Effects of Remote Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young Children's Learning and Academic Behavior in Georgia: Perceptions of Parents and School Administrators.
Jill V Klosky, Julie A Gazmararian, Olivia Casimir and 1 others
PMID 35411613WHAT IT FOUND
Parents and school staff described young children's learning and classroom behavior as poorer during remote schooling, cited technology access and digital literacy as major barriers, and reported extra difficulties for children with disabilities, Spanish-speaking families, and single parents.
Key findings
01Parents and school personnel reported declines in young children's learning and academic behavior during remote schooling, including lower attendance, participation, and completion of schoolwork.
02Technology access and digital literacy were major barriers to virtual learning, with lack of community broadband, devices, and adult technological literacy cited.
03Remote schooling posed extra challenges for children with disabilities, Spanish-speaking families, and single essential working parents, including inaccessible therapies and educational adaptations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study reports perceptions, not objective child outcomes. Parent recruitment was lower than expected, so the sample was smaller and more varied than intended. School nurse interviews were excluded from this manuscript. The research team did not expressly discuss how their backgrounds might create bias. Findings come from four schools in Georgia, so they may not apply widely.
Declared interests
Funded by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. Authors declared no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that remote schooling caused measured learning loss or that any therapy improved outcomes. The paper reports parent and school-staff perceptions, not child assessments or a treatment trial.