scholarly journals Working from the Home Office and Homeschool(-ing): Experiences of Austrian Employees (Parents) in the Time of Covid-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Michal Beno

Due to Covid-19, many working parents are facing new challenges. The aim of this paper is to share their personal experiences and the best recommendations for resolving their difficulties. We summarise their complex thoughts on the subject of the home office in relation to the household, homeschooling and the education of all concerned. In order to address this question, a qualitative research paradigm using WhatsApp as a medium in order to explore the following research questions was used: 1) How are employees able to manage the home office, homeschooling and the household under one roof? and 2) Will WFH and homeschooling disadvantage working mothers more than working fathers? Data were collected from 10 working parents (five males and five females) in Austria. According to coding, four major themes were explored: 1) Compatibility, 2) Work/home space, 3) Work week separation and 4) Suggestions and organisational recommendations. It was determined that at the beginning of the lockdown drawing a clear boundary between the home, office and school environments caused some difficulties. Especially parents with younger children experienced problems of compatibility. Secondly, flexibility and housing in relation to the home-office-school environment was a common topic throughout the interviews. Furthermore, before Covid-19 all participants had a more classic separation of roles. Roles and expectations changed as all the family members stayed at home day in and day out. Finally, in privileged situations (more living space, jobs that could be done remotely or support of the entire family), it was often easier to deal with the current challenges. This pandemic has brought many changes in everyday life and in terms of performing old tasks and new ones. This includes work at home and homeschooling. The obtained data provide important insights into how to deal with the impact of Covid-19 on work, home and school while emphasising the importance of these questions as well as of future research for support and information.   Received: 31 March 2021 / Accepted: 26 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lea Klassen ◽  
Eike F. Eifler ◽  
Anke Hufer ◽  
Rainer Riemann

Although many previous studies have emphasized the role of environmental factors, such as parental home and school environment, on achievement motivation, classical twin studies suggest that both additive genetic influences and non-shared environmental influences explain interindividual differences in achievement motivation. By applying a Nuclear Twin Family Design on the data of the German nationally representative of TwinLife study, we analyzed genetic and environmental influences on achievement motivation in adolescents and young adults. As expected, the results provided evidence for the impact of additive genetic variation, non-additive genetic influences, as well as twin specific shared environmental influences. The largest amount of variance was attributed to non-shared environmental influences, showing the importance of individual experiences in forming differences in achievement motivation. Overall, we suggest a revision of models and theories that explain variation in achievement motivation by differences in familial socialization only.


2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla A McHugh ◽  
Lindsey Anderson ◽  
Jenny Lloyd ◽  
Stuart Logan ◽  
Katrina Wyatt

Objective: This paper uses a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence diet and physical activity choices of 11–13-year-olds with a particular focus on the impact of the school environment. Design: Qualitative focus groups. Setting: Three purposively sampled secondary schools in Devon, UK. Method: A total of 53 students, aged 11–13, took part in six focus groups. Thematic, framework analysis was used to analyse the data. Result: Four overarching themes emerged: (1) health now and in the future; (2) the role of others; (3) provision, temptation and addiction; and (4) boundaries, strategies and support. Participants demonstrated good knowledge of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and its importance for future health, although it was not necessarily seen as a priority at this stage of life. Key influences on their choices were their peers and family, although participants also identified that the school environment influences the food choices they make while there. Conclusion: In this study, 11–13-year-olds identified that schools could do more to support them to make healthier food choices. However, future research needs to understand the constraints schools face in terms of food provision in order to highlight possible opportunities for intervention.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 40-48
Author(s):  
Olesya Gudzenko

