Lessons From the Pandemic: Comparative Analysis of Students’ Experiences in Germany and Canada’s Non-Privileged Setting

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 10:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions (Table 4)

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of students during the COVID-19 pandemic in disadvantaged areas of Canada and Germany. Focusing on students transitioning from childhood to young adolescence, the study examines how these individuals coped with educational disruptions. Sponsored by the German government, the project compares how students from non-privileged backgrounds experienced schooling and family life during the pandemic, as well as teachers’ efforts to support them. Key findings reveal that German students faced greater exclusion from educational resources and received less support than their Canadian peers. Moreover, while Canadian students had access to digital tools for communication, many German students struggled to stay connected with their teachers due to missing resources.

Author

• Tanja Sturm, University of Hamburg