ABSTRACT

This study examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on parents and preschool children from parents’ perspectives. We used an open-ended online questionnaire to reach parents (81: 60 mothers and 21 fathers). The questionnaire includes questions about gender, age, occupation and educational level, and questions about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ecological model is used as the theoretical construct to examine interactions between children and parents at home. Three main categories are identified: changing behaviours and routines, challenges and difficulties, and opportunities for parenting. The participants report that children’s 11 social and emotional behaviours change during the pandemic in general and the lockdown. The findings indicate that the parents experience difficulties and have a lack of knowledge and expertise in supporting children’s online learning. The findings contribute to studies on parental involvement by showing that the participant fathers are keener to spend time with children and help children’s homework.

摘要

本研究从父母的角度考察了 COVID-19 大流行对父母和学龄前儿童的影响。我们使用开放式在线问卷调查父母（81：60 位母亲和 21 位父亲）。问卷包括有关性别、年龄、职业和教育水平的问题，以及有关 COVID-19 大流行影响的问题。生态模型被用作理论结构来检验儿童与父母在家中的互动。确定了三个主要类别：不断变化的行为和惯例、挑战和困难以及养育子女的机会. 参与者报告说，在大流行和封锁期间，儿童的 11 种社会和情感行为发生了变化。调查结果表明，父母在支持儿童在线学习方面遇到困难，缺乏知识和专业知识。研究结果表明，参与者的父亲更愿意花时间陪伴孩子并帮助孩子做作业，从而有助于对父母参与的研究。