Children's engagement in self-learning modules (SLMs) amid the pandemic: a predictive analysis on the role of internet access, household food security, and parental involvement to modular classes

This study examines essential factors that affect children' quality of response towards a non-traditional learning platform specifically, self-learning modules (SLMs) as Philippine public school's mode of service-learning delivery. Our objective is to determine the predictive power of access to internet, household food security, and parental involvement on the level of students' engagement in these modular classes amid the health crisis. Drawing online responses from parents of public-school students (n=359), our regression analysis confirms the viability of our model F(3,355) = 19.2, p<.001. While we found that food security and parental involvement are predictors of students' satisfactory engagement in their SLMs, internet access is not. Therefore, our model suggests that children with parents who take time to be involved in their studies and who reside in households with enough food are more likely to engage positively in their modular classes, whether or not the household has access to the internet.

Embracing the "New Normal": Exploring Readiness among Filipino Students to Engage in Virtual Classes

This paper is an examination of learner readiness to engage in non-traditional modes of schooling, such as online or distance learning, in which the overall interest lies in ensuring the access of Filipino students to quality education even during this pandemic. The specific goal is to gauge and investigate material, psychological, and home environment readiness among incoming and incumbent college students in the Philippines. The findings were drawn from 512 survey respondents whose answers were collected online. Among others, results reveal that majority of our respondents own computer devices and have access to the internet but are not confident about the service integrity of their internet connection. Most respondents also expressed that virtual classes are less motivating due to absence of physical connection to teachers and schoolmates, which could negatively impact the learning experience. They also voiced out reservations on the conduciveness of their home environment for online learning. We argue that it is only through paying attention to learner readiness that decision-makers can safeguard education as an accessible right to all.

Touch me please-when this enhanced community quarantine is over: Sexual intimacies among pre-marital partners during pandemic-induced lockdown

Abstract The study aims to examine the experiences of pre-marital, non-cohabiting partners while coping with the Covid-19-induced lockdown. With specific focus on sexual intimacies, our interest is to investigate the degree or extent by which the pandemic has constrained people's sexual interests and expressions with the intention to determine whether or not the overall relationship would be negatively affected by the paucity of sexual encounters. Findings drawn from online interviews involving 28 participants reveal that the pandemic has indeed affected sexual intimacy aspirations among partners, with some participants calling these times as "dry season." For this very reason, the pandemic has also emerged as a sexual issue. Further results reveal that partners employ technology-based strategies in order to satisfy their sexual desires during these times when restrictions in movement are in place. Trust, love, communication and understanding serve also to assure partners of the integrity of the relationship. The study suggests that the loss of physical sexual encounters during lockdowns is not sufficient to result in negative relationship outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)