Finnish primary school students’ distance learning experiences in grades 1–3 during the COVID-19 pandemic
Keywords:
distance learning, primary education, experiences, IT-device, COVID-19Abstract
This article describes students’ distance learning experiences in grades 1–3 at Finnish primary schools. The study is based on the data collected by the Distant Learning research group, which aims at studying the experiences of Finnish students, teachers and guardians about the distance learning period in spring 2020. The data of this article is collected from 212 lower primary school students with an online questionnaire and the aim is to investigate how these students experienced distance learning and how schoolwork in the distance learning period was organized according to their experience. Furthermore, the study explores how an IT-device (tablet or PC) provided by the school was related to student’s distance learning experiences. The results showed that students in the lower grades had experienced the distance learning period mainly positively. Devices provided by the school increased the school-like structure of distance learning and enhanced the interaction between the teacher and the student during the distance learning period. Without the school’s device pupils needed more help from their guardians and more generally studied according to a schedule decided by either the guardians or the children themselves. Those students who did not find distance learning suitable for themselves experienced more loneliness and less joy during the distance learning period.
