Preschool Children’s Drawings: A Reflection on Children’s Needs within the Learning Environment Post COVID-19 Pandemic School Closure

Alabdulkarim, Sarah; Khomais, Sama; Hussain, Ibtesam Yassin; Gahwaji, Nahla M.

doi:10.1080/02568543.2021.1921887

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…First of all, although peer support limitation has been referred to as the main problem by students participating in this research that explains the decrease in their mathematics achievement, other factors could have influenced these results. Many authors referred to the school closures of several months as the main reason for the academic problems that many students are experiencing worldwide [86][87][88][89]. Hence, not only restrictions in peer support, but also other factors such as the prolonged period of time that schools were closed the year before may explain this decrease in students' mathematics achievement.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain

Miravet

Alegre

2022

Education Sciences

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COVID-19 restrictions in schools worldwide constitute an important limitation for peer support among students. The masks, the distance between tables or the established sitting order are new challenges that both students and teachers must face in Spain. The conventional strategies that took place among students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic have been altered. In this study, the mathematics achievement of high-school students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic is examined. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. A total of 368 students from 9th grade (ages 14 to 15) participated in this research. Statistically significant differences were reported when comparing the mathematics achievement of pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 students (t = 22.21, p < 0.01). An overall negative effect size of −2.32 was reported for those students with COVID-19 restrictions. Mathematics achievement scores were 9.90% lower for the group with restrictions. No statistically significant differences were reported when analyzing results by gender or repeating condition. The qualitative information supported the quantitative findings. Alterations in peer support was identified as one of the main factors that could explain this decrease. The main conclusion of this study is that current restrictions due to COVID-19 could be producing an important decrease in students’ mathematics achievements.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain

Miravet

Alegre

2022

Education Sciences

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“…It is difficult for children to formulate and express their emotional states in words, so it is easier and more informative to translate and describe their attitude through drawing [7]. While drawing and playing, or moving, children have the opportunity to relax, create and convey what is important to them and what they would not be able to describe and name in words [1,2,12]. Seeing children's drawings makes it easier for adults to feel and understand their inner world and imaginations and find ways to appropriately respond to the child's individual needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We all understand that peace is the best environment for children to grow up in, but many people deal with war experiences and consequences. There are relatively few scientific articles on these topics related to the war experiences of preschool age children [1,2,10,13,14].…”

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confidence: 99%

How preschool children in Lithuania perceive the war in Ukraine: analysis of drawings

Kostiuk,

Lesinskiene,

Lapinskaite

et al. 2023

MPU

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Lithuanian society actively supports Ukraine and is very close to the threat of extended war. How to communicate with preschool children about cruel war events is a problematic question for many parents and educators. Purpose - to study the attitude of parents to communicate with children about the war, to determine the ways of thinking and perception of military events by children through drawings. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in 5 kindergartens in Vilnius with the participation of 113 parents of 36 children. Results. Results revealed that 54.9% parents noted that they are talking about the war with their preschool-age child. 31.8% parents gave permission to speak and draw with their children about the war. The average age of children was 5.3±0.7 years. 72.2% of parents who permitted to talk about the war in Ukraine with their children indicated that they speak to their children about the war, and only 46.7% of parents who not gave permission indicated that they speak to their children about the war (p=0.006). Data showed that even children not directly impacted by war violence often are aware of current war events. Children’s drawings demonstrated a concrete understanding of war events and emphasized war’s negative emotions and destructive consequences. The predominant theme of the drawings were weapons, war events, falling bombs, destroyed houses, dying people, soldiers, and frightened faces. Conclusions. The study revealed that only half of the parents talked to their children about the war in Ukraine. Analysis of the form and content of the drawings show that the experienced war events left a robust impression on the children. It is essential to know the feelings and experiences of preschool children, to react appropriately according to their age and respond to their needs. It is necessary to talk to children about the war, trying to understand their worldviews, imaginations, and fears, because war experiences at an early age are a severe factor for the child’s further development. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

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“…(p. 373). There is a groundswell urging increased attention to children's psychological wellbeing and reduce barriers for learning as documented in recent research (e.g., Allen et al, 2020;New Zealand Education Review Office, 2020;Alabdulkarim et al, 2021;Álvarez-Guerrero et al, 2021;Agung et al, 2022). Considering the effects of psychological wellbeing and access to resources and technology (Agung et al, 2022), the idea of learning outcomes is shifting to a combination of psychological, and emotional wellbeing factors, that includes the needs and views of the child, with less of a singularly determined focus on learning outcomes in isolation.…”

Section: Case Example For Including Children In Learning: the Effects...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Children’s rights and their evidence as a force for inclusion in uncertain times

Bourke

2023

Front. Educ.

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Although education is a basic child’s right, and in many countries is protected through legislation, children with disabilities or support needs are not always afforded their right to experience an education at their local school alongside their peers. There is even less evidence that their ‘voices’ are sought or heard when decisions are made for them. This silencing of children in education results in their views being invisible in practice. When making decisions about children’s education and opportunities, an evidence-based model could feasibly address this, if the child’s right to have a say was afforded the same weighting as that of the input from practitioners, and research findings. Evidence-based practice in education typically relies on three forms of evidence: (i) systematic research that has been published or disseminated, (ii) specific practitioner knowledge and experience of children and their needs, and (iii) the children’s and their family’s experience of their own lived lives and capabilities. Combined, these forms of evidence can illuminate the decisions made for an individual child, and forge the pathway for interventions, actions, and solutions that are most likely to ‘work’ for the child, their culture, and their context, all things considered. However, there remains a tension when weighing up the relative status of these forms of evidence, where ‘research’ or ‘expert opinion’ is given more credence than the child’s capabilities: that is, less weighting is given to an individual child’s expression of their circumstance, their context, their ethnicity, and the opportunities afforded to them. The recent global pandemic became a catalyst for listening to children about their learning and education, in part because the ‘shut down periods’ meant classrooms and schools were closed for periods of time. Children had views on what this meant for them and their learning, and for the first time, practitioners did not really know what was in the best interest of the child. A case study is presented to foreground their views and goals for learning during this time. This means that while practitioners’ expertise be afforded a place in decision-making around inclusion or educational options for the child, the child’s own experiences must be included if evidence-based practice is realised. Placed against rights-based practice, it becomes even more critical to give every child their ‘voice’, and to act on their views, as the children are the key informant for their own solutions, and of their own interpretation and expression of the ‘problem’.

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Preschool Children’s Drawings: A Reflection on Children’s Needs within the Learning Environment Post COVID-19 Pandemic School Closure

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain

COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain

How preschool children in Lithuania perceive the war in Ukraine: analysis of drawings

Children’s rights and their evidence as a force for inclusion in uncertain times

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