Investigating the Behavioral and Psychological effects of Virtual Education and staying at home during Corona Crisis on Elementary Students
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Abstract
Background and aim: The lifestyle and the educating students have become strategic and unusual following the outbreak of COVID-19. For safety considerations, saf-practicing, home quarantine and distance education have been initiated with some psychological, social, and economic consequences. However, implementation of this lifestyle requires the support, monitoring, and adherence to medical recommendations. The psychological and educational experiences of students and their parents about the virtual education and home quarantine during the Corona crisis have been investigated in this study. Materials and methods: This qualitative research enjoyed an interpretive phenomenological approach and the samples were selected from 10% of the elementary-school students in district three in the city of Shiraz, Iran in 2020 using a purposeful sampling method. Data were collected by in-person and phone interviews and completing questionnaires by the parents of the students. Results: results enlighted several issues such as “increase of negative emotions, confusion of parents and students”, “lack of suitable hardware and Internet network infrastructures”, “sudden change of traditional and classroom education to virtual education, concerns about endangering children's health”, and “economic concerns and lack of focus in students during the virtual education”. Conclusion: Due to this pandemic and it's consequences students experienced very unique moments of home quarantine and virtual education. Therefore, understanding complexities, experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward practicing home quarantine and the new and sudden shift to virtual education instead of face-to-face classes is crucial and would lead to the educational policy makers and healthcare personnels’comprehensive understanding of psychological consequences of virtual education and home quarantine.