LONDON, ONT. -- It’s been three months of learning in a totally different way for the tens of thousands of students across our province.
“For the first time ever the entire province enrolled into online learning all at once,” says Diane Seguin, a Western University education researcher.
With the latest information from the province suggesting a mix of online and in-class learning come the fall, researchers want to know how families with primary school-aged children are coping.
“It’s different for different families so we are trying to pinpoint what are the aspects of the more negative experiences and what are the aspects from the more positive experiences that we can draw from,” says Seguin.
The research team has launched an online study asking families to take part in a 30-minute survey.
The hopes are to recruit around 150 families from all walks of life to find out what online learning looks like for them. The study will also look at how family habits and routines have changed during this online learning period.
“Such as, what are families doing at home? About how much sleep are their children getting at night? How about physical activity? How about the amount of screen time that children are getting, so that we can get an overall picture,” says Emma Duerden, education professor at Western.
The goal is to take the findings and come up with recommendations for both families and school boards before the new school year begins in September
If you would like to take part in the study, information can be found here.
