Confined Students: A Visual-Emotional Analysis of Study and Rest Spaces in the Homes

Abstract

Confinement was adopted globally as a containment measure to face the COVID pandemic declared by WHO on March 2020. In Spain, the State of Alarm was established for three months. This implied the interruption of educational activities, having a higher incidence for children, since teaching would not be resumed until the following academic year, in September. This, together with the confusing initial information about COVID-19 transmission between children and their families, has made them one of the groups most vulnerable. In this study, a qualitative approach is made to secondary school students (aged 12). They were asked to share their experiences about confinement from the perspective of the home spaces, in relation to two main tasks relevant in this period: the tele-study and their relaxing time and well-being. Using images and narratives with an abstract and emotional description, the response of 46 children was obtained. A sentiment analysis was carried out from their testimonies. Results suggest a greater availability of tele-study spaces with daylighting, mainly in bedrooms, with laptops. For leisure and rest spaces, sofas, beds, and cohabitant gathering were preferred. Written testimonials were mainly positive. Housing features and family cohesion condition their resilience in situations of uncertainty, like confinement.

Working from Home: Is Our Housing Ready?

“…As for other characteristics of the room in general, the larger spaces highlighted (which could be related to the room chosen to telework), although not far from the perception of small rooms (92 vs. 83). The lighting perceived in photographs was mostly natural (145) and adequate (143), although in many cases lamps (48) and/or inadequate lighting (41) were also seen. This could also be nuanced by the time the photo was taken (it could be at night), or the use of solar control elements, which was seen in numerous photographs (104).…”

“…This was in line with what was observed in the photographs, where mostly natural and adequate lighting predominated, as well as mostly wide spaces, although they often presented signs of the presence of children, and whose furniture was far from being ergonomic and adjusted to the needs to work from home continuously. On the other hand, the photographs showed very diverse digital resources, being mostly laptops, which also did not favor ergonomics and postural hygiene, in favor of possible roaming, either in search of better environmental conditions, or due to the need to take care of children, taking into account that in this period the schools were closed [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Natural Lighting in Historic Houses during Times of Pandemic. The Case of Housing in the Mediterranean Climate

“…Other studies carried out determined the importance of daylight in the time of a pandemic. The people looked for the most illuminated areas to telework for in their homes [ 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Indoor Environmental Quality and Consumption Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Twelve Social Dwellings in Madrid, Spain

“…Analogously, derived from the relocation of work [56,57] and telestudy by school closure [12], many daily commutes were avoided [58]. In addition, for those people working in essential jobs, safer and individual displacement modalities were boosted, such as walking [59], cycling [60] and even running [61].…”

“…Lockdown gave rise to an unusual situation in which, beginning on 14 March and through 21 June, everyone was generally home-bound 24 h daily [10]. With households constantly occupying shared space, all activities, including those normally conducted in schools [11,12], offices [13] or out of doors [14] were concentrated in the home. For weeks, cities were relieved of mobility-and human activity-induced pressures [15][16][17], which were shifted indoors [18].…”