WoLeG -Well-being and digital learning among primary school pupils

The situation was uncertain insofar as the decades-old notion of a “good childhood” (Betz) and, with it, education in public schools had been suspended, leaving open the question of what the crisis meant for society, the economy, health, social life and families.

For educational science, the question arose in particular as to what consequences the measures taken during the crisis would have for the education system, for individual schools and their stakeholders (management, teachers, pupils and parents) – both in the short and long term. Basically, it can be said that there is virtually no research on how education, upbringing and socialisation take place under conditions of social crisis. In the meantime, the results of quantitative online surveys are now available throughout Germany and Europe. However, the studies available all show a ‘middle-class’ bias.

Case study at a primary school

In the case study – conducted during school closures – we were particularly interested in the perspectives of children (and young people) and parents on their situation at the time. What did the sudden isolation and simultaneous distance learning mean for them, and how did they cope with this uncertain situation, the end of which was not yet in sight? What did it mean for them to be separated for several weeks, even months, from important caregivers such as teachers, educators, social workers and independent areas of life (playgrounds, sports clubs, etc.)?

For children and young people, restricted contact and lack of freedom of movement can be a particular burden, especially if their living conditions are characterised by cramped quarters, limited family support and restricted access to support and counselling systems. But the situation of learning at home will also have been new for most of them and will have resulted in different experiences.

This raised the question of the well-being of children and young people in times of uncertainty. Child well-being is a multidimensional phenomenon that takes into account children's living conditions and their perspectives and experiences. It includes, for example, material resources, health conditions, social relationships, participation in families and institutions, their own perception of belonging and participation, and their sense of protection and security. The concept of well-being focuses not only on risks and negative factors, but also on protective factors and favourable conditions for individual well-being. Overall, the effects of school closures on children and young people have not been well researched, but UNESCO assumes that there are potential risks to well-being

Objective and methods

Against this backdrop, a case study was conducted at a primary school in cooperation with the University of Hamburg (Prof. Dr. Drorit Lengyel). The aim of the case study was to obtain as detailed and comprehensive a picture as possible of the current situation from the perspective of pupils and parents.

To this end, an online questionnaire was distributed to parents. In addition, guided interviews were conducted with parents and pupils. The surveys took place between May and June 2020. The data from the online survey will be statistically evaluated, while the interview data will be evaluated using grounded theory. The data will then be triangulated in order to relate the individual findings to one another

WoLeG : DivER : Universität Hamburg (uni-hamburg.de)