“Like a rug had been pulled from under you”: : The impact of COVID-19 on teachers in England during the first six weeks of the UK lockdown

Background: On 20th March 2020, in response to COVID-19, UK schools were closed to most pupils. Teachers were required to put remote teaching and learning in place with only two days’ notice from the government. Aims: The current study explores teachers’ experiences of this abrupt change to their working practices, and during the 5-6 weeks that followed. Sample: Twenty-four teachers from English state schools were interviewed, representing mainstream primary and secondary schools and a range of years of experience and seniority. Methods: Participants were asked to tell stories of three key scenes during the first 5-6 weeks of lockdown: a low point, a high point and a turning point. A reflexive thematic analysis of their narratives was conducted. Results and Conclusions: Six themes were identified: uncertainty, finding a way, worry for the vulnerable, importance of relationships, teacher identity and reflections. Teachers’ narratives suggest that, after an initial period of uncertainty they settled into the situation and found a way forward, supported by strong relationships. However, they remain extremely worried about the most vulnerable pupils and want more joined up thinking from the government on how to support them effectively, along with clarity from policymakers to enable planning ahead. Teachers reflected on how to use their learning during this period to improve pupils’ experiences of education post COVID-19, and on how aspects of shared teacher identity have worked as stressors and coping mechanisms. These initial interviews form the baseline for a longitudinal interview study of teachers’ experiences of COVID-19 in England

‘Mr Cummings clearly does not understand the science of genetics and should maybe go back to school on the subject' : an exploratory content analysis of the online comments beneath a controversial news story

An article published in the UK Guardian on 11/10/2013 with the headline ‘Genetics outweighs teaching, Gove advisor tells his boss’ reported a leaked document written by special advisor Dominic Cummings to the then UK Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove. The article generated 3008 on-line reader comments from the public. These reader comments offer a naturalistic opportunity to understand public opinion regarding Cummings’ controversial suggestions and ideas. We conducted a content analysis of n = 800 reader comments, coding them on the basis of level of agreement with the ideas and opinions expressed in the article. Of all aspects of education mentioned, Cummings’ reported views on genetics were commented upon most frequently and were subject to the most opposition from commenters, but also the most support. Findings offer some insight into the challenges involved in conducting public discourse about the relevance of genes in education. We discuss the accuracy with which Cummings’ views were presented and the effect this may have had on reader responses to the points being raised

“A cancer in the minds of youth”? : A qualitative study of problematic smartphone use among undergraduate students

Aim : There is empirical evidence to suggest that problematic smartphone use (PSU) is associated with mental health problems including anxiety in educational settings. This qualitative study explored attitudes towards – and self-reported impacts of – smartphone use among British young adult students, as well as perceived causes of PSU. Methods : Free-response written accounts were gathered from 265 British undergraduates at an English university. Open-ended questions were asked about their attitudes towards smartphone use, their reasons for using their smartphones, and what they perceived as the consequences of their smartphone use. Narratives were analyzed using Framework Analysis and a thematic framework was identified. Results : The three main consequences of PSU described by participants were (i) uncontrolled frequent checking of smartphones, (ii) using smartphones late at night, and irrelevant use of smartphones in class. The main reported explanations for PSU were fear of missing messages, boredom in class, poor self-regulation, and external reasons (e.g., boring lectures). Smartphone use was reported to have both positive and negative impacts on young adults’ life satisfaction, social relationships, physical health and study. Many participants reported that they need to develop better self-regulation to address their PSU. Conclusions : Findings suggest that smartphone use can have benefits as well as potentially causing harm among university students. PSU can – in some cases – be understood as reflecting mental well-being issues, poor self-regulation, and social problems

Nonshared Environmental Influences on Academic Achievement at Age 16 : A Qualitative Hypothesis-Generating Monozygotic-Twin Differences Study

Twin studies find ~20% of the variance in achievement in public examinations taken at age 16 in the United Kingdom can be explained by experiences not shared within families. Nonshared environmental (NSE) influences, including measurement error, explain why monozygotic (MZ) twins differ from each other. Such influences work independently of genetic effects and may represent strong candidates for intervention. This study aimed to generate hypotheses about what these NSE factors might be. Perceptions of within-pair differences were gathered from n  = 497 pairs of MZ twins and their parents, and telephone interviews were conducted with n  = 56 families reporting different General Certificate of Secondary Education grades. “Environmental” explanations related to teacher quality, teacher–pupil relationships, and ability grouping. Families also explained discordance in terms of effort, interest, ability, and personality

Alone in the COVID-19 lockdown : An exploratory study

Feelings of isolation have been prevalent worldwide since March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This has prompted increased concerns about loneliness and related mental health problems. During the first UK COVID-19 lockdown, 71 participants were asked to share their high and low point stories from lockdown. These were analyzed using thematic analysis to explore how “aloneness” was experienced at this time. A deductive analyses supported three key facets of aloneness reported in the literature: emotional loneliness, social loneliness, and existential loneliness, as well as a more positive form of aloneness, solitude. An inductive analysis identified risk and protective factors for loneliness, comprising worry, lockdown changes, and poor mental health; and social contact, emotional contact, stability and simple life. The study highlights the importance of understanding how facets of aloneness interrelate, and how understanding risk and protective factors can help us to develop social and policy interventions to alleviate loneliness. In particular, solitude is proposed as a potential mechanism for alleviating loneliness, particularly existential loneliness, alongside more common social methods

Viewing education policy through a genetic lens

This paper introduces a literature from outside the field of education research and policy that we argue has potential to enhance both policy and practice. This field, behavioral genetics, has amassed highly replicable findings spanning more than half a century. Although no necessary policy implications follow from the evidence we review here, taking a ‘genetic lens’ may offer education researchers and policy-makers an opportunity to look at existing research in a fresh way; and to ask new questions and design new solutions. Incorporating evidence from behavioral genetics into interpretations of education and policy data can help researchers and decision makers better understand why some education policies have worked while others have not, and inform broader discussions of equality, fairness, and disadvantage in educatio

How is COVID-19 affecting the mental health of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and their families?

Parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in the UK (n=241) were asked to describe the impact of COVID-19 on their own mental health and that of their child. An inductive content analysis of the data was undertaken. Both parents and children appear to be experiencing loss, worry and changes in mood and behaviour as a result of the rapid social changes that have occurred. Some parents reported feeling overwhelmed and described the impact of child understanding and awareness. Finally, a minority of parents reported that COVID-19 has had little impact on mental health in their family, or has even led to improvements. Implications for how to support these families in the immediate future are discussed

Can genomic research make a useful contribution to social policy?

As genetic research into outcomes beyond health gathers pace, largely through the use of genome-wide association studies, interest from policy-makers has grown. In the last year, two UK reports have explored the policy implications of genomic research, one from the UK Government Office for Science and one from the Early Intervention Foundation. In this article, we explore areas of consensus between these two reports and use them to propose priorities for policy-makers as we prepare for what some have termed a 'genetic revolution'. Both reports agree on two clear recommendations for science and policy communities. One of these relates to public education and engagement, and the other to ensuring that genomic databases are ancestrally diverse. Both reports agree that-even if it is found to be a viable and ethical idea in the medium-term future-DNA data should not be incorporated into social policy before these two issues have been comprehensively addressed. In the article, we argue that scientists are taking the lead on tackling the diversity deficit but that there is a clear role for policy-makers to play in addressing low genetic literacy in society, and that this is a matter of urgency