COVID-19 and Remote Learning: Experiences of Parents with Children during the Pandemic

In the spring of 2020, schools across the globe closed their doors to decrease the spread of the viral outbreak during the COVID -19 pandemic. This physical closure led to a rapid shift to remote learning which placed more responsibility for learning on parents and guardians. As one of the major stakeholders in the education process, experiences of parents with their children during remote learning are worth examining to inform future policy decision making. This study aimed to investigate parents’ experiences and struggles during school closure using an online survey. Thematic coding was conducted to analyze parental responses regarding their greatest educational struggle experienced during the COVID school closure. The results indicate parents agreed with the school closure policy and were generally satisfied with the level of support provided by school districts whilst describing some areas of struggle. Parents described having difficulties with balancing responsibilities, learner motivation, accessibility, and learning outcomes. The results of the study suggest some important implications and recommendations for educators and policymakers.