The coronavirus pandemic has significantly disrupted normal daily activities globally. Children, who could not go out and whose social lives were restricted due to the pandemic, were faced with problematic internet use, on the one hand, and on the other hand, with the distance education process, children started to take their lessons online – in front of the screen. During distance education, children have difficulties in starting the lesson, sitting in place during the lesson, they may be reluctant to the lesson, they are distracted, and their participation in the lesson is lower. It has been stated that distance education negatively affects child-parent relations. Ensuring that the child starts the lesson on time, being able to attend the lesson, following the homework, differences in academic skills, the parents follow the children more closely, the increase in warning, the effort to control, and the role of the teacher at home seem to increase these relationship problems. In addition, the pandemic process and spending more time in front of the screen significantly increased family conflicts, communication problems, problematic internet use, behavioral problems, sleep and eating disorders. Especially children with special education needs and developmental problems are more negatively affected by this whole process. Existing mental problems of these children are exacerbated and they may experience new additional mental problems.
Suggestions to parents for their difficulties in distance education;
Parents should know that the child’s attention is more easily distracted and bored more quickly during distance education.
They should keep their expectations flexible, taking into account the individual characteristics of the child and these challenging conditions.
Collaboration and communication with teachers should be increased, and child-specific methods should be considered to increase the motivation of the child to listen to the lesson.
Although it leaves room for them to fulfill their responsibilities in starting, continuing and homework, when the initiative is left to the child, they have more problems in attending, maintaining and focusing (an education model where they are distant and more passive, they are more easily distracted and more difficult to motivate. ), parents should follow the child’s education. At the beginning of the lesson and afterwards, homework and what to do in free time should be planned, and the child should actively participate in this planning stage.
Parents may have difficulties in how to support their children in distance education. It would be beneficial for the Ministry of National Education to organize “family education programs” for parents on how to provide distance education support to their children.
Mothers and fathers should plan together to spend time with their children, and be a guide and model for activities where they can spend time on their own.
