A sketch of the problem

In 2019, the world changed in significant ways. The emergence and spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2, more commonly known as COVID-19 to note the year of its development into a pandemic, altered social and economic conditions everywhere. All nations of the world had to contend with the virus and its effects. This chapter draws on ecological systems theory to highlight the ways in which various systems were able to/unable to address children and adolescents' social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs during the pandemic. It lays out the assumptions that underlie ecological systems theory, a developmental theory that explores human development as the result of interacting and intertwined ecological contexts. The chapter provides an illustration of how the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs of children and adolescents have been and continue to be shaped by interactions across these various ecological contexts. It considers next steps and outlines how research, policy, and practice might take up ecological systems theory in seeking to address the persistent and pervasive problems of children and adolescents' well-being in the context of intertwined and overlapping systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Unraveling EFL Teacher Buoyancy in Online Teaching: An Ecological Perspective.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching became a significant method at different levels of education across the globe. The transition from traditional offline to online educational environments brought new challenges for language teachers. Buoyancy plays a crucial role for teachers to bounce back from challenging situations. However, there is a scarcity of empirical research on language teacher buoyancy in online contexts from an ecological perspective which is conducive to unfolding the complex and dynamic nature of buoyancy. To fill this gap, the current study utilized a qualitative research method to investigate the factors influencing English teacher buoyancy in online teaching and how they shape and exercise buoyancy in their negotiation with different ecological systems in online teaching guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. The findings revealed that teachers experienced multiple challenges from different ecological systems, such as ineffective classroom interaction, work-life imbalance, heavy workload, and higher school requirements. Additionally, teacher buoyancy was shaped by the dynamic interaction between teachers and ecological systems and was not only viewed as the individual's ability but as a socio-ecological product. Based on the above findings, the paper provides some implications for developing and researching language teacher buoyancy in the future.

Challenges to social work professionalism during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative analysis of child protective workers' perspectives

The pandemic of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions of children and families worldwide, disrupting their daily lives and impacting the ability of Child Protective Services (CPS) to respond to children in need. This small-scale study involving 23 child protective workers from local governments in different regions of Estonia used in-depth, semi-structured interviews to explore child protection work with children in need during the COVID −19 pandemic. Issues resulting from the pandemic that could cause detriment to children was identified. For some children, the COVID-19 crisis has eliminated the possibility of any investigation due to social distancing, which led to information deficit, regardless of the character or level of apparent risk to the child. Children's rights to protection and continuity of care have been threatened, as urgently needed services and other CPS protective measures have been hindered or postponed due to lockdown. Examples of some services that continued online were provided. Furthermore, COVID-19 pandemic created new expectations and roles for CPS, questioning the fundamental goals of child protection work. Nevertheless, child protective workers have demonstrated creativity in finding ways to reach children in need during the pandemic, for example by setting up a crisis hotline, a crisis home. © 2023 GAPS.

The Association of Short-Video Problematic Use, Learning Engagement, and Perceived Learning Ineffectiveness among Chinese Vocational Students.

Short videos are very popular among students, but the immersive nature of the software makes them prone to problematic use and even addiction. Internet addiction, including short-video problematic use, has been a hot topic in recent years due to the COVID-19 epidemic. However, there are few empirical studies that have explored the effects of short-video problematic use on students. Thus, vocational colleges in China were recruited to participate in this study. There were 1089 effective participants, with a valid recall rate of 90.8%. This included 466 male students (42.8%) and 623 female students (57.2%), with a mean age of 19.19 years (standard deviation of 1.07 years). Five hypotheses were proposed and validated by structural equation modeling within the framework of ecological systems theory and engagement theory to explore the association of short-video problematic use, three types of learning engagement, and perceived learning ineffectiveness. Research findings showed that: (1) short-video problematic use has a negative effect on behavioral engagement; (2) behavioral engagement has a positive effect on both emotional and cognitive engagement; and (3) emotional and cognitive engagement have a negative effect on perceived learning ineffectiveness. According to the results, it can be seen that short-video problematic use has a detrimental effect on students' learning experiences, so teachers and parents need to pay attention to the negative effects of excessive use among students.

Teaching in the time of COVID-19: A biological systems theory approach

In 2020, schools around the United States and globally closed to in-person instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study, embedded in ongoing research supported by a United States Department of Education Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Award, investigated changes in roles, relationships, and educational activities resulting from the pandemic as perceived by educators in one rural and low SES Appalachian primary school. Using Bronfenbrenner’s (1977;1979;2001) Bioecological Theory of Human Development, this study examined instructional modifications (proximal processes) resulting from the pandemic (chronosystem) in the school and home (microsystem context) and the development of teachers, parents, and students (persons) in response to those changes. Survey data were collected pre- and post-pandemic onset. Results of this mixed-methods study indicated teachers perceived the pandemic as influencing what they taught, how they taught, and the roles of and relationships between teachers, parents, and students. Teachers adapted to the changing educational environment developing proficiency in online tools and skills to enhance communication. Parents assumed a more prominent role in their K-2 student’s schooling to ensure students logged in and were active online, paid attention while in class, and completed their assignments at home. These remote learning environments, which naturally distanced teachers from their students, coupled with uncertain parental involvement, challenged teachers in their formative assessments of student knowledge. While some students thrived with increased support from attentive parents—many students, particularly those already at-risk or in homes where internet or parental support were lacking—were adversely affected, thus widening the achievement gap. Copyright © 2022 Brigandi, Spillane, Rambo-Hernandez and Stone.

