With virus exposures in schools and changing education models due to COVID-19, a university instructor in Nanaimo is interested in examining effects of the pandemic on student learning and emotional well-being.
Marla Morden, a Vancouver Island University psychology professor and developmental psychologist, received $6,000 in B.C. Ministry of Health COVID-19 research grant money and wants to hear from families, particularly with kindergarten to Grade 4 students, about impacts of home-schooling, distance learning and classroom environments during the pandemic.
Morden and her team will be asking if distance-learning students experience more isolation from their peers, and if there will be related behavioural and mental health impacts. If another suspension of in-class instruction occurs, would that disruption cause mental health issues for those students and how long would that last, researchers wonder. Morden also hopes to hear about positive experiences and unexpected benefits of education models that families have selected.
香蕉视频直播淚 think we will see some behaviour and some mental health impacts for children because that香蕉视频直播檚 what studies and parents are telling us, but I香蕉视频直播檓 not sure how long-lasting it will be,香蕉视频直播� Morden said. 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檓 hoping that we香蕉视频直播檒l see even as early as next fall, or the following year, that children who are resilient will be back to normal, but it香蕉视频直播檚 hard to say.香蕉视频直播�
Information will be gathered through 香蕉视频直播渟tandard psychological-type surveys,香蕉视频直播� such as ones to determine parents and caregivers香蕉视频直播� stress levels, and open-ended questions to both children and caregivers.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e just giving them prompts and then we香蕉视频直播檙e asking them to share their experiences about going to school this year香蕉视频直播ο憬妒悠抵辈 said Morden. 香蕉视频直播淲e might ask, 香蕉视频直播楬ow have your social relationships been? How have the teachers been? Have you found that there have been enough supports?香蕉视频直播� and then just letting them share their experiences in a more open-ended way.香蕉视频直播�
Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district has seen an increase of distance education enrolment in 2020-21, with K-9 registration recently halted due to demand. Denise Wood, teachers香蕉视频直播� union president, said while she hasn香蕉视频直播檛 heard from K-4 teachers about students expressing fears about coronavirus, that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean it香蕉视频直播檚 not happening.
香蕉视频直播淭here香蕉视频直播檚 high anxiety levels throughout the schools, at all levels,香蕉视频直播� said Wood.
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Students might not be explicitly expressing fears about the virus, but that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 mean they aren香蕉视频直播檛 concerned, added Susan Riordan, junior school principal at Aspengrove School, an independent school in Lantzville.
香蕉视频直播淭he age group I work with, they香蕉视频直播檙e not likely to come and say, 香蕉视频直播極h hi Mrs. Riordan, I香蕉视频直播檓 really worried about COVID-19,香蕉视频直播� but we might see anxious behaviours a little bit more香蕉视频直播ο憬妒悠抵辈 said Riordan of her primary students. 香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e asking to wash their hands when they might not normally have been the type to do that. They might get upset if someone gets too close to them.香蕉视频直播�
Subjects will be tracked for five years, and while it may be hard to isolate the effects of the coronavirus, there could be other benefits to the research, Morden said.
香蕉视频直播淚t could help us to see if there香蕉视频直播檚 any difference between the behaviour of mental health of children who are home-schooled and who go to [bricks-and-mortar] school,香蕉视频直播� she said. 香蕉视频直播淲e could see that there香蕉视频直播檚 no difference there, so that would be really great, or we could see that one group has an advantage.香蕉视频直播�
Anyone wanting to take part in the research can e-mail Morden at marla.morden@viu.ca. She香蕉视频直播檚 hoping to get in contact with somewhere between 90 and 120 families.
香蕉视频直播淚 know a lot of families are really excited about this research and think it香蕉视频直播檚 really important, so I want them to be aware that it香蕉视频直播檚 happening,香蕉视频直播� she said.
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