Adolescent academic worries amid COVID-19 and perspectives on pandemic-related changes in teacher and peer relations.

Abstract

Despite recognition of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary schooling experiences, little empirical evidence has captured adolescents' perspectives on the extent of academic and social disruption resulting from the pandemic. The present study examined adolescents' academic worries amid the COVID-19 pandemic and their perspectives on pandemic-related changes in teacher and peer relations. Participants were 452 adolescents (55% female) between the ages of 11 and 17, who completed online surveys asking them about their worries about their schoolwork and educational futures, perceived support from teachers, and perceptions of electronic (cyber) bullying during the pandemic. Results indicated that COVID-related academic worries pertaining to motivation to focus on and complete schoolwork were most frequent. High school students and female students reported heightened academic worries compared to middle school students and male students. In addition, the majority of adolescents indicated decreased support from teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including more than two-thirds (69%) who reported reduced communication with teachers. Adolescents perceived relative consistency in electronic (cyber) bullying throughout the pandemic, and a third of students indicated that cyberbullying has become more of a problem and increased in frequency during this time period. Perceived changes in cyberbullying were consistent across grade level and gender. Findings emphasize the psychosocial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' secondary schooling experiences and underscore the importance of bolstering social resources to minimize the short-and long-term impact of the pandemic on students' academic functioning. Impact and ImplicationsThe study results suggest heightened worries related to compromised academic motivation among adolescents amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, although the majority of adolescents reported decreased support from teachers, cyberbullying remained relatively consistent during the pandemic.

Worries About COVID-19 and Adolescents' Mental Health and Life Satisfaction: The Role of Sociodemographics and Social Support

“…Moreover, adolescents were slightly more worried about COVID-19's academic and economic impact than about the family's financial situation. As such, in line with previous studies ( 13 , 14 ), our results underline the importance of addressing the impact of both school-related stress and the economic situation on adolescents' worries.…”

“…Recent research indicated that the most common COVID-19-related worries among adolescents are related to the impact of the restrictions on academic careers (i.e., college admissions) and health effects of an infection (i.e., self-infection and family illness) ( 13 ). Other research also identified academic worries as one type of worry related to the COVID-19 pandemic ( 14 ). However, research is still limited regarding the different content of worries and their relation to adolescent mental health.…”

Educational Concerns, Health Concerns and Mental Health During Early COVID-19 School Closures: The Role of Perceived Support by Teachers, Family, and Friends

“…Accordingly, a recent study by Moser et al (2021) demonstrated that teachers expressed concerns about students’ achievements. Moreover, students felt a lack of consultation ( Korzycka et al, 2021 ) and decreased support from teachers ( Lessard and Puhl, 2021 ).…”

Cross-cultural validation of the Worries about COVID-19 and its consequences Scale (W-COV) in adolescents and young people

“…Most of the research has been conducted in general adult population above 18 years old (e. g. Boyraz et al, 2020 ; Ho et al, 2005 ; Moore & Lucas, 2020 ), while only a few studies have been carried out with particularly vulnerable populations (e.g., Maxfield & Pituch, 2020 ), healthcare workers (e.g., Puci et al, 2020 ) and people with chronically diseases (e.g., Joensen et al, 2020 ). There are some recent studies that have examined worries about COVID in adolescents (e.g., Jamieson et al, 2021 ; Lessard & Puhl, 2021 ; Vogel et al, 2021 ) and young people (e.g., Lehmann et al, 2021 ; Shukla et al, 2021 ; Yıldırım et al, 2020 ), stressing that concerns about the pandemic have a considerable impact on the negative affectivity of adolescents and young adults.…”