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Practices and experiences of distant education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of six- to sixteen-year-olds from three high-income countries.

ABSTRACT: The paper explores children's perspectives of distance education, their learning experiences and school satisfaction in Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data stem from an online questionnaire completed by 1773 primary and secondary school children aged 6-16. While the paper uses quantitative and qualitative data, it aligns with the qualitative research tradition and predominantly uses an inductive approach. The findings show that teachers offered varied types of distance education and that parents supported children. The children's contact time with teachers and their time spent on schoolwork varied within and between countries. Their school satisfaction dropped in the three countries. The paper calls for training and development on distant education.

SUBMITTER: Kirsch C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8609187 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Practices and experiences of distant education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of six- to sixteen-year-olds from three high-income countries.

Kirsch Claudine C Engel de Abreu Pascale M J PMJ Neumann Sascha S Wealer Cyril C

International journal of educational research open 20210521

The paper explores children's perspectives of distance education, their learning experiences and school satisfaction in Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data stem from an online questionnaire completed by 1773 primary and secondary school children aged 6-16. While the paper uses quantitative and qualitative data, it aligns with the qualitative research tradition and predominantly uses an inductive approach. The findings show that teachers of ...[more]

PMID: 35059666

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Project description:BackgroundThere are large differences in adult mortality across schooling groups in many high-income countries (HICs). An important open question is whether there are similar gradients in adult mortality in middle-income countries (MICs), where schooling and healthcare quality tends to be lower and health-related behaviors are often not strongly patterned by schooling.MethodsWe present one of the first international-comparative studies on schooling differences in adult mortality across MICs using harmonizedlongitudinal data on adults ages 50+ from China, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea. We use Cox proportional hazards models to estimate differences in the hazard of mortality across schooling groups overall and separately by sex and broad age groups. We also estimate schooling gradients in smoking and body mass index to determine whether risk factor gradients potentially explain mortality patterns.ResultsOnly adults with tertiary schooling have a consistent adult mortality advantage compared to those with no schooling. We do not find evidence that individuals with primary schooling have a lower hazard of mortality compared to individuals with no schooling in five of the six countries. The mortality advantage for individuals with secondary schooling is mixed, with evidence of lower mortality relative to those with no schooling in Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea. Gradients in BMI and smoking are inconsistent across countries and unlikely to explain mortality differences.ConclusionsWe find that adult mortality and risk factor gradients in MICs can be much different than the established patterns seen in modern HICs. Our results highlight that adult mortality gradients are not an inevitability and are not found in all populations. Understanding what factors give rise to inequalities in adult mortality and what can be done to minimize gradients while still ensuring continued mortality improvements in MICs is a crucial focus for research and policy.

Project description:IntroductionTobacco use is a major threat to health globally. A number of countries have adopted "endgame goals" to minimize smoking prevalence. The INSPIRED project aims to describe and compare the experiences of the first six countries to adopt an endgame goal.Aims and methodsData were collected on the initial experiences of endgame goals in Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Scotland, and Sweden up to 2018. Information was collated on the nature of the endgame goals, associated interventions and strategies, potential enablers and barriers, and perceived advantages and disadvantages.ResultsThe INSPIRED countries had relatively low smoking prevalences and moderate-to-strong smoke-free policies. Their endgame goals aimed for smoking prevalences of 5% or less. Target dates ranged from 2025 to 2035. Except for New Zealand (Aotearoa), all countries had an action plan to support their goal by 2018. However, none of the plans incorporated specific endgame measures. Lack of progress in reducing inequities was a key concern, despite the consideration of equity in all of the country's goals and/or action plans. Experience with endgame goals was generally positive; however, participants thought additional interventions would be required to equitably meet their endgame goal.ConclusionsThere was variation in the nature and approach to endgame goals. This suggests that countries should consider adopting endgame goals and strategies to suit their social, cultural, and political contexts. The experiences of the INSPIRED countries suggest that further and more significant interventions will be required for the timely and equitable achievement of endgame goals.ImplicationsBy 2018, six countries (Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Scotland, and Sweden) had introduced government-endorsed "endgame goals," to rapidly reduce smoking prevalence to very low levels by a specified date. The nature and implementation of endgame goals were variable. Early experiences with the goals were generally positive, but progress in reducing smoking prevalence was insufficient, particularly for priority groups. This finding suggests more significant interventions ("endgame interventions") and measures to reduce inequities need to be implemented to achieve endgame goals. Variation in the nature and experience of endgame goals demonstrates the importance of designing endgame strategies that suit distinct social, cultural, and political contexts.

