Turn on your self-compassion and turn on the webcam: Self-compassion, self-esteem, body esteem, gender, and discomfort related to using the camera affect students’ activity during synchronous online classes

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students refused to turn on their webcams during synchronous online classes. Students may intentionally remain invisible to teachers and colleagues for reasons related to their motivation and emotions. However, less is known about the relationships between students’ activity and frequency of turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes and their self-compassion. In our study (N = 450, Polish students aged 18 to 28), we examined the relationship between students’ self-compassion, self-esteem, body esteem, and discomfort when using webcams with their activity and frequency of turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes. We found that men scored higher than women on self-compassion, self-esteem, and body esteem, but lower on discomfort when using the webcam. In both genders, higher self-compassion was associated with higher self-esteem, higher body esteem, higher activity during synchronous online classes, and less discomfort when using the webcam. Moreover, in women, higher self-compassion was linked with more frequent turning on the webcam. We also observed that discomfort when using the webcam and self-esteem mediated relationships between self-compassion and activity and turning on the webcam during synchronous online classes. Our results indicate the importance of improving self-compassion in students during online education.