Research done by the University of Glasgow academics is shedding light on the level of preparedness to address pupils’ emotional needs in the UK. The survey was conducted on 700 plus teachers in the UK.
The research titled Teachers’ Responses and Expectations in the Covid-19 School Shutdown Period in the UK has already been submitted to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee. 80 percent of teachers who took part in this survey were from Scotland.
Research findings on emotional needs preparedness
Among its findings, only 38 percent of teachers believed that the schools they teach would be able to handle the emotional needs of students coming from lockdown. Although they expressed the impact the virus and lockdown have had on these children, they displayed optimism on their ability to handle any arising issue.
A further 40 percent of teachers interviewed in the survey indicated that they were prepared as individuals to handle the emotional needs of students coming out of the lockdowns. The also admitted that the more than 2 months of countrywide lockdown will have an impact on the psychology of these students when they return.
The majority of the teachers, 72 percent, agreed that their students may have suffered while at home and would require attention once the schools reopen. A further 62 percent also indicated that they were in fear of what their students were going through at home. They expressed worry that some of their students may be undergoing neglect at home and felt helpless that they can’t intervene to help them.
Schools that serve deprived backgrounds also showed contrast with well do background schools when it came to the question of if they thought their students would be labeled at risk. In rich and privileged areas, only 40 percent of teachers were worried that their students would be labeled as such.
On whether students would require more pastoral guidance than they needed before the lockdown, over 90 percent of the teachers in the survey said yes. Also, 79 percent of teachers interviewed expressed doubts that the resources available in their schools would be able to meet the emotional needs of students returning from lockdown.
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