Education Inequality Due to COVID-19
More problems have popped up because of COVID-19
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Welcome to the MOTIV Protocol! The start of school has been postponed due to COVID-19, and online non-face-to-face classes have barely filled the required number of school days. Now it is natural for students to take online non-face-to-face classes. In this environment, an inequality in learning developed. Let’s take a look at what happened in the following article.
The education gap caused by COVID-19
Recently, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the issue of educational disparity has received new attention. As the number of days students attend school decreases and the number of remote classes increases, concerns about a learning deficit have been raised. In fact, there has been a widening gap in the quality of education depending on students’ family background. Typically, schools are a place where students can be treated equally, regardless of their family background. However, with students having to take classes at home, the home environment has become a determining factor in the quality of a student’s education. During the pandemic, the student’s family situation has been more likely to affect the student’s academic outcome.
According to a survey, the majority of teachers, parents, and the general public perceived that the educational gap has widened due to COVID-19. This effect was confirmed in the results of a mock CSAT test as students from the middle class received lower grades than in the past.
However, even if students return to full-time classes after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, there is a high possibility that the educational gap will still exist since social and economic inequality has soared due to COVID-19. In particular, it is necessary to carefully examine the long-term effects of learning deficits on students from disadvantaged groups. In addition, as a pandemic like COVID-19 can pop up again at any time, it is necessary to think about ways to improve the quality of education and bridge the gap between the rich and poor in preparation for such a situation in the future.
Educational Gap Factors: Family Background and School Education
Family Background: Since education is a way to improve your economic situation, parents strive to provide their children with a quality education. The better the socioeconomic background of the family, the more economic resources parents can invest in their children, which obviously affects the educational achievement of students.
School Education: A representative study demonstrating how much school education affects educational gaps is the Coleman Report (1966). According to Coleman, most of the differences in student achievement are influenced by family background. The school only has a slight influence. However, subsequent studies about how much the school students attend affects their quality of education have shown that school has a significant impact on student achievement, even after controlling for student characteristics.
What is the solution?
Class Improvement: Some students struggle with insufficient basic education or experience difficulties attending remote classes. For them, face-to-face classes in which teachers present customized tasks and teach them 1:1 or in small groups at school are a great way to provide quality education. It is also worth considering operating a special class so that students who have a poor learning environment at home or who do not receive proper care from their parents can take remote classes in empty classrooms or libraries at school.
Self-directed Learning: Some studies have shown that self-directed learning time or participation in public education is more important than parental support or private education (whether face-to-face or remote) for ensuring quality education. Some studies show that the ability to engage in self-directed learning improves when teachers present challenging tasks and support the learning activities of their students. These activities can increase learners’ autonomy in class.
Guarantee of Basic Education: It will be necessary to set active expectations and high goals for students’ growth. We cannot ensure a minimum educational background, and we shouldn’t pursue “easy education for everyone.” Even students with poor cognitive abilities can acquire higher competencies for life if they study and practice teaching and learning methods at school.
Improving Educational Conditions: We need to create conditions for teachers to concentrate on educational activities. Teachers’ administrative work needs to be reduced so that they can focus on their work in the classroom. Schools need to consider not only the number of classes but also the number of students.
