Challenges and possibilities of distance education during the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic: parents' attitude

ENThe conducted research shows that during the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic families encountered various difficulties (loss of job, moving, tension, other stress and crisis events) (Cluver et al, 2020; Griffith, 2020; Fontanesi et al, 2020, Spinelli et al, 2020, Stonkuviene, 2020). The parents’ distress, particularly in the beginning of quarantine, was also enhanced by challenges faced by their children: insufficient communication with school, lack of ICT and other learning aids, unreliable internet connection, low computer literacy, concern about children’s health who spend more and more time in front of screens, their learning outcomes, decreasing motivation, etc. However, having coped with the challenges of the first weeks, some parents started seeing advantages of online education: a possibility of direct observation of the educational process, spending more time with children, increased independence of their children and improved skills of computer literacy. The paper is based on the results of the qualitative research, which included 8 focus group interviews with parents of children from various (town and rural, primary and basic) schools. The first stage of research was conducted from June to July 2020, after the quarantine was over, the second was carried out in November of the same year. A much bigger number of educational institutions as well as families met the second quarantine better prepared. Due to the quarantine limitations, the majority of focus group meetings were held on the Zoom platform. Acknowledgement: This research is a part of the interdisciplinary project “Distance education for children during the COVID-19 pandemic: threats and possibilities from the ecosystemic perspective” funded by Research Council of Lithuania, LMTLT (contract no. S-COV-20-11). Keywords: COVID-19, Distance Education, Parents’ Attitude, Lithuania.