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Children and COVID-19 Research Library

UNICEF Innocenti's curated library of COVID-19 + Children research

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46 - 60 of 78
Both sides of the screen: predictors of parents’ and teachers’ depression and food insecurity during COVID-19-related distance learning

AUTHOR(S)
Anneanne Martin; Anne Partika; Anna D. Johnson (et al.)

Published: February 2022   Journal: Early Childhood Research Quarterly
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strains on both parents and teachers, both of whose mental and financial hardships have serious implications for young children's wellbeing. This study drew on an existing cohort study of families with low incomes in Tulsa, OK when children were in their Spring of 1st grade in 2020. It surveyed parents and teachers – children's caregivers on both sides of the screen during distance learning – before and after the COVID-19 pandemic hit and schools were closed. It first compared the proportion of parents and teachers who were depressed and food-insecure before and after the pandemic struck. It then used pre-pandemic characteristics of parents and teachers in separate models to predict their depression and food insecurity during the pandemic.
Teachers’ perspectives on the delivery of transitional outreach activities and their potential to raise secondary school students’ Higher Education aspirations during the Covid-19 pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Anthea Rose; Lucy Mallinson

Published: December 2021   Journal: Journal of Further and Higher Education
The role secondary schools play in raising student aspirations for, and encouraging progression into, Higher Education through supported outreach is important but often overlooked by both colleges and universities alike. This article reports on our work within Uni Connect’s ‘Raising Higher Education Aspirations’ programme in Lincolnshire which delivers targeted university-inspiring transitional outreach activities to Year 9–13 students from disadvantaged backgrounds with low levels of social and cultural capital, little or no familial habitus of Higher Education and where Higher Education participation is lower than expected. Specifically, this article considers university-inspiring transitional outreach from the perspective of six secondary school Uni Connect programme leads. Semi-structured interviews conducted with school leads over a 12-month period between October 2019 and November 2020 provided a unique insight into the successes and challenges schools face in delivering aspirational Higher Education outreach.
Being a Young High School Teacher in Mexico City. Teachers’ Experiences in Times of Pandemic

AUTHOR(S)
Luis Antonio Mata Zúñiga; Diego Angeles Colin

Published: November 2021   Journal: Journal of Applied Youth Studies
This work discusses the educational and occupational challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from the point of view of young high school teachers from Mexico City. It sought to identify and compare their teaching practices using the concept of asymmetric educational spaces (Villa Lever et al., 2017) to capture the influence of educational inequalities upon this sector’s response to the health crisis. For this purpose, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted to an intentional selection of cases from private and public high schools, all from ages 22-30. Interviews were conducted remotely between June and August 2020, the moment of the first wave of COVID-19 infections in the Mexican capital.
Early childhood teachers of color in New York City: heightened stress, lower quality of life, declining health, and compromised sleep amidst COVID-19

AUTHOR(S)
Mariana Souto-Manning; Samantha A. Melvin

Published: November 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic and measures to mitigate its spread affected every facet of education and society. The closure of sites of early care and education posed risks to the health, nutrition, social well-being, and emotional development of young children. In the U.S., threats to the quality of life and wellness of early childhood teachers and young children ages birth to eight (early childhood according to definition issued by the National Association for the Education of young children) intensified existing inequities. These inequities were visible in stigmatizing children and families in neighborhoods with high infection rates; trauma emanating from the death and bereavement of family members; loss of employment and economic hardships; more young children living in extreme poverty; disruptions to child protection services; and higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress. Stress, anxiety, and disrupted sleep, expected responses to a threat as sizeable as the COVID-19 pandemic, were further exacerbated by racialized inequities in access and rates of vaccination
The little jab aid: 5 ideas to increase COVID-19 vaccination for teachers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
This tool is designed to help increase Covid-19 vaccination amongst teachers in MENA countries. Using behavioural science, it offers practical guidance to get to the bottom of vaccine hesitancy, and to design tailored solutions to increase your Covid-19 vaccination rates. Children’s lives have been greatly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Getting as many teachers vaccinated as possible offers the best chance to safely reopen schools and ensure children’s education can continue uninterrupted. Barriers to vaccine uptake among teachers include individual factors such as misinformation and procrastination, social factors such as a lack of positive social norms for vaccination among their peers, and structural factors such as limited availability of vaccines and low access to vaccination sites.
‘We'd never had to set up a virtual school before’: opportunities and challenges for primary and secondary teachers during emergency remote education

