COVID-19 has altered trajectory of students’ development: Study

PATIALA: A collaborative research titled ‘COVID-19 lockdown and the reconstruction of Urban middle-class home in India’ has found that school closure during the lockdown has altered the normal trajectory of development for many students. It was carried out by an associate professor of Punjabi University and a professor at Royal Holloway University of London, United Kingdom(UK). The research was conducted through focus group discussions and interviews in Patiala and outside.

The research will be published in special issue of an international interdisciplinary journal ‘Children and society’ in October this year. The research highlights the negative effects of overuse of technology on physical health of students’.

The professors noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has exaggerated and complicated the pre-existing issues within each section of society. They said that the closure of schools during lockdown and the ensuing shift to online teaching has posed serious challenges to a child’s well-being.

Dr Damanjit Sandhu, Associate professor, Punjabi University, said that with the help of the series of interviews conducted with boys and girls of age group 15-17 years, they discovered a huge digital-literacy gap between parent and the child, and this caused parental ineptness to monitor the digital usage of children. This, he believes has exacerbated the children’s growing uncertainties about the future. They also found that non-productive online teaching, inability to pay attention to online classes, and maintaining study routines has greatly impacted the students mind. She added that the study found a growing fear among children of not being able to perform well and crack competitive examinations for admissions to elite colleges.

According to Dr Sandhu, most students are unable to discuss their stressors openly with their parents. They also witnessed young children’s excessive social media usage and involvement in risky online behaviour and game addiction. This has resulted in significant effects on children’s growth. Dr Sandhu stressed that discussions between parents and children, especially when children are at a young age are very important.