European Journal of Education

Insecurity, lack of support, and frustration: A sociological analysis of how three groups of students reflect on their distance education during the pandemic in Sweden
Lidegran I, Hultqvist E, Bertilsson E and Börjesson M
This article investigates the situation of Swedish upper secondary school students who have been subject to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. We understand the transition from onsite education to distance education as a recontextualization of pedagogical practice, our framing follows loosely concepts from Bernstein. Given that the field of upper secondary education is highly socially structured it is relevant to enquire into the social dimensions of distance education. For this purpose, we have analysed answers to an open-ended question in a survey answered by 3,726 students, and related them to a cluster analysis distinguishing three main clusters of students: , and . The urban upper-middle-class students experienced problems decoding new requirements and were troubled by blurred boundaries between school and home. This group invests the most in schooling, and therefore expresses comparatively more anxiety for reaching anticipated achievements. Immigrant working-class students were comparatively more discontented by a lack of school support and request clearer instructions. In this new educational situation, characterized by a weak framing, they have difficulties decoding the requirements. The rural working-class students appear comparatively more disconnected from the school situation. Unlike urban upper-middle-class students, for whom the school invades the home and private sphere, the rural working-class students seldom experienced that the school intruded their home; accordingly, their studies collapsed into sleep-in-mornings and a holiday feeling.
Education and digital inequalities during COVID-19 confinement: From the perspective of teachers in the French speaking Community of Belgium
Duroisin N, Beauset R and Tanghe C
To curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and the federated entities of Belgium suspended all face-to-face learning starting 14 March, 2020. A continuity of learning was to be ensured by teachers through distance-learning. However, teaching during the confinement period was complicated for teachers: the respect for policies and rules differs from one teacher to another and there has been a lack of follow-up on online learning for some learners. The purpose of this article is to contribute to initial responses to the vast question of educational inequalities created and exacerbated during the crisis. More particularly, this article provides a situational analysis of some potential causes for inequalities in primary and secondary schools and identifies differences between the two education levels. Our analysis draws on responses from almost 500 teachers participating in a large-scale survey in the French speaking Community of Belgium. The analysis focuses on teaching practices and observations made by teachers during the confinement period. Various factors contributing to inequalities are identified as well as differences between the two levels of education. Relevant factors include the technological equipment available to students, and the use of pedagogical practices such as and (RCS). After confinement, at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, teachers have faced more diverse classes, with learners who have experienced very different confinement situations. In light of our analysis of survey responses, we highlight the role of the technological equipment used by the teacher as a factor that increases inequalities.
The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in primary schools in the Czech Republic: Parental perspectives
Smetackova I and Stech S
The article presents results of a survey among parents of primary-school pupils, in which they commented on education during school closures due to the COVID-19 disease pandemic in the spring of 2020. The questionnaire mapped family arrangements, parents' competencies, parenting practices concerning learning, and communication with the school. It was administered to more than 2,500 respondents at the end of the period of school closures (May-June 2020). The analysis focused on the question of whether the parents of pupils in primary schools assessed the home-based distance learning as well handled and whether they felt concerned about their child's future school results. We understand parents' satisfaction as a result of the interaction between family arrangements on one hand, and requirements formulated by the schools on the other. The analysis showed that most parents rated home education positively. However, the socio-economic status (SES) and cultural status of parents was a significant factor. Among the low-SES parents, 47% reported concerns, while among the high-SES parents, only 30% did. The strongest moderators of the link between SES and concerns about the school results of children were: school-family communication during closures, adequacy of curriculum, parental practices supporting child's concentration and motivation, perceived school success of a child and parents' educational aspirations for the child.
Families between care, education and work: The effects of the pandemic on educational inequalities in Italy and Milan
Cordini M and De Angelis G
Italy was the first Western country affected by the pandemic. The school closures that followed lasted for a full school semester, including final exams. Italy is already known as a country with a high degree of educational inequality, where reproduction of social disadvantages by social origins is prominent. In such a situation, we hypothesise that a prolonged lockdown and the consequent reliance on remote education have played an important role in exacerbating existing inequalities. Families were forced to take on the full responsibility of educating their children, which has reinforced the role of household resources. The analysis presented in this article draws on results from an online survey of the effects of school closures on educational practices, the analysis focused on responses from parents of primary school students. The survey was carried out in Milan in June 2020 and was disseminated through institutional and informal channels after two months of school closure in Italy. Results were re-balanced to represent different social classes. The survey explored the relationships between economic and social inequalities on the one hand, and school activity experienced at home during the lockdown on the other. It also explored the involvement of pupils and their parents in school activities. We aimed to capture what educational and organisational resources families were able to mobilise in this situation, and to what extent these are unequally distributed. Our results contribute to an understanding of the impact of family resources on educational chances, identifying resources and how they are distributed through the population. Our findings confirm that the pandemic has exacerbated already existing inequalities.
