Children have “forgotten how to be in school” following the extended shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant increase in disruptive behaviours after returning to the classroom, a new study finds.
Published last October, the study compared student behaviour before and after the pandemic using surveys of 308 adolescents aged 9 to 14 and observations from 101 primary school teachers. It found that classroom incivility—rude behaviours such as interrupting lessons, ignoring rules, and showing disrespect—was significantly higher in the fall of 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in fall 2019.
“I think a lot of students missed out on the social skills we teach from year to year. Add that to increased work expectation of being in-person and lower academic knowledge, and it is reflected in the uncivil behaviour,” an unnamed teacher is quoted as saying in the study….