COVID-19 and student well-being: Catholic school staff perspectives and experiences

2021 ◽  
pp. 001789692110108
Author(s):  
Doris Testa
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Catholic School ◽  
School Staff ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Effective Response ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
Additional Support

Background: COVID-19 has dramatically changed how school communities operate. Many schools have had to navigate enforced closures and modify their usual teaching and learning practices. Furthermore, they have had to rethink how they address student well-being issues. In Australian Catholic schools, there is little data on the concerns of Catholic school staff during enforced school closures. Aims: This article describes findings from a study of the experiences and concerns of school staff in two Catholic primary school communities to understand how staff in these settings experienced and re-imagined or reinforced student well-being practices and processes. Methods: Data were collected by means of a survey assessing staff experiences and concerns, with a particular focus on student well-being. Results: Results indicated that enforced school closures were perceived as negatively affecting student well-being programmes with staff members being particularly concerned about students who were socially, educationally, culturally and economically disadvantaged. However, negative impacts were mitigated by a school culture underpinned by a pastoral and health-promoting perspective. Strong leadership in the face of systemic lethargy prompted schools to utilise their engagement and partnership arrangements for additional support. Conclusion: During forced school closures, an inclusive school ethos, environment and culture ensured an effective response to the diverse needs of staff, students and other school community members.

scholarly journals Impact of Coronavirus 2019 on Students with Special Needs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebrahim Rahbar Karbasdehi
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Face To Face

Introduction: Emergency school closures are often used as public health interventions during infectious disease outbreaks to minimize the spread of infection. However, Over 80% of children in the world have had their education impacted by coronavirus. For children with special needs who receive special education services, access to face-to-face education and other resources at school is of particular importance. These services focus not only on academic achievement, but also on social, emotional, psychological and physical health and well-being. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for students to attend school in person. Students with special needs are divided into seven educational groups: hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical-motor disorders, intellectual disabilities, behavioral-emotional disorders, autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disorder, and severe and multiple disabilities. Each of these groups should have a different way of teaching and learning than other groups and normal students. For proper planning and accommodation of children with special needs, we must prioritize safety. In order for these students to be able to use rehabilitation services, face-to-face education conditions must be provided for them in accordance with health protocols.

scholarly journals Working Community-Related Interaction Factors Building Occupational Well-Being – Learning Based Intervention in Finnish and Estonian Schools (2010–2013)

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sari Laine ◽  
Terhi Saaranen ◽  
Tiia Pertel ◽  
Siivi Hansen ◽  
Kadi Lepp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Interaction Factors ◽  
Working Community ◽  
Work Management

This article examines whether a three-year learning-based work community intervention resulted in changes in working community-related interaction factors and occupational well-being among Finnish and Estonian school staff. It reports the types of changes in working community-related interaction factors and their associations to the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. The initial quantitative survey data were collected in Finland (n = 486) and Estonia (n = 1330) in 2010 using the “Well-being at your work index questionnaire.” The same measurement tool was used in 2013 to collect final survey data from school staff members in Finland (n = 545) and Estonia (n = 974). The data were analyzed statistically with percent, mean, SD, Mann-Whitney test, sum variables, one-way analysis of variance and Spearman’s correlation. Changes were detected in factors related to working community interaction; in particular, statistically significant changes in work management and time use were detected in Finnish schools. Working atmosphere and appreciation of others’ work, cooperation and information, and work management and time use were associated to both the subjective occupational well-being and general occupational well-being of the working community. Schools should plan and implement development activities to promote the subjective occupational well-being and general working community occupational well-being. Development work should focus on working community-related interaction, such as trust between workers. Principals should draw particular attention to principal–subordinate relationships and to providing information about changes.

scholarly journals Safe Spaces on Campus: An Examination of Student and Faculty Perceptions

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Kirsten L. Witherup ◽  
PJ Verrecchia
Keyword(s):  
School Climate ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Faculty Perceptions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safe Spaces ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
Liberal Arts Institution ◽  
Inclusive School

Creating and maintaining a positive school climate is paramount for student well-being. This climate is marked by a teaching and learning environment that can foster positive student outcomes, such as academic achievement, and decrease negative student outcomes, such as absenteeism (Thapa, Cohen, Guffey, & Higgins-D’Alessandro, 2013). One approach to creating a positive and inclusive school climate that welcomes diversity is the development of safe spaces or safe zones on campus. Given the lack of scholarly literature that addresses this topic, the current study explores safe spaces from the perspective of college students and faculty at a liberal arts institution.

scholarly journals Occupational well-being of school staff members: a structural equation model

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Saaranen ◽  
K. Tossavainen ◽  
H. Turunen ◽  
V. Kiviniemi ◽  
H. Vertio
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Model ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Staff Members

scholarly journals Autism spectrum disorder: How can occupational therapists support schools?

