Distance education and the social literacy of elementary school students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Heliyon. 2022 Jul;8(7):e09811. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09811. Epub 2022 Jun 30.

Abstract

Despite distance education's negative impacts on students' learning and social literacy skills during the Covid-19 pandemic, it still has significant benefits. This study examined the distance education and social literacy of elementary school students during the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative research methodology was used: in-depth interviews were employed to collect data, and the sample population included six elementary school teachers who used distance education during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study had three main findings, including: 1) the factors impacting social literacy skills, 2) the effects of distance education on social literacy skills, and 3) the challenges of teaching in distance education and their effect on the development of social literacy skills. Therefore, the findings of this study encourage teachers to seek opportunities to expand the scope of distance education platforms in order to incorporate additional activities that enhance the development of students' social literacy skills.

Keywords: Covid-19; Difficulties and challenges; Distance education; Elementary school students; Social literacy.