About this Research Topic

Background

In many countries, almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic started, businesses are still closed or minimally active, travel bans are still in place, as are bans on social gatherings of non-cohabitants. Due to the measures taken by the multiple countries facing the COVID-19 global pandemic, the reduction of social contact, increased isolation, and stress (within a period of economic, health, and social insecurity) have caused mental health consequences in a large part of the population. Lockdown and the suspension of non-essential activities have also driven emotional, behavioural, and sleep disturbances (among others), as well as increased uncertainty for the future. While mental health consequences have begun to be studied in multiple contexts, further research is merited.

In many cases, schools and universities are also still closed or minimally active, which has caused not only social and psychological problems for students and professionals in the education system, but also concern regarding the ongoing impacts of school closures on students’ and educator’s mental health. The shift from face-to-face education to fully or partially online classes without adequate methodologies and didactic adaptations (or access to adequate resources) has opened the discussion about the learning and technological gaps for many students, which will undoubtedly have mid- and long-term consequences at the educational level.

This Research Topic will therefore focus on considering the mid- and long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental health in students and educators, related educational difficulties, as well as the new educational strategies resulting from the ongoing pandemic. Manuscript submissions should include research focused on the educational community spanning from primary school to university: including students, teachers, and families. Specifically, we welcome submissions that address the following fields/topics:

• Cognitive deficits among students associated with the lockdown during COVID-19 (e.g. memory, attention, executive function, pre-existing conditions.).
• Emotional disorders among teachers and students associated with the lockdown and the online teaching during COVID-19 (e.g. anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, conduct disorders, etc.).
• Behavioral problems among students and family conflicts associated with lockdown and home-schooling during COVID-19.
• Sleep difficulties among students associated with lockdown and with changes in their schedules.
• Educational difficulties and school-related problems (e.g. bullying, students’ behavior problems, distractions, technological skills, etc.) among students associated with the lockdown and the new challenges in education associated with COVID-19.
• Educators’ (i.e. teachers, professors) engagement during the pandemic (e.g. Engagement in developing new strategies, engagement with students learning, changes in the educational system roles, engagement with students with special needs, lack of resources).
• Mid- to long-term consequences of learning and technological gaps among teachers and students.

Keywords: COVID-19, Educational consequences, Psychological consequences, Mental Health, Students

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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