Alsudais, Ali S.Alghamdi, Abdullah S.Alharbi, Abdullrhman A.Alshehri, Atif A.Alzhrani, Mustafa A.Keskin, SinanSahin, Muhittin2023-01-122023-01-1220221360-23571573-7608https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10919-7https://hdl.handle.net/11454/76119During the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, over 1.5 billion students worldwide have been deprived of access to traditional learning. This situation has necessitated the use of social distancing-based educational methods; consequently, a tremendous shift towards e-learning has been observed. This study assesses medical students' social anxiety levels in e-learning environments. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the original Turkish Social Anxiety Scale for E-Learning Environments (SASE) was adapted in English and tested for validity and reliability. This instrument has two subscales: social anxiety in learner-learner interaction and in learner-instructor interaction. In the second stage, we explored the associations of gender, age, and perceived academic performance with medical students' social anxiety levels in e-learning environments. A total of 325 responses were analysed. Consistent with the original version, the adapted scale is a reliable and valid measure of social anxiety in e-learning. Social anxiety in e-learning was related to gender (p = 0.008) and age (p = 0.013). Social anxiety levels were higher in students with lower perceived performance during e-learning compared to students with enhanced performance, but the difference was not significant. The SASE is a useful instrument for evaluating social anxiety in e-learning environments across English educational frameworks. Considering the shift in social interaction environments, efforts are required to reduce medical students' social anxiety levels and enhance learning.en10.1007/s10639-022-10919-7info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSocial anxietyE-learningConfirmatory factor analysisMedical studentsEpidemiologyComorbidityUniversityDisordersArticle27681898201WOS:0007632538000082-s2.0-8512553771135261548Q1Q1