Distance learning during the pandemic: opinions and attitudes of young students

Abstract

During the pandemic, school closures and distance learning were one of
the main instruments to contain the spread of the virus. Even if the tool of distance
education did not originate with the pandemic, as the virus spread and schools closed,
the use of online tools became more and more conscious and widespread. This
scenario has amplified the scientific (and non-scientific) debate on the role played
by technologies and online education. The aim of the paper is to study the effect of
distance learning on the (self-perceived) performances of students in Italy. Studies
carried out in other countries about school performances during the pandemic show
that the performance seems to have been negatively influenced, and the young were
reported to have suffered more. The study exploits the data collected in 2021 by the
Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), with the support of the Ministry of Education,
through a survey on “Children and Teenagers: behaviours, attitudes and future
projects”. The use of regression models allows us to understand the connections
between personal and familiar characteristics of the students and the perception of
the effects of distance learning on their school performance. Our results indicate that
foreign students appear to have a greater probability, compared to native, of a
negative influence on school results, as do those who feel they belong to a fairly or
very poor family.