Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to examine the impact of online education on mental health of children, and explore methods to improve the same. With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic, major overhauls were made in day-to-day life including work, home, and education. Shift to online mode of instruction became the primary, if not the only, channel of education. This drastic shift has led to issues like limited social interaction, learning gaps due to insufficient in-person interaction, excessive screen time on devices, and decreased physical activity, which can impact mental health of children. This chapter will explore the impact of online learning on the mental health of children from both mental ill-health and well-being perspectives, the role of parents, teachers, and educational systems, and challenges and opportunities presented by the situation. Further to this, the ways to safeguard and improve mental health of children in the milieu of online education will be discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ahlström, B., Leo, U., Norqvist, L., & Isling, P. P. (2020). School leadership as (un)usual. Insights from principals in Sweden during a pandemic. International Studies in Educational Administration, 48(2), 35–41.
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2010). Class differences: Online education in the United States, 2010. The Sloan Consortium.
ASER Center. (2021). Annual status of education report (rural) 2020 wave 1. www.asercentre.org
Atherley, C. A. (1990). The effects of academic achievement and socio-economic status upon the self-concept in the middle years of school: A case study. Educational Research, 32(3), 224–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188900320310
Baytiyeh, H. (2018). Online learning during post-earthquake school closures. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 27(2), 215–227. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-07-2017-0173
Brelsford, S. N., Camarillo, E. E., Garcia, A. S., Garcia, G., Lopez, V. R., Montoya, C. P., Mora, R., III., Olvera, Z., Ramirez, A., Wicker, F., & Merchant, B. (2020). Keeping the bus moving while maintaining social distance in a COVID-19 world. International Studies in Educational Administration, 48(2), 12–20.
Brown, E. K. (2011). Safe spaces in online learning: The role of faculty perceptions in design and practice. [Doctoral disertation, University of Georgia]. https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/brown_eric_k_201105_phd.pdf
Cahapay, M. B. (2021). Ushering children with disabilities in the ‘new normal’ post-COVID-19 period: Collective actions in the Philippines. Disability and Society, 36(1), 145–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2020.1829557
Cerniglia, E. G. (2011). Modeling best practice through online learning building relationships. YC Young Children, 66(3), 54–59.
Couper-Kenney, F., & Riddell, S. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on children with additional support needs and disabilities in Scotland. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 36(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2021.1872844
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49(1), 14–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/0708-5591.49.1.14
Deng, R. (2021). Emotionally engaged learners are more satisfied with online courses. Sustainability, 13(20), 11169. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132011169
Department of School Education and Literacy. (2020). Unified district information system for education plus (UDISE+). Government of India.
Dhawan, S. (2020). Online learning: A Panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018
Dong, C., Cao, S., & Li, H. (2020). Young children’s online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese parents’ beliefs and attitudes. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105440. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHILDYOUTH.2020.105440
Donohue, C., Fox, S., & Torrence, D. (2007). Early childhood educators as eLearners: Engaging approaches to teaching and…. Young Children, 62(4), 34–41.
Garbe, A., Ogurlu, U., Logan, N., & Cook, P. (2020). Parents’ experiences with remote education during COVID-19 school closures. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 4(3), 45–65. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/8471
Griffith, A. K. (2020). Parental burnout and child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Family Violence, 2020, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10896-020-00172-2
Harasim, L. (2000). Shift happens: Online education as a new paradigm in learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 3, 41–62.
Harjule, P., Rahman, A., & Agarwal, B. (2021). A cross-sectional study of anxiety, stress, perception and mental health towards online learning of school children in India during COVID-19. Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics, 24(2), 411–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720502.2021.1889780
Hassan, M. M., Mirza, T., & Hussain, M. W. (2020). A critical review by teachers on the online teaching-learning during the COVID-19. International Journal of Education and Management Engineering, 10(6), 17–27. https://doi.org/10.5815/ijeme.2020.05.03
Hrastinski, S. (2008). Asynchronous and synchronous E-learning. EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 31(4).
Igbokwe, I. C., Okeke-James, N. J., Anyanwu, A. N., & Eli-Chukwu, N. C. (2020). Managing the challenges to the effective utilisation of E-learning as a response in COVID-19 Nigeria. International Studies in Educational Administration, 48(2), 28–34.
Joseph, H. B., Kuppuswamy, S., & Shetty, A. P. (2021). Children’s online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences and satisfaction encountered by Indian parents. Journal of Ideas in Health, 4(3), 443–449.
Kadwa, M. S., & Alshenqeeti, H. (2020). The impact of students’ proficiency in english on science courses in a foundation year program. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation (IJLLT), 3(11), 55–67. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt
Kafa, A., & Pashiardis, P. (2020). Coping with the global pandemic COVID-19 through the lenses of the Cyprus education system. International Studies in Educational Administration, 48(2), 42–48.
