Abstract:

This paper explores the digital engagement of children aged between 6 and 12 years and the perceptions and practices of their parents, related to different types of learning that took place during the emergency remote schooling during and after the spring 2020 lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work is based on in-depth interviews with 105 children and their parents across ten countries that took place between April and December 2020. Despite the number of difficulties faced by schools and the jarring transition to remote schooling, the data from our interviews confirm that a wide range of learning took place during and after the spring 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, although in unequal measures. Many students engaged in various activities, often promoted by the family, especially during their leisure time, through which transversal skills have been gained. When children were motivated to learn and had a supportive environment, they found various ways to self-teach themselves. Children were motivated to learn new technologies especially when they saw further application of their learning. This study is unique in allowing us to capture non-formal learning practices that are hard to capture by formal assessment methods where an unexploited potential for learning and self-learning was identified.

Keywords:

Remote schooling, Covid-19, digital education, self-learning.