Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison
The COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged all societal domains, including education. Home confinement, school closures, and distance learning impacted students, teachers, and parents’ lives worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on Italian and Portuguese st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.592670/full |
| _version_ | 1819058906367787008 |
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| author | Sonia Zaccoletti Ana Camacho Ana Camacho Nadine Correia Cecília Aguiar Lucia Mason Rui A. Alves João R. Daniel |
| author_facet | Sonia Zaccoletti Ana Camacho Ana Camacho Nadine Correia Cecília Aguiar Lucia Mason Rui A. Alves João R. Daniel |
| author_sort | Sonia Zaccoletti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged all societal domains, including education. Home confinement, school closures, and distance learning impacted students, teachers, and parents’ lives worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on Italian and Portuguese students’ academic motivation as well as investigate the possible buffering role of extracurricular activities. Following a retrospective pretest–posttest design, 567 parents (nItaly = 173, nPortugal = 394) reported on their children’s academic motivation and participation in extracurricular activities (grades 1 to 9). We used a multi-group latent change score model to compare Italian and Portuguese students’: (1) pre-COVID mean motivation scores; (2) rate of change in motivation; (3) individual variation in the rate of change in motivation; and (4) dependence of the rate of change on initial motivation scores. Estimates of latent change score models showed a decrease in students’ motivation both in Italy and in Portugal, although more pronounced in Italian students. Results also indicated that the decrease in students’ participation in extracurricular activities was associated with changes in academic motivation (i.e., students with a lower decrease in participation in extracurricular activities had also a lower decrease in motivation). Furthermore, students’ age was significantly associated with changes in motivation (i.e., older students had lower decrease). No significant associations were found for students’ gender nor for parents’ education. This study provides an important contribution to the study of students’ academic motivation during home confinement, school closures, and distance learning as restrictive measures adopted to contain a worldwide health emergency. We contend that teachers need to adopt motivation-enhancing practices as means to prevent the decline in academic motivation during exceptional situations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:02:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d40c1c82847e4f99a3e14440cf52eb25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:02:39Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-d40c1c82847e4f99a3e14440cf52eb252022-12-21T19:01:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-12-011110.3389/fpsyg.2020.592670592670Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country ComparisonSonia Zaccoletti0Ana Camacho1Ana Camacho2Nadine Correia3Cecília Aguiar4Lucia Mason5Rui A. Alves6João R. Daniel7Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, ItalyFaculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, PortugalSchool of Health, Polytechnic of Porto, Porto, PortugalInstituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisbon, PortugalInstituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, University of Padova, Padua, ItalyFaculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, PortugalWilliam James Center for Research, ISPA–Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, PortugalThe COVID-19 outbreak has ravaged all societal domains, including education. Home confinement, school closures, and distance learning impacted students, teachers, and parents’ lives worldwide. In this study, we aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on Italian and Portuguese students’ academic motivation as well as investigate the possible buffering role of extracurricular activities. Following a retrospective pretest–posttest design, 567 parents (nItaly = 173, nPortugal = 394) reported on their children’s academic motivation and participation in extracurricular activities (grades 1 to 9). We used a multi-group latent change score model to compare Italian and Portuguese students’: (1) pre-COVID mean motivation scores; (2) rate of change in motivation; (3) individual variation in the rate of change in motivation; and (4) dependence of the rate of change on initial motivation scores. Estimates of latent change score models showed a decrease in students’ motivation both in Italy and in Portugal, although more pronounced in Italian students. Results also indicated that the decrease in students’ participation in extracurricular activities was associated with changes in academic motivation (i.e., students with a lower decrease in participation in extracurricular activities had also a lower decrease in motivation). Furthermore, students’ age was significantly associated with changes in motivation (i.e., older students had lower decrease). No significant associations were found for students’ gender nor for parents’ education. This study provides an important contribution to the study of students’ academic motivation during home confinement, school closures, and distance learning as restrictive measures adopted to contain a worldwide health emergency. We contend that teachers need to adopt motivation-enhancing practices as means to prevent the decline in academic motivation during exceptional situations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.592670/fullCOVID-19 pandemichome confinementschool closuresdistance learningacademic motivationextracurricular activities |
| spellingShingle | Sonia Zaccoletti Ana Camacho Ana Camacho Nadine Correia Cecília Aguiar Lucia Mason Rui A. Alves João R. Daniel Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison Frontiers in Psychology COVID-19 pandemic home confinement school closures distance learning academic motivation extracurricular activities |
| title | Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| title_full | Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| title_fullStr | Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| title_full_unstemmed | Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| title_short | Parents’ Perceptions of Student Academic Motivation During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-Country Comparison |
| title_sort | parents perceptions of student academic motivation during the covid 19 lockdown a cross country comparison |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic home confinement school closures distance learning academic motivation extracurricular activities |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.592670/full |
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