The Effects of Online Homeschooling on Children, Parents, and Teachers of Grades 1-9 During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Med Sci Monit
; 26: e925591, 2020 Sep 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-761142
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Beginning in the 2020 spring semester, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all school-age children in China were homeschooled via live/recorded broadcasts, online group communication, and software-based homework submission. This study assessed the effects of and proper preparation for this educational approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS The homeschooling behaviors and feelings of school-age children were assessed with 2010 online surveys obtained separately from students, parents, and teachers of grades 1-9 in 15 Chinese provinces. Answers were compared among low- (grades 1-3), middle- (grades 4-6), and high- (grades 7-9) grade groups. The chi-square test was used to identify significant differences between groups. RESULTS We found that 76% of the respondents thought the homeschooling style was acceptable. However, teachers were concerned that students' interest, focus, and academic performance would decline. Sixty-nine percent of the parents reported their children had more than 3 hours of daily screen time, and 82% of students had less than 2 hours of daily outdoor activity. Ninety-five percent of the parents were concerned about their children's eyesight. Additionally, 17.6% of the students were suspected to have emotional or behavioral problems according to the parent-rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) results. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) results of parents and teachers showed higher levels of anxiety than usual. CONCLUSIONS Students should continue the going-to-school rhythm at home to cope with changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Integrated grade-specific approaches are needed. Because long screen time and insufficient outdoor activities can severely affect children's eyesight, appropriate eye-protection measures should be implemented.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Parents
/
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Students
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Education, Distance
/
Pandemics
/
School Teachers
/
Betacoronavirus
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Med Sci Monit
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
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