Stay home and be unfair: The amplification of inequalities among families with young children during COVID-19
Pitzalis M and Spanò E
This article focuses on the educational practices and strategies mobilised by Italian families with children aged six years and younger, during the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, in 2020. Specifically, we analyse practices and strategies mobilised by families from different social milieus living in rural or urban contexts. We argue that the shift in childcare practices and needs during the pandemic promoted the reaffirmation of traditional gender stereotypes and patterns of gendered labour division through the blurring of temporal and spatial boundaries between paid work, domestic labour and childcare. Our findings shed light on how differences in household circumstances, such as the availability of space in the home, have impacted disparities in childcare. Specifically, how different housing conditions have profoundly influenced the coping mechanisms of both children and parents during school closures. We conclude by discussing teachers' attempts to realise educational activities for supporting continuity in the pedagogical relationship, in a context of different family conditions and educational patterns.
COVID-19 school closures and cumulative disadvantage: Assessing the learning gap in formal, informal and non-formal education
González S and Bonal X
Reducing physical contact has been the most common strategy adopted by governments to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease. It has led most countries to close their schools. Previous evidence on the effects of teacher strikes, summer holidays, armed conflicts or any other cause of school closure on learning suggest that the effects of COVID-19 will be highly significant for some and will vary depending on students' previous performance, family characteristics, age or education track, among other factors. Recent evidence shows that learning losses during school closures have been widespread and especially intense among the more disadvantaged students. In this article we evaluate the magnitude of the gap regarding opportunities to learn in formal, informal and non-formal education between families depending on their cultural and economic capital. An online survey ( = 35,937) was carried out during the second week of the confinement (March 2020) in Catalonia. The survey targeted families with children between three and eighteen years. The responses show remarkable social inequalities in opportunities to learn. In this article, we describe the magnitude of the learning gap between social groups and explore which are the most significant factors that explain educational inequalities. Our findings reveal a process of cumulative disadvantage that results from unequal opportunities in formal, informal and non-formal education and underline the need to address both school and family factors to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on learning opportunities.
Parental involvement in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic-Dominant approaches and their diverse implications
Knopik T, Błaszczak A, Maksymiuk R and Oszwa U
The aim of the study on which this article reports was to identify parents' approaches to their children's remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic in April and May 2020. Additionally, this investigation sought to determine the role of parent perceptions of the barriers and benefits of remote education. The research draws on a survey of 421 parents of primary school students, in which a 66-item questionnaire (4 subscales) was used. Analysis revealed three main clusters that represent approaches adopted by parents: (1) the committed teacher approach, (2) the autonomy-supporting coach, and (3) the committed teacher and intervener. The parents in cluster 3 emphasised perceived barriers to remote learning more than parents in clusters 1 and 2. Regarding perceptions of the benefits, statistically significant differences were found in perceptions of child development facilitated by remote education (the parents in cluster 2 rated it most positively). The results can be used to support parents and schools in the provision of optimal remote learning.
School leadership in unpredictable times
Hooge E and Pont B
Narratives boost entrepreneurial attitudes: Making an entrepreneurial career attractive?
Fellnhofer K
This article analyses the impact of narratives on entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions. To this end, a quasi-experiment was conducted to evaluate web-based entrepreneurial narratives. The paired-sample tests and regression analysis use a sample of 466 people from Austria, Finland, and Greece and indicate that individuals' perceptions of the desirability of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intention are significantly different before and after exposure to entrepreneurial narratives. Furthermore, the findings indicate that perceptions of the feasibility of entrepreneurship are more strongly affected by videos than by cases. From a policy perspective, this study raises awareness that entrepreneurship is an attractive career path.