AUTHOR(S)
Anastasia Gouseti

Published: November 2021   Journal: Review of Education
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about the largest disruption to formal education in recent history and has resulted in school closures and the move to online teaching and learning across the globe. Using data from interviews with 25 teachers and head teachers in England and Greece, this paper aims to capture educators’ experiences during emergency remote education (ERE) in spring–summer 2020 and contribute to current and future conversations about the post-pandemic school. Through a qualitative approach, the paper reports on the often improvised and compromised nature of online schooling during the first pandemic lockdown and presents the opportunities and challenges teachers experienced with the move to emergency remote education. It discusses how didactic modes of teaching prevailed, highlights the importance of parental involvement during ERE and argues that the move to online teaching and learning has accentuated digital inequalities.
Time to teach: teacher attendance and time on task in secondary schools in Rwanda

AUTHOR(S)
Spogmai Akseer; Ximena Jativa

Institution: *UNICEF
Published: October 2021
In Rwanda, over 3.5 million children were estimated to be out of school in 2020 when the country closed all schools as a safety measure against the spread of COVID-19. The government quickly developed a national response plan and started the process of hiring teachers, constructing classrooms and training in-service teachers in remote-learning pedagogies. Prior to the lockdown, schools were already experiencing challenges, including low attendance rates. In the post-COVID-19 environment, learning losses are expected to be significant, especially on the acquisition of foundational skills, and will hinder the ministry's efforts to achieve the learning outcomes of its new competence-based curriculum. A Time to Teach study in 2020 in Rwanda found that low teacher attendance was a common problem in primary schools. This study seeks to support the Ministry of Education by providing a comprehensive understanding of secondary school teacher attendance in the country. It builds on findings from the primary schools' study, to understand how attendance challenges may be similar or different across education levels, and more importantly, how these can help inform teacher policy design and implementation.
Time to teach: understanding teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Liberia

AUTHOR(S)
Silvia Peirolo; Ximena Jativa

Institution: *UNICEF
Published: October 2021

In Liberia, recurring school absenteeism and post abandonment are considered critical obstacles to quality education. Although national political actors recognize absenteeism as a major impediment to quality education, studies on the factors influencing teacher attendance in the country, including national policies and practices at the community and school levels, remain scarce. Also, there is a lack of knowledge on the direct and indirect ways the coronavirus pandemic and the measures adopted to contain it impact primary school teachers. This Time to Teach study seeks to fill these knowledge gaps. The report provides valuable insights into how the COVID-19 crisis may exacerbate existing education system challenges that affect teacher attendance and time on task. It also collects and strengthens the evidence base on the factors affecting the various dimensions of primary school teacher attendance to inform the design and implementation of teacher policies.

Time to teach: teacher attendance and time on task in primary schools in Nigeria

AUTHOR(S)
Spogmai Akseer; Ximena Jativa

Institution: *UNICEF
Published: October 2021

Prior to COVID-19 lockdowns, the Federal Republic of Nigeria had taken measures to improve the quality of education and of teachers’ working conditions such as by improving school infrastructure and accelerating teacher training programs, and providing incentive schemes for teachers. While education is free and compulsory, Nigeria reports the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. Economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of school closures, and the shift towards remote learning are anticipated to pose further constraints and push even more vulnerable children out of the education system. Teacher absenteeism and the poor use of instructional time are also significant problems for the Nigerian education system, negatively affect students’ academic performance and learning. This Time to Teach study seeks to support both federal and state governments by providing a comprehensive understanding of teacher attendance in the country’s primary schools. It also aims to provide insights into how attendance challenges may be similar or different across the types of schools (public/Quranic/private) and settings (urban/rural) and more importantly, how these can inform teacher policy design and implementation. Though data were collected prior to COVID-19 school closures, this study also aims to provide insights on how the pandemic may further exacerbate existing challenges. 

‘I think it’s been difficult for the ones that haven’t got as many resources in their homes’: teacher concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on pupil learning and wellbeing

AUTHOR(S)
Lisa E. Kim; Suzanna Dundas; Kathryn Asbury

Published: October 2021   Journal: Teachers and Teaching
School closures due to COVID-19 have been predicted to have a large impact on pupils’ learning and wellbeing. Systematic evidence about teachers’ perceptions of what challenges their pupils have faced, and how they have been addressing these challenges, will be important for post-pandemic planning. 24 teachers from English state mainstream primary and secondary schools were interviewed in June 2020 and asked to describe the impact of partial school closures on their pupils’ learning and wellbeing, and how they had been addressing challenges as individual teachers and at the whole school level. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: (a) pedagogy and process, (b) communication with pupils and families, (c) life at home, (d) the role of parents, (e) a COVID-19 curriculum, and (f) moving forwards and making plans.
Teacher well-being and perceived school climate during COVID-19 school closure: the case of physical education in Switzerland

