TWO in five pupils have reported a decline in their physical, mental or emotional health since the closure of schools and the switch to online learning since last year, a survey has found.

The Pupil Voice Matters 2021 online survey by social enterprise Project ID was conducted from March 1 to April 28, where 761 pupils aged 13 to 21 across the country were interviewed.

A sizeable number, at 40.1%, said their physical health such as sleeping patterns, eating habits and energy levels have worsened while 41.9% reported having worse mental health due to stress levels and 37.6% said their emotional health, such as mood and temper had worsened since the switch to online learning.

“Some pupils attribute their decline in mental health to the increased homework and stress when learning online,” the Project ID report stated.

“This is reflected in a higher proportion of pupils reporting worsening mental and emotional health as they spend more time on their devices, as the increased workload translates to increased screen time.”

Pupils also said they are most concerned about their exams and school work as a result of school closure and the switch to online learning.

“More than 84% of pupils indicated upcoming exams to be among their main concerns arising from school closures, followed by 65% who are worried about keeping up with schoolwork.

“This may be due to the uncertainty in teaching schedules and timetables that pupils experienced during online lessons last year.

“One in five pupils also indicated that caring for their families and working with their parents are among their main concerns, showing that some pupils have additional responsibilities at home on top of their studies,” the survey found.

Mixed feelings towards learning experience

The survey also found that 39.2% of pupils have mixed feelings towards their overall online learning experience during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While 39.2% of pupils indicated they felt happy, trust, anticipation, sadness, fear and anger, 30.9% had positive feelings towards online learning, 22.9% indicated having only negative feelings, while 7.1% indicated having no feeling or were neutral.

“Majority of pupils report a sense of trust, with more than 44% (332 pupils) indicating that they feel calm and safe towards their overall learning experience.

“A similar number of pupils (between 35% and 38%) surveyed felt joyful and positive, nervous and scared, excited and ready, and frustrated and bored about their learning.

“For pupils who indicated they felt lonely and helpless, 60% of them also noted a decline in their mental health since switching to online learning,” Project ID said in its report.

Longer screen time leads to worse learning experience

Pupils surveyed also said they have worse learning experiences if they spent more than eight hours on an electronic device.

One in three pupils, 34% or 255 pupils, said they spent more than eight hours on an electronic device while less than 5% or 37 pupils said they spent no more than two hours on electronic devices.

“There is also a correlation between the average learning experience of pupils and the number of hours spent on devices. Pupils who spend more time on devices tend to rate their online learning experience lower.

“Many pupils note that learning online during the pandemic has increased their screen time significantly, with some mentioning increased strain on their eyes.”

The Project ID survey also found that most pupils are productive in the morning, with more than 30% indicating that they are productive between 9am and 12pm.

“More pupils prefer to learn in the morning rather than in the afternoon, and about one in five pupils prefer to work later in the night.

“This is consistent in examination pupils (Form 5), who expressed similar preferences when they are productive.”

The Project ID report is the second of three reports on pupils’ online learning experience in the past year.

Part one, which was published two weeks ago, explored how unpredictable school closures have affected pupils’ well-being.

Part three of the report will offer an insight into what the pupils wish to learn in the future. – May 27, 2021.