The level and influencing factors of graduating nursing students' professional commitment from the perspective of Ecological Systems Theory: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Increased professional commitment is essential for relieving the nursing workforce shortage, which is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The professional commitment of graduating nursing students is a powerful predictor of their work commitment. However, limited information is available regarding graduating nursing students' professional commitment. Existing studies investigating nursing students' professional commitment are limited by their lack of theoretical foundation. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the level of graduating nursing students' professional commitment and its multilevel influencing factors from the perspective of the Ecological Systems Theory in the early days following the COVID-19 outbreak. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING: Three educational institutions in Shanghai, China. PARTICIPANTS: 513 nursing students who were graduating with an associate or bachelor's degree. METHODS: The independent variables were measured by a self-designed questionnaire. The dependent variable professional commitment was measured by the Nursing Professional Commitment Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses, which allowed the independent variables entered in order, were performed to identify the significant predictor variables of the professional commitment and its dimensions. RESULTS: The level of professional commitment was 100.15 ± 20.35 (score ranged between 34 and 136). The individual factors (degree, whether had received a scholarship during the past academic years, ΔR2 = 0.142), family factors (parents and siblings' attitudes towards one's majoring in nursing, ΔR2 = 0.153), educational factors (academic faculty's belief in nursing profession, leaders' emphasis on nursing profession, satisfaction with clinical instructors' role modeling, ΔR2 = 0.097), and social factors (reason for majoring in nursing, perceived nurse-patient relationship, ΔR2 = 0.153) were significant predictors of the graduating nursing students' professional commitment (R2 = 47.6 %, F = 32.277, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The graduating nursing students had a moderate level of professional commitment, which needed to be improved. Nursing educators should comprehensively consider various factors to understand the relationship between individuals and environmental systems, and implement targeted interventions to shape the positive professional values of nursing students.

Developmental ecosystems of study abroad in a turbulent time: an Australian-Chinese’s experience in multilingual Hong Kong

The experiences of participants in disrupted study abroad (SA) programs have been largely overlooked in the literature, especially when it comes to experiences outside the norm. To fill this gap, this research explores the experience of an Australian university student taking part in an exchange program in Hong Kong (HK) during a turbulent period when HK was under sociopolitical tension, which was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We tracked the student’s experiences over six months through five monthly reflective journals and a postprogram interview. The qualitative data were analysed using a narrative approach, and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (EST) framework was adopted to interpret the results. The student’s narrative demonstrated a progressive story structure: although it was a special historical time when mobility to HK was undesirable, the participant counterintuitively perceived HK as an ideal location for his future career because of his SA experience. Framed by EST, the study discusses the individual’s development in relation to a multilevel SA ecology (micro-, meso-, exo-, macro- and chronosystems) and the student’s agentic responses at the individual level. The study offers policy and practical implications for multicultural education, particularly in the post-COVID era, when cross-border mobility has been facing unprecedented challenges. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Sustaining Non-formal Refugee Education Programs in a Covid-future World

In this discussion essay, characteristics of the provision of formal and non-formal education for refugee children in Greece will be explored through a comparative approach. The comparison reveals aspects of the social environments in the lives of refugee children. These will be examined through the lens of Uri Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1986) ecological systems theory as a means to understand the context of refugee children’s lives and also propose a more holistic approach to refugee education.

Modern slavery and labor exploitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a conceptual model.

BACKGROUND: Modern slavery is a complex global health problem that includes forced labor exploitation. An ecological systems perspective is needed to understand how contextual upstream and midstream factors contribute to labor exploitation, and how disruptive societal challenges, such as infectious disease pandemics, may exacerbate established pathways leading to exploitation. Accumulation of familial and societal risk factors likely heightens vulnerability; for instance, economic precarity for an individual interacts with poor livelihood options and lack of social welfare supports increasing their likelihood of accepting exploitative labor. However, few frameworks exist that account for the accumulation of and interdependence between risk factors at different levels and across contexts. OBJECTIVE: Using an ecological systems framework, we review literature on the pathways leading to labor exploitation, with the aim of developing a conceptual model grounded in existing research. Next, we discuss how pathways in this conceptual model are likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This conceptual model can guide future research to detect modifiable factors and strategic points of intervention. METHODS: A critical review of research articles and gray literature was performed with a primary focus on sub-Saharan Africa. The review utilized various scholarly databases to identify perspectives from multiple disciplines and to more fully account for complex processes linked to labor exploitation. RESULTS: A conceptual model of these pathways was developed that emphasizes established determinants and risk factors for labor exploitation in sub-Saharan Africa. The model highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated these pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should carefully examine the direct and indirect pathways, accumulation of and interactions between factors, and specific external and personal stressors. Interdisciplinary research on multilevel interventions is needed to guide solutions to prevent the persistent problem of labor exploitation.

Risk Factors and Effects of the Morbus: COVID-19 through the Biopsychosocial Model and Ecological Systems Approach to Social Work Practice.

Utilizing the biopsychosocial model and the ecological systems theory, this disquisition explores on the risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The discourse shows the interconnectedness of biological, psychological, and social domains in expatiating on the COVID-19 pandemic. It calls for the need to strengthen the resilience of the global community in the face of health outbreaks such as COVID-19. It emphasizes on the perspectives that pandemics are managed before they emerge through building systems that are resilient. Thus, it appreciates the need for a therapeutic milieu as a building block to resilience. The article calls for the adoption of a developmental stance to analyzing health outbreaks and clinical issues. The adumbration shows the reciprocity effects of the health outbreak [macrocosms] and individual factors [microcosms]. To its end, the paper implies that COVID-19 is a call for integration toward effective health planning between social policy formulators, urban and rural planners, epidemiologists, development practitioners, clinicians, researchers to mention but a few. Ultimately, the paper calls for social workers to consider a developmental-clinical social work approach which helps foster "health in all policies" so as to build resilience against the morbus and limit the proliferation of diseases.