Demographic analysis of difficulties related to remote education in Poland from the perspective of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction and objective. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all schools in Poland were closed and obliged to conduct lessons remotely. The aim of the study is to present the demographic analysis of difficulties with remote learning, as perceived by students during coronavirus pandemic in Poland. Materials and method. In April 2020, a nationwide online survey was conducted among adolescents aged 11-18 (N=2408). Quantitative and qualitative data were used. Teenagers were asked about the problems connected with remote learning. In order to examine the overall level of remote learning difficulties, a scale of remote learning difficulties (RLD) was devised (range 0-23 points). Differences connected with gender, age and place of residence were analysed. Results. More than a half of the teenagers surveyed rated the increased demands from teachers as a major problem. This answer appeared statistically more often among girls than boys (59.6% v. 53.2%). Almost every third adolescent saw the lack of consultation (31.6%) as a significant problem. Difficulties related to learning in the remote system were most often described as considerable by the oldest students (17-18-years-old) and those living in rural areas. The big problem for them was usually much higher requirements of teachers and poor organization of distance learning. The mean level on the scale of remote learning burden was M=11.9 (SD=7.1). Technical difficulties and insufficient skills in using software constituted additional problems most frequently mentioned by students. Conclusions. There is a need to pay particular attention to organizing appropriate technical conditions for remote learning, especially in rural areas, where students have complained more often than in cities about equipment and problems with access to the Internet during the pandemic.

Global emergency remote education in secondary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Five studies found no significant difference in the experience of students based on gender: in Jordan (Al Salman et al, 2021), Italy (Ferraro et al, 2020;Pirrone et al, 2021), Poland (Korzycka et al, 2021), and Vietnam (Tran et al, 2020). Although in Korzycka et al's (2021) study, girls were significantly more likely than boys to have an issue with the requirements of home schooling (59.6% vs. 53.2%; p=0.001).…”

“…The studies were also categorised according to sample size (see Appendix I). 18.5% of studies had more than 400 participants, with three European studies having over 2,000, from Slovakia (Velichová et al, 2020), Poland (Korzycka et al, 2021), and Austria (Pelikan et al, 2021). 33% of studies (n = 27) had between one and 25 participants, which represents a higher percentage of smaller scale studies than in higher education research (16%, .…”

Closeness to Parents and Experiencing Threats with COVID-19 Mediates the Link between Personality and Stress among Adolescents

“…and "Would your parent help you if you had a problem?" The response categories ranged from never (1) to always (5).…”

“…One of many early preventive measures taken against the spread of the virus was the government's decision to close all schools (11 March 2020). Subsequently, starting from March 2020, remote education was implemented and developed throughout 2020 and 2021 [5]. Psychological burdens, social isolation and loneliness have been among the many problems emphasized by Polish adolescents (aged [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], which have been also experienced due to online education [5].…”

“…Subsequently, starting from March 2020, remote education was implemented and developed throughout 2020 and 2021 [ 5 ]. Psychological burdens, social isolation and loneliness have been among the many problems emphasized by Polish adolescents (aged 11–18), which have been also experienced due to online education [ 5 ].…”