{"id":58294,"date":"2021-07-24T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=58294"},"modified":"2021-07-26T23:24:45","modified_gmt":"2021-07-27T03:24:45","slug":"pandemic-has-teens-feeling-worried-unmotivated-and-disconnected-from-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/pandemic-has-teens-feeling-worried-unmotivated-and-disconnected-from-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic has teens feeling worried, unmotivated and disconnected from school"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, many U.S. teens were more worried about the disruption to their education than the possibility of getting sick. A May 2020 survey of high school students found that they reported\u00a0academics and work habits<\/a>\u00a0to be among their biggest challenges, ahead of mental and physical health. Nearly three-quarters (72%) indicated they were\u00a0\u201cvery much\u201d concerned<\/a>\u00a0with how COVID-19 would impact their school year.<\/p>\n

As a\u00a0researcher who studies adolescent development<\/a>, I was interested in whether and how teens\u2019 school stress changed as the pandemic dragged on. So during the fall of 2020,\u00a0my colleague<\/a>\u00a0and I surveyed adolescents about their academic concerns and the changes they noticed in school social dynamics.<\/p>\n

Our study, published in\u00a0School Psychology<\/a>, revealed that some school challenges increased, while others stayed about the same.<\/p>\n

Education concerns<\/h4>\n

The 452 adolescents, aged 11-17, that we surveyed reported that they still worried about how COVID-19 would impact their schoolwork. And concerns about academic motivation were most common. Teens most frequently worried about not being able to motivate themselves to do, or focus on, schoolwork.<\/p>\n

These academic worries were elevated among older students who were further along in secondary school, for whom graduation and college planning are more imminent.<\/p>\n

While our study did not collect academic achievement data, links between school stress and\u00a0poorer academic outcomes<\/a>\u00a0highlight the importance of alleviating students\u2019 academic worries in order to reduce potential pandemic-related\u00a0learning loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Less support from teachers<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the early months of the pandemic, nearly\u00a0one in four teens<\/a>\u00a0said they connected with teachers less than once a week after in-person school activities were canceled. We found this limited communication with teachers persisted into the 2020-2021 school year.<\/p>\n

In fact, nearly 70% of the teens in our sample reported communicating less frequently with teachers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many also perceived a decline in academic and emotional support from teachers, reported by 61% and 48% of the sample, respectively.<\/p>\n

Of course, it is critical to recognize how teachers\u2019 lives have also been upended by the pandemic. Having to navigate family obligations,\u00a0technology challenges<\/a>,\u00a0psychological strain<\/a>\u00a0and COVID-19 health concerns, for example, may contribute to\u00a0teacher burnout<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0mental health declines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cyberbullying<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although school is a\u00a0common setting for bullying<\/a>, we found that distance learning did not necessarily give students a reprieve from being mistreated by peers. Teens in our sample reported that cyberbullying remained relatively consistent since the COVID-19 pandemic began.<\/p>\n

In fact a notable proportion \u2013 one in three students \u2013 reported that cyberbullying \u201cincreased\u201d and was \u201cmore of a problem\u201d during this time period.<\/p>\n

It is possible that these increases reflect\u00a0increases in social media<\/a>\u00a0use during the pandemic, given potential links between social media use and\u00a0cyberbullying<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is important to note that our study assessed only experiences of general cyberbullying. We believe attention toward teens\u2019 online experiences of bias-based bullying is much needed. One study, conducted in the spring of 2020, found that\u00a0nearly half<\/a>\u00a0of Chinese American youth were targets of COVID-19-related racial discrimination online.<\/p>\n

Back-to-school tips<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To alleviate teens\u2019 academic worries, schools can cultivate\u00a0structure and routine for students<\/a>\u00a0as they resume some normalcy.<\/p>\n

Social connection and communication between students and teachers should be prioritized, including opportunities for students to express their worries early on. Meeting with guidance counselors for support at the outset of the upcoming school year may help students cope with the transition out of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

With the switch back to classroom instruction, schools should also ensure that teachers have the resources they need, including clear administrative guidance, to support students and avoid burnout during this reintegration period.<\/p>\n

To get teens excited about the upcoming school year, parents might encourage them to reconnect over the summer with classmates they may have lost touch with during the pandemic.\u00a0Video chatting<\/a>\u00a0with friends may help students reestablish social bonds and increase enjoyment of school once the academic year begins. After all, teens often report that they go to school\u00a0to be with their friends<\/a>, and such friendships can help them navigate academic demands and other school-related challenges.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Leah M. Lessard is a <\/span>Postdoctoral Fellow at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, many U.S. teens were more worried about the disruption to their education than the possibility of getting sick. A May 2020 survey of high school students found that they reported\u00a0academics and work habits\u00a0to be among their biggest challenges, ahead of mental and physical health. Nearly three-quarters (72%) indicated they were\u00a0\u201cvery […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":58295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[401075],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-58294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-covid-19-pandemic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPandemic has teens feeling worried, unmotivated and disconnected from school - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/pandemic-has-teens-feeling-worried-unmotivated-and-disconnected-from-school\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pandemic has teens feeling worried, unmotivated and disconnected from school - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When the COVID-19 pandemic started, many U.S. teens were more worried about the disruption to their education than the possibility of getting sick. A May 2020 survey of high school students found that they reported\u00a0academics and work habits\u00a0to be among their biggest challenges, ahead of mental and physical health. 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