kakovostjo spanja, enega ključnih mehanizmov za spodbujanje telesnega in duševnega počutja. Zanimala nas je tudi mogoča mediacijska vloga videokonferenčne utrujenosti v tem odnosu. Vzorec je vključeval 529 slovenskih študentov, raziskava pa je potekala med epidemijo covida-19 (spomladi 2021). Naši rezultati kažejo negativno razmerje med uporabo videokonferenc/zaslonskih naprav in kakovostjo spanja ter potrjujejo, da je videokonferenčna utrujenost mediatorka v tem odnosu. Rezultati nadaljnjih analiz so razkrili, da ima zaznana ustreznost študija pomembno vlogo pri določanju, v kolikšni meri se trajanje videokonferenc povezuje z občutki videokonferenčne utrujenosti. Naše ugotovitve pripomorejo k boljšemu razumevanju odnosov med videokonferencami, t. i. Zoom izčrpanostjo in spanjem. Lahko bi bile koristne pri optimizaciji učenja na daljavo, ki se še vedno pogosto uporablja v visokošolskem izobraževanju po vsem svetu.

• Keywords: spletno učenje, kakovost spanja, univerzitetni študentje, videokonferenčna utrujenost, Zoom izčrpanost, videokonference