COVID-19 and Parent-Child Interactions: Children's Educational Opportunities and Parental Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Arefeh Shahali; Mansoureh HajHosseini; Reza Ghorban Jahromi

doi:10.5765/jkacap.220033

COVID-19 and Parent-Child Interactions: Children's Educational Opportunities and Parental Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Soa Chongsonyon Chongsin Uihak. 2023 Apr 1;34(2):133-140. doi: 10.5765/jkacap.220033.

Authors

Arefeh Shahali¹, Mansoureh HajHosseini², Reza Ghorban Jahromi³

Affiliations

¹ Educational Psychology, College of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Azad University of science and research, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Psychology, College of Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences, Azad University of science and research, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Objectives: The coronavirus disease pandemic affected people's lives in different ways, including child education and parent-child interactions. The present study aimed to identify the educational opportunities of children and challenges of parents during this pandemic.

Methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative and phenomenological method. The participants were 23 parents of children aged 7-12 years, selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews, which continued until data saturation was reached, and then classified and processed following Strauss and Glasser's approach.

Results: The findings were classified as parenting transformation, attachment challenges, and parenting challenges due to macro-systemic changes. Online education and changes caused by social distancing were the most significant parenting challenges. Moreover, children did not have the necessary space to be independent and self-sufficient.

Conclusion: For many children, adapting to virtual education has been challenging; therefore, parents should change their parenting control and support. The emergence of such challenges has led to the creation of more opportunities in the field of child education.

Keywords: COVID-19; Child rearing; Education; Parenting; Phenomenology; Qualitative method.