Unexpected changes, risks and constraints that have arisen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have led to transformational changes in the social order of many societies. The effects of the pandemic can now be traced in all spheres of modern life. The usual order of everyday life, the criteria of relevance and interpretive schemes for explainig current events, necessary for life and interaction in society are subject to significant changes and form a "new reality". Sociological discourse immediately responded to ontological shifts with empirical research on the effects of the pandemic in teleworking and distance education, gender and domestic violence, health practices, hygiene, leisure, and new forms of sociality.The pandemic situation has brought to the attention of researchers the daily life of man, which has become more localized in the private space of the home. The new social conditions have forced us to reconsider the requirements for living space. Issues of comfortable planning and personal safety, the ability to work and exercise the right to education, development and entertainment have become even more relevant and defining values in the organization of everyday life of modern man.The combination of different functional areas in a single living space has led to the transformation of the perception of home as a private recreation area. This work is devoted to the study of the impact of existing socio-cultural conditions on the processes of changing the attitude of the citizens of Dnipro to the private space of the house in a new format that combines everyday life, work and leisure. An empirical study of in-depth interviews was conducted to capture changes in the perception of home space in today's pandemic environment. The obtained results testified to a significant transformation of ideas about the organization of everyday life and living space of modern man in the current conditions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kailey Snyder ◽  
John P Rech ◽  
Kim Masuda ◽  
Danae Dinkel

Abstract Background: Parents play a key role in infants’ development through their interactions and the type of environment they provide for their child to promote active play. The amount of time parents are able to spend with their infant is dependent on their working status, yet few studies have explored parents’ perceptions of their infants’ active play by parental working status. The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ perceptions of active play and compare responses between working and stay at home parents. Methods: Twenty-nine parents participated in this qualitative study by completing a one-time, in-person semi-structured interview based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Themes were developed and the proportion of working and stay at home parents who responded within each theme were used to compare for differences between working status using a directed content analysis approach. Results: All parents believed active play could have a positive effect on their child’s development through physical, social and emotional, cognitive, and/or language and communication development. However, stay at home parents reported a broader impact of active play across these domains; whereas working parents most often referenced active play as impacting infant’s physical development. Social and emotional interactions were the highest reported form of active play among all parents. Additionally, all parents described similar barriers to increasing the time for active play. The most commonly reported barrier for all parents was time or schedule followed by care needs of the infant, environmental concerns, and need for restrictive devices (e.g., car seats). More stay at home parents than working parents reported the care needs of the infant as being a barrier. Recommendations for active play were not widely known amongst all parents, with a higher percentage of working parents reporting they would listen to a healthcare provider.Conclusions: Working status of parents seems to have implications on certain aspects and perceptions of active play which in turn may influence infants’ physical development. Future studies should objectively assess the impact of parents’ working status on infant development and explore how gender of the parent may serve as a confounding variable.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Karen B. Traylor-Adolph

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Fiese and colleagues (2002) describe routines and rituals as naturally occurring behaviors creating a sense of predictability and stability via the underpinnings of communication, commitment, and continuity in a family unit. Although traditionally studied in intact families, these simple but profound parenting strategies are malleable and impact all family types. In this study, 65 relative and kinship legal guardians and 33 teachers were surveyed, extending the scope of routine and ritual research to "grandfamilies." Measures of routines and rituals, family cohesion and adaptability, youth behaviors at home and school, as well as open-ended descriptions of unique routines and rituals were employed. Findings reveal grandfamilies incorporate unique routines and rituals while navigating obstacles such as incarceration, scattered family members, and biological parent instability. On formal measures, routines and rituals were associated with more prosocial behaviors and less problem behaviors at home and school, as well as significantly correlated with cohesion and adaptability. Rituals were correlated with less teacher-rated emotional symptoms. Additionally, regarding cohesion and adaptability in grandfamilies, caregivers reported having strict, yet enmeshed family types. Lastly, results unexpectedly suggest that relationships of routines and rituals to youth and family outcomes become less strong when demographics and conditions of placement are factored. Small sample size prohibited evaluation of mediation effects. Further research to operationalize unique routines and rituals for examination with a broader canvas of community outcomes and including informal grandfamilies is recommended.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-117
Author(s):  
Isabelle Sjoberg ◽  
Jason D. Pole ◽  
Marilyn Cassidy ◽  
Claudette Boilard ◽  
Sharon Costantini ◽  
...  

