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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The edited volume School in Distance – Childhood in Crisis is now available in English through Springer. The publication fills a major research gap by shedding light on how children, adolescents, and their families view their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic profoundly changed the lives of children and young people. Originally published in German under the title Schule in Distanz – Kindheit in der Krise, the research volume was edited by seven scholars in the educational sciences. Focusing on the perspectives of children, adolescents, and families, it offers unique insights into their lived experiences during the pandemic. The book is now available for the first time in English under the title School in Distance – Childhood in Crisis.
Drawing on insights from education and the social sciences, the contributions explore how pandemic-related school closures, social isolation, and family stress affected the wellbeing and living conditions of young people. “We felt it was especially important to shine a light on the perspectives of children and adolescents – also internationally – precisely because their voices were largely missing from the public debate,” explains one of the volume’s editors, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Budde, who is a professor of education theory and teaching and learning processes at Europa-Universität Flensburg.
Fatigued Normalization
Budde describes a central theme of the volume as fatigued normalization. “The widespread feeling of standstill caused by pandemic restrictions, and especially by schools’ shift into distance learning, led to a general slowing down and sense of fatigue,” he says. “As children’s worlds shrank – decreasing the frequency of learning opportunities, according to educational theory – situations requiring parental involvement and guidance increased. The underlying assumption is that many children have normalized a subjectively tolerable, low-stimulation state that they perceive as ‘normal,’ and that reflects an overall societal fatigue.”
Normality as an Effortful Construction
“The research in this volume shows that normality during the pandemic wasn’t a given; it had to be actively constructed, often with great effort. That was especially so in families with fewer resources” says Budde, who led one of the included studies in northern Germany. While middle-class families were often able to invest significant amounts of time, money, and educational support, lower-income families did not have the same possibilities. The gap between these groups widened over the course of the pandemic. Even middle-class families were significantly affected by the consequences of the measures. “Precisely because the voices of young people have been so underrepresented, it is vital to highlight their perspectives now — and make them visible beyond national borders.”
About the Book
The volume offers over 300 pages of current empirical insights into three key topics: “Transformations of Childhood, Youth, and Family,” “Transformations of School-Based Learning,” and “Transformations of Inequalities.” School in Distance – Childhood in Crisis - Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Well-being and Living Conditions of Children and Adolescents Edited by: Jürgen Budde, Drorit Lengyel, Caroline Böning, Carolina Claus, Nora Weuster, Katharina Doden, and Tobias Schroedler. Published by Springer, August 2022.
Press Contact:
Juliane Groß Friederichsen
presse@uni-flensburg.de
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Budde
https://www.uni-flensburg.de?11764
juergen.budde@uni-flensburg.de
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-47616-8
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