Project description:ObjectivesTo understand family and parent perspectives on newborn care provided at home to infants in the first 28 days of life, in order to inform behavioural interventions for improving care in low-income countries, where the majority of newborn deaths occur.DesignA comprehensive, qualitative systematic review was conducted. MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health databases were systematically searched for studies examining the views of parents and family members on newborn care at home. The search period included all studies published from 2006 to 2017. Studies using qualitative approaches or mixed-methods studies with substantial use of qualitative techniques in both the methods and analysis sections were included. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were extracted and evaluated using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme guidelines. Following the initial selection and appraisal, barriers and facilitators to recommended care practices across several domains were synthesised.ResultsOf 411 results retrieved, 37 met both inclusion and quality appraisal criteria for methodology and reporting. Geographical representation largely reflected that of newborn health outcomes globally, with the majority of studies conducted in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Specific barriers and facilitators were identified among a range of domains including: cord care, drying and wrapping, thermal control, skin to skin contact, hygiene, breast feeding, care-seeking for illness, and low birthweight recognition. Cross cutting facilitators, common to all domains were evident and includeddelivery at a health facility, inclusion of female relatives in care counselling, lower healthcare costs, and exposure to newborn care behaviour change messaging in the community.ConclusionsWhen designing behavioural interventions to address newborn mortality at scale, policy-makers and practitioners must include barriers and facilitators important to families in low-income settings.Prospero registration numberCRD42016035674.

Project description:PurposeOur purpose was to assess physics quality assurance (QA) practices in less resourced radiation therapy (RT) centers to improve quality of care.Methods and materialsA preliminary study was conducted in 2020 of 13 select RT centers in 6 countries, and in 2021, our team conducted onsite visits to all the RT centers in Ghana, one of the countries from the initial survey. The RT centers included 1 private and 2 public institutions (denoted as Public-1 and Public-2). Follow-up surveys were sent to 17 medical physicists from the site visit. Questions centered on the topics of equipment, institutional practice, physics quality assurance, management, and safety practices. Qualitative and descriptive methods were used for data analysis. Questions regarding operational challenges (machine downtime, patient-related issues, power outages, and staffing) were asked on a 5-point Likert scale.ResultsThe preliminary survey from 2020 had a 92% response rate. One key result showed that for RT centers in lower gross national income per capita countries there was a direct correlation between QA needs and the gross national income per capita of the country. The needs identified included film/array detectors, independent dose calculation software, calibration of ion chambers, diodes, thermoluminiscence diodes (TLDs), phantoms for verification, Treatment Planning System (TPS) test phantoms, imaging test phantoms and film dosimeters, education, and training. For the post survey after the site visit in 2021, we received a 100% response rate. The private and the Public-1 institutions each have computed tomography simulators located in their RT center. The average daily patient external beam workload for each clinic on a linear accelerator was: private = 25, Public-1 = 55, Public-2 = 40. The Co-60 workload was: Public-1 = 45, Public-2 = 25 (there was no Co-60 at the private hospital). Public-1 and -2 lacked the equipment necessary to conform to best practices in Task Group reports (TG) 142 and 198. Public-2 reported significant operational challenges. Notably, Public-1 and -2 have peer review chart rounds, which are attended by clinical oncologists, medical physicists, physicians, and physics trainees. All 17 physicists who responded to the post site visit survey indicated they had a system of documenting, tracking, and trending patient-related safety incidents, but only 1 physicist reported using International Atomic Energy Agency Safety in Radiation Oncology.ConclusionsThe preliminary study showed a direct correlation between QA needs and the development index of a country, and the follow-up survey examines operational and physics QA practices in the RT clinics in Ghana, one of the initial countries surveyed. This will form the basis of a planned continent-wide survey in Africa intended to spotlight QA practices in low- and middle-income countries, the challenges faced, and lessons learned to help understand the gaps and needs to support local physics QA and management programs. Audits during the site visit show education and training remain the most important needs in operating successful QA programs.