AUTHOR(S)
Valérian Cece; Emma Guillet-Descas; Vanessa Lentillon-Kaestner

Published: October 2021   Journal: The Teacher Educator
School closure and distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown had the potential to affect teachers’ perception of their well-being and of the school climate. Within the teaching community, physical education (PE) teachers particularly redesigned their activities during school closures, posing both opportunities and threats. The study aim was to contribute to the understanding of the teachers’ well-being experiences (burnout and engagement) and school climate perceptions during the lockdown for PE teachers in comparison with those of teachers of other subjects.
COVID-19 and schools: what is the risk of contagion? Results of a rapid-antigen-test-based screening campaign in Florence, Italy

AUTHOR(S)
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi; Sonia Paoli; Massimiliano Alberto Biamonte (et al.)

Published: October 2021   Journal: International Journal of Infectious Diseases

In the coronavirus disease 2019 era, debate around the risk of contagion in school is intense in Italy. The Department of Welfare and Health of Florence promoted a screening campaign with rapid antigen tests for all students and school personnel. The aim of this study was to assess the circulation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the school setting by means of mass screening in every primary and middle school in Florence. All students and school personnel at primary and middle schools in Florence were asked to take part. The campaign started on 16 November 2020 and was completed on 12 February 2021. If a subject had a positive result on rapid antigen testing, a molecular test was performed to confirm the result.

School teachers’ self-reported fear and risk perception during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationwide survey in Germany

AUTHOR(S)
Stefanie Weinert; Anja Thronicke; Maximilian Hinse (et al.)

Published: September 2021   Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases peaking and health systems reaching their limits in winter 2020/21, schools remained closed in many countries. This survey was conducted in Germany to better understand teachers’ risk perception. Participants were recruited through various associations and invited to take part in a cross-sectional COVID-19-specific online survey. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Factors associated with teachers’ fears of contracting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were evaluated with an adjusted multivariable regression analysis. The median age of the 6753 participating teachers was 43 years, and 77% were female. Most teachers worked in high schools (29%) and elementary schools (26%).
Feeling a bit like a tsunami wave: an exploratory study of early childhood professionals’ experiences during the COVID-19 crisis in the USA

AUTHOR(S)
Minsun Shin; Victoria I. Puig

Published: July 2021   Journal: Education 3-13
The COVID-19 crisis highlights how vital childcare is and demonstrates the importance of the often undervalued work of early childhood educators. This mixed methods exploratory study presents how early childhood professionals (n = 75) navigated alternate remote teaching formats and served young children and their families during the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. Key findings include the personal and professional challenges participants experienced supporting their students’ social-emotional development and serving children with disabilities. Participants also shared reflections on the resilience and adaptability of children, families, and themselves. Recommendations for interdisciplinary research, professional development that builds technological proficiency, and practice that supports children and families through inclusive early childhood models are discussed.
Emergency remote teaching and learning in Portugal: preschool to secondary school teachers’ perceptions

AUTHOR(S)
Filipa Seabra; António Teixeira; Marta Abelha (et al.)

Published: July 2021   Journal: Education Sciences
Emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL) represent a critical and challenging time for teachers globally. To understand how Portuguese teachers interpreted their ERTL experiences of the first lockdown, we started by asking: What perspectives do teachers have about ERTL? Answering three open questions made available online between April and May of 2020, a sample of 305 preschool, basic, and secondary school teachers expressed their perspectives on (i) difficulties throughout ERTL; (ii) students’ constraints in participating in ERTL; (iii) the potential and benefits resulting from this exceptional period. Data were analyzed using content analysis. While Portuguese teachers perceived ERTL with concern, a majority also saw it as an opportunity. Workload, work conditions, and time management were the most frequently mentioned difficulties. Regarding students’ constraints, teachers emphasized participation, the role of parents, lack of contact, and autonomy.
46 - 60 of 78

UNICEF Innocenti's Children and COVID-19 Library is a database collecting research from around the world on COVID-19 and its impacts on children and adolescents.

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COVID-19 & Children: Rapid Research Response

UNICEF Innocenti is mobilizing a rapid research response in line with UNICEF’s global response to the COVID-19 crisis. The initiatives we’ve begun will provide the broad range of evidence needed to inform our work to scale up rapid assessment, develop urgent mitigating strategies in programming and advocacy, and preparation of interventions to respond to the medium and longer-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. The research projects cover a rapid review of evidence, education analysis, and social and economic policies.