Background: Childhood cancer affects the entire family. Siblings experience similar stress to that of the ill child, including anger, depression, jealousy, guilt, and social isolation. School reentry programs are shown to be positive interventions for patients, it is hypothesized that similar outcomes exist for siblings. Objective: To examine the feasibility of studying the impact of the Ontario Oncology Nurse School Visitation Program on the well-being and school adjustment of siblings of pediatric cancer patients. Methods: Fourteen sibling participants and parents completed a semistructured interview and the PedsQL® questionnaire before and after a nurse school visit. School attendance was also compared and data were collected for logistics of study procedures. Results: The mode of data collection was agreeable and easy to plan and execute. School attendance showed a reduction of days missed; there was no significant impact on PedsQL results but the interviews yielded positive feedback. Conclusions: The outlook for siblings improves with the support of family members and health care professionals. This pilot study provides hypotheses and design for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 202-214
Author(s):  
Michèle Rieth ◽  
Vera Hagemann

Abstract. This study examines the impact of telework and closure of educational and childcare facilities on working people during COVID-19. We compare telework versus nontelework conditions and people with and without stay-at-home children. Data from 465 working people in Germany were collected via an online survey. People who do not work from home experience more stress, more negative and less positive affect, less life satisfaction and trust in government, and less loss of control over career success than those working from home. Concerning the conservation of resources theory, working from home can thus be seen as a resource gain, representing, in accordance with the self-regulation theory, a way to deal with pandemic threats. However, home office only seems to be beneficial if working conditions at home are supportive; otherwise, it is experienced as a resource threat or loss, especially with stay-at-home children.


10.2196/16286 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. e16286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Munsell ◽  
Emily De Oliveira ◽  
Sadhvi Saxena ◽  
Jason Godlove ◽  
Swathi Kiran

Background For stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and other neurologic conditions associated with speech-language disorders, speech and language therapy is the standard of care for promoting recovery. However, barriers such as clinician time constraints and insurance reimbursement can inhibit a patient’s ability to receive the support needed to optimize functional gain. Although digital rehabilitation has the potential to increase access to therapy by allowing patients to practice at home, the clinical and demographic characteristics that impact a patient’s level of engagement with technology-based therapy are currently unknown. Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether the level of engagement with digital therapy differs by various patient characteristics, including age, gender, diagnosis, time from disease onset, and geographic location (urban vs rural). Methods Data for patients with stroke or TBI that initiated the use of Constant Therapy, a remotely delivered, cloud-based rehabilitation program for patients with speech-language disorders, were retrospectively analyzed. Only data from therapeutic sessions completed at home were included. The following three activity metrics were evaluated: (1) the number of active weeks of therapy, (2) the average number of active therapy days per week, and (3) the total number of therapeutic sessions completed during the first 20 weeks of program access. An active day or week was defined as having at least one completed therapeutic session. Separate multiple linear regression models were performed with each activity measure as the dependent variable and all available patient demographics as model covariates. Results Data for 2850 patients with stroke or TBI were analyzed, with the average patient completing 8.6 weeks of therapy at a frequency of 1.5 days per week. Contrary to known barriers to technological adoption, older patients were more active during their first 20 weeks of program access, with those aged 51 to 70 years completing 5.01 more sessions than patients aged 50 years or younger (P=.04). Similarly, patients living in a rural area, who face greater barriers to clinic access, were more digitally engaged than their urban counterparts, with rural patients completing 11.54 more (P=.001) sessions during their first 20 weeks of access, after controlling for other model covariates. Conclusions An evaluation of real-world data demonstrated that patients with stroke and TBI use digital therapy frequently for cognitive and language rehabilitation at home. Usage was higher in areas with limited access to clinical services and was unaffected by typical barriers to technological adoption, such as age. These findings will help guide the direction of future research in digital rehabilitation therapy, including the impact of demographics on recovery outcomes and the design of large, randomized controlled trials.


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