Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors
This article investigates how increased focus on home-schooling influenced children with disabilities´ everyday education during the pandemic. Specifically, I focus on how children with disabilities were able to engage in home-schooling on digital learning platforms according to their own interest...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Aberdeen, School of Education
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Education in the North |
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| Online Access: | https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eitn/journal/671/ |
| _version_ | 1819177282121498624 |
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| author | Kjetil Klette Bøhler |
| author_facet | Kjetil Klette Bøhler |
| author_sort | Kjetil Klette Bøhler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article investigates how increased focus on home-schooling influenced children with disabilities´
everyday education during the pandemic. Specifically, I focus on how children with disabilities were
able to engage in home-schooling on digital learning platforms according to their own interests during
the pandemic. Conceptually I draw on theoretical arguments developed within the ‘capability approach’
with a particular emphasis on “conversion factors” as this model allows me to identify the different
mechanisms that may hamper, and/or enable, children with disabilities´ learning practices. I pay specific
attention to what I call digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors, and describe how these
three contexts (musical practices, digital platforms and socio-economic background coupled with
ethnicity) influenced the children’s educational experience.
Three lessons can be learned. First, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds became even more
consequential during the pandemic, as many children with disabilities were left more on their own and
offered less support from educational institutions and the welfare services due to various infectioncontrol measures. This placed single mothers and parents with few resources and/or immigrant
backgrounds in a particularly vulnerable position as they struggled to make the ends meet while
absorbing all of the new responsibilities of home-schooling. Second, many people experienced the new
virtual classroom as chaotic, which marginalised children with disabilities who had trouble handling
online social codes, either on teaching and learning platforms or through social media. Third, musical
practices represented an important part of some children’s everyday education which parents
discovered anew during the pandemic. Music facilitated learning while simultaneously contributing to a
sense of well-being and social participation for their children. More work is needed on how musical
practices, digital technologies, and socio-economic features may hamper and facilitate the educational
experience of persons with disabilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:24:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca88dd76b6f14a8abb72b075c7aab761 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0424-5512 2398-0184 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:24:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Aberdeen, School of Education |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education in the North |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca88dd76b6f14a8abb72b075c7aab7612022-12-21T18:12:06ZengUniversity of Aberdeen, School of EducationEducation in the North0424-55122398-01842021-12-01283222248https://doi.org/10.26203/xxdb-n437Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factorsKjetil Klette Bøhler0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2926-5673 Oslo Metropolitan University, NorwayThis article investigates how increased focus on home-schooling influenced children with disabilities´ everyday education during the pandemic. Specifically, I focus on how children with disabilities were able to engage in home-schooling on digital learning platforms according to their own interests during the pandemic. Conceptually I draw on theoretical arguments developed within the ‘capability approach’ with a particular emphasis on “conversion factors” as this model allows me to identify the different mechanisms that may hamper, and/or enable, children with disabilities´ learning practices. I pay specific attention to what I call digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors, and describe how these three contexts (musical practices, digital platforms and socio-economic background coupled with ethnicity) influenced the children’s educational experience. Three lessons can be learned. First, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds became even more consequential during the pandemic, as many children with disabilities were left more on their own and offered less support from educational institutions and the welfare services due to various infectioncontrol measures. This placed single mothers and parents with few resources and/or immigrant backgrounds in a particularly vulnerable position as they struggled to make the ends meet while absorbing all of the new responsibilities of home-schooling. Second, many people experienced the new virtual classroom as chaotic, which marginalised children with disabilities who had trouble handling online social codes, either on teaching and learning platforms or through social media. Third, musical practices represented an important part of some children’s everyday education which parents discovered anew during the pandemic. Music facilitated learning while simultaneously contributing to a sense of well-being and social participation for their children. More work is needed on how musical practices, digital technologies, and socio-economic features may hamper and facilitate the educational experience of persons with disabilities.https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eitn/journal/671/musicchildren with disabilitieseducationcapabilityconversion factors. |
| spellingShingle | Kjetil Klette Bøhler Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors Education in the North music children with disabilities education capability conversion factors. |
| title | Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors |
| title_full | Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors |
| title_fullStr | Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors |
| title_short | Home-schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic: a study of digital-, musical- and socio-economic conversion factors |
| title_sort | home schooling for children with disabilities during the pandemic a study of digital musical and socio economic conversion factors |
| topic | music children with disabilities education capability conversion factors. |
| url | https://www.abdn.ac.uk/eitn/journal/671/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kjetilklettebøhler homeschoolingforchildrenwithdisabilitiesduringthepandemicastudyofdigitalmusicalandsocioeconomicconversionfactors |