Kasinathan, G. (2021, July 12). Online education is not the solution. Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/in-perspective/online-education-is-not-the-solution-1007921.html
Kearney, M., Schuck, S., Burden, K., & Aubusson, P. (2012). Viewing mobile learning from a pedagogical perspective. Research in Learning Technology, 20(1), 14406. https://doi.org/10.3402/RLT.V20I0.14406
Kengatharan, N. (2020). The effects of teacher autonomy, student behavior and student engagement on teacher job satisfaction. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 20(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.12738/JESTP.2020.4.001
Kessler, R. C., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., Merikangas, K. R., & Walters, E. E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1001/ARCHPSYC.62.6.593
Khanna, R., & Kareem, D. J. (2021). Creating inclusive spaces in virtual classroom sessions during the COVID pandemic: An exploratory study of primary class teachers in India. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2(2), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJEDRO.2021.100038
Kieling, C., Baker-Henningham, H., Belfer, M., Conti, G., Ertem, I., Omigbodun, O., Rohde, L. A., Srinath, S., Ulkuer, N., & Rahman, A. (2011). Child and adolescent mental health worldwide: Evidence for action. The Lancet, 378(9801), 1515–1525. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60827-1
Kutcher, S., & Venn, D. (2008). Why youth mental health is so important. The Medscape Journal of Medicine, 10(12), 275. /pmc/articles/PMC2644010/
Lau, E. Y. H., & Lee, K. (2020). Parents’ views on young children’s distance learning and screen time during COVID-19 class suspension in Hong Kong. Early Education and Development, 32(6), 863–880. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1843925
Lautenbach, G., & Randell, N. (2020). World, interrupted: Online learning in the time of a pandemic. EdMedia + Innovate Learning, 1, 65–72.
Liu, M., Wu, L., & Yao, S. (2016). Dose–response association of screen time-based sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents and depression: A meta-analysis of observational studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(20), 1252–1258. https://doi.org/10.1136/BJSPORTS-2015-095084
Lizana, P. A., & Vega-Fernadez, G. (2021). Teacher teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic: Association between work hours, work–family balance and quality of life. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7566. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147566
Lo, C. B., Waring, M. E., Pagoto, S. L., & Lemon, S. C. (2015). A television in the bedroom is associated with higher weekday screen time among youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PMEDR.2014.11.001
Lynch, R., & Dembo, M. (2004). The relationship between self-regulation and online learning in a blended learning context. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 5(2), 1–13.
Magee, C. A., Lee, K. L., & Vella, S. A. (2014). Bidirectional relationships between sleep duration and screen time in early childhood. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(5), 465–470. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4183
Misirli, O., & Ergulec, F. (2021). Emergency remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: Parents experiences and perspectives. Education and Information Technologies, 2021, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10639-021-10520-4
Nathanson, A. I., & Fries, P. T. (2014). Television exposure sleep time and neuropsychological function among preschoolers. Media Psychology, 17(3), 237–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2014.915197
Nuangchalerm, P., Wongjamnong, C., & Muangou, C. (2021). Opinions of students and teachers in primary school towards online learning during COVID-19 outbreak. Pedagogi: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 21(1), 30–35. https://doi.org/10.24036/pedagogi.v21i1.1006
Oshima, N., Nishida, A., Shimodera, S., Tochigi, M., Ando, S., Yamasaki, S., Okazaki, Y., & Sasaki, T. (2012). The suicidal feelings, self-injury, and mobile phone use after lights out in adolescents. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 37(9), 1023–1030. https://doi.org/10.1093/JPEPSY/JSS072
Parent, J., Sanders, W., & Forehand, R. (2016). Youth screen time and behavioral health problems. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 37(4), 277–284. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000000272
Peper, E., Wilson, V., Martin, M., Rosegard, E., & Harvey, R. (2021). Avoid zoom fatigue, be present and learn. NeuroRegulation, 8(1), 47–47. https://doi.org/10.15540/NR.8.1.47
Prince, M., Patel, V., Saxena, S., Maj, M., Maselko, J., Phillips, M. R., & Rahman, A. (2007). No health without mental health. Lancet, 370(9590), 859–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61238-0
Shastri, P. C. (2009). Promotion and prevention in child mental health. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 51(2), 88. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.49447
Talesra, H. (2020). Educational responses to the pandemic in India. International Studies in Educational Administration, 48(2), 85–91.
Tonks, D., Kimmons, R., & Mason, S. L. (2021). Motivations among special education students and their parents for switching to an online school: Survey responses and emergent themes. Online Learning Journal, 25(2), 171–189. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i2.2141
Trzcińska-Król, M. (2020). Students with special educational needs in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic—parents’ opinions. Interdyscyplinarne Konteksty Pedagogiki Specjalnej, 29, 173–191. https://doi.org/10.14746/ikps.2020.29.08
Yates, A., Starkey, L., Egerton, B., & Flueggen, F. (2020). High school students’ experience of online learning during Covid-19: The influence of technology and pedagogy. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 30(1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2020.1854337
Conflicts of Interest
We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reddy, K.J., Nataraj, B.M., Pant, S. (2022). Child Mental Health in the Milieu of Online Education. In: Deb, S. (eds) Child Safety, Welfare and Well-being. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9820-0_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9820-0_21
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-9819-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-9820-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)