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Grandisson ◽  
Émilie Rajotte ◽  
Julie Godin ◽  
Myriam Chrétien-Vincent ◽  
Élise Milot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Additional Support

Background. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face multiple occupational challenges in their school, and school staff need additional support to increase their participation. Purpose. The aim of this study is to identify how Response to Intervention (RTI) could be used by occupational therapists to support school personnel who work with children with ASD. Method. In a descriptive qualitative study, three discussion groups were undertaken with occupational therapists and school staff members in Quebec, Canada, to identify the main concerns regarding the participation of children with ASD in school activities as well as the actions to consider when attempting to increase school-related abilities. Findings. School staff members are primarily concerned with frequent outbursts and limited autonomy, along with low motivation and anxiety in children with ASD in diverse school activities and contexts. The actions identified provide guidelines for school and occupational therapist selection, the process to follow, collaborative practices, and support required. Implications. A practice model is presented for occupational therapists who seek to develop school capacity to support the participation of children with ASD.

scholarly journals Self-determination and inclusion: The role of Canadian principals in catalysing inclusive-positive practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey William Harris MacCormack ◽  
Steve Sider ◽  
Kimberly Maich ◽  
Jacqueline Ann Specht
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Vice Principals ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
Positive Practices ◽  
Attitudinal Changes

While the placement of students with complex learning needs in Canadian classrooms may be mandated in policy, the development of inclusive-positive practices requires direct, and at times delicate, support and encouragement from principal teams. Without genuine engagement and buy-in from teachers and school staff, students in inclusive classrooms may not find meaningful opportunities in those spaces. Often, it falls on principals to be leaders of attitudes and practices so that inclusive school communities can thrive. Fortunately, the framework of self-determination theory provides a path by which principals can catalyse attitudinal changes (autonomy), best practices (competences), and enriched community relationships (relatedness). This study includes the questionnaire responses of 275 principals (and vice principals) from six provinces in Canada. Of those 275 participants, 46 principals also participated in interviews. The findings of this study suggest that affecting attitudinal changes requires specific and comprehensive practices. Principals also need to model inclusive-positive attitudes in their behaviour and practice. Finally, the careful curation and maintenance of relationships is a necessary for the well-being of the school communities. Implications for principal practice and school well-being are included.

Occupational well-being and leadership in a school community

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sari Laine ◽  
Terhi Saaranen ◽  
Eva Ryhänen ◽  
Kerttu Tossavainen
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Classroom Teacher ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Interview Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Expert Interview ◽  
Group Interviews

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present well-being, leadership, and the development of each from a communal perspective in a Finnish primary school in the years 2000-2009. Design/methodology/approach The study included five sets of data. The quantitative research data were collected from the school staff using the Well-Being at Your Work index questionnaire in 2004 (n=36), 2005 (n=41), and in 2009 (n=34). In 2006, two group interviews were carried out with the school personnel (n=21), and in 2011, retrospective interview data were collected from an expert classroom teacher (n=1). Quantitative data were analysed statistically using descriptive statistics. The qualitative group interview data were analysed by an inductive content analysis, while the expert interview was analysed according to the methods of factual analysis. Findings During this period, several communal interventions were developed in the school to promote occupational well-being. Over the course of the study, staff members’ satisfaction with the actions and the support provided by the principal has improved, and leadership-related problems have decreased. Research limitations/implications The results cover research findings from one school and therefore cannot be generalised to other Finnish school communities. Originality/value Schools’ work communities must be active in developing interventions to improve their own occupational well-being. Furthermore, leaders must be actively involved in the development of occupational well-being.

scholarly journals Technology-mediated teaching and learning process: A conceptual study of educators’ response amidst the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingsley Okoye ◽  
Jorge Alfonso Rodriguez-Tort ◽  
Jose Escamilla ◽  
Samira Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Efficient Learning ◽  
Teaching Learning

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many areas of the human and organizational ventures worldwide. This includes new innovative technologies and strategies being developed by educators to foster the rapid learning-recovery and reinstatement of the stakeholders (e.g., teachers and students). Indeed, the main challenge for educators has been on what appropriate steps should be taken to prevent learning loss for the students; ranging from how to provide efficient learning tools/curriculum that ensures continuity of learning, to provision of methods that incorporate coping mechanisms and acceleration of education in general. For several higher educational institutions (HEIs), technology-mediated education has become an integral part of the modern teaching/learning instruction amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, when digital technologies have consequently become an inevitable and indispensable part of learning. To this effect, this study defines a hybrid educational model (HyFlex + Tec) used to enable virtual and in-person education in the HEIs. Practically, the study utilized data usage report from Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Emotions and Experience Survey questionnaire in a higher education setting for its experiments. To this end, we applied an Exponential Linear trend model and Forecasting method to determine overall progress and statistics for the learners during the Covid-19 pandemic, and subsequently performed a Text Mining and Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to determine effects and significant differences that the teaching–learning experiences for the teachers and students have on their energy (learning motivation) levels. From the results, we note that the hybrid learning model supports continuity of education/learning for teachers and students during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study also discusses its innovative importance for future monitoring (tracking) of learning experiences and emotional well-being for the stakeholders in leu (aftermath) of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document