Project description:Background/objectivesConsiderable evidence from U.S. studies suggests that weight stigma is consequential for patient-provider interactions and healthcare for people with high body weight. Despite international calls for efforts to reduce weight stigma in the medical community, cross-country research is lacking in this field. This study provides the first multinational investigation of associations between weight stigma and healthcare experiences across six Western countries.MethodsParticipants were 13,996 adults residing in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US who were actively enrolled in an internationally available behavioral weight management program. Participants completed identical online surveys in the dominant language for their country that assessed experienced weight stigma, internalized weight bias, and healthcare behaviors and experiences including perceived quality of care, avoidance or delay of seeking care, experiences with providers, and perceived weight stigma from doctors.ResultsAmong participants who reported a history of weight stigma (56-61%), two-thirds of participants in each country reported experiencing weight stigma from doctors. Across all six countries, after accounting for demographics, BMI, and experienced stigma, participants with higher internalized weight bias reported greater healthcare avoidance, increased perceived judgment from doctors due to body weight, lower frequency of obtaining routine checkups, less frequent listening and respect from providers, and lower quality of healthcare. Additionally, experienced weight stigma (from any source) was indirectly associated with poorer healthcare experiences through weight bias internalization, consistently across the six countries.ConclusionsWeight stigma in healthcare is prevalent among adults actively engaged in weight management across different Western countries, and internalized weight bias has negative implications for healthcare even after controlling for BMI. The similar findings across all six countries underscore the negative consequences of weight stigma on healthcare behaviors and experiences, and emphasize the need for collective international efforts to address this problem.

Project description:ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine social gradients in ADHD during late childhood (age 9-11 years) using absolute and relative relationships with socioeconomic status exposure (household income, maternal education) during early childhood (<5 years) in seven cohorts from six industrialised countries (UK, Australia, Canada, The Netherlands, USA, Sweden).MethodsSecondary analyses were conducted for each birth cohort. Risk ratios, pooled risk estimates, and absolute inequality, measured by the Slope Index of Inequality (SII), were estimated to quantify social gradients in ADHD during late childhood by household income and maternal education measured during early childhood. Estimates were adjusted for child sex, mother age at birth, mother ethnicity, and multiple births.FindingsAll cohorts demonstrated social gradients by household income and maternal education in early childhood, except for maternal education in Quebec. Pooled risk estimates, relating to 44,925 children, yielded expected gradients (income: low 1.83(CI 1.38,2.41), middle 1.42(1.13,1.79), high (reference); maternal education: low 2.13(1.39,3.25), middle 1.42(1.13,1.79)). Estimates of absolute inequality using SII showed that the largest differences in ADHD prevalence between the highest and lowest levels of maternal education were observed in Australia (4% lower) and Sweden (3% lower); for household income, the largest differences were observed in Quebec (6% lower) and Canada (all provinces: 5% lower).ConclusionFindings indicate that children in families with high household income or maternal education are less likely to have ADHD at age 9-11. Absolute inequality, in combination with relative inequality, provides a more complete account of the socioeconomic status and ADHD relationship in different high-income countries. While the study design precludes causal inference, the linear relation between early childhood social circumstances and later ADHD suggests a potential role for policies that promote high levels of education, especially among women, and adequate levels of household income over children's early years in reducing risk of later ADHD.

Project description:IntroductionAvailability of anti-retroviral treatment has changed HIV in to a manageable chronic disease, making effective self-management essential. However, only a few studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) reported experiences of people living with HIV (PLWH) on self-management.MethodsThis meta-synthesis of qualitative studies investigated perspectives of PLWH in LMICs on self-management. Various databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, and CINHAL, were searched through June 2022. Relevant additional articles were also included using cross-referencing of the identified papers. We used a thematic synthesis guided by the "Model of the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory" (IFSMT).ResultPLWH in LIMICs experience a variety of challenges that restrict their options for effective self-management and compromises their quality of life. The main ones include: misconceptions about the disease, poor self-efficacy and self-management skills, negative social perceptions, and a non-patient-centered model of care that reduces the role of patients. The experiences that influenced the ability to practice self-management are summarized in context (the condition itself, physical and environmental factors, individual and family factors) and process factors (knowledge and beliefs, relationship with the health care worker, self-regulation skills and abilities, and social facilitation). Context and process greatly impacted quality of life through the self-management practices of the patients.Conclusion and recommendationPLWH encounter multiple challenges, are not empowered enough to manage their own chronic condition, and their needs beyond medical care are not addressed by service providers. Self-management practice of these patients is poor, and service providers do not follow service delivery approaches that empower patients to be at the center of their own care and to achieve an effective and sustainable outcome from treatment. These findings call for a comprehensive well thought self-management interventions.

Dataset Information

Practices and experiences of distant education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of six- to sixteen-year-olds from three high-income countries.

Publications

Practices and experiences of distant education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The perspectives of six- to sixteen-year-olds from three high-income countries.

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