Educational Equity During COVID: Online Learning Difficulties of Juggling Parent or Working Students

• In Event: Navigating Education in COVID-19

Abstract

Universities worldwide have recently shifted following the COVID-19 pandemic to Emergency Remote Teaching through Online Learning (ERT-OL). The massive, unplanned shift is not without difficulties. Moreover, educational equity has been claimed to take its toll. This study sought to understand the difficulties by viewing the juggling equity factor—concerning juggling parent-students or working-students, whose coping with learning was problematic earlier. However, the new situation has suggested more concerns. The thematic analysis qualitative method was used to analyze 154 students’ written answers for difficulties. We found cognitive difficulties suggesting parent-students may concentrate less during ERT-OL and miss more learned materials; parent-students or working-students may experience more school workload. The study advances the knowledge of difficulties during ERT-OL from the equity-juggling standpoint.

Authors

• Orit Ezra, Tel Aviv University

• Anat Cohen, Tel Aviv University