Responses of social pedagogues in primary schools during the COVID-19 epidemic

V magistrskem delu sem preučeval odzive socialnih pedagogov, zaposlenih na osnovnih šolah, na krizno situacijo v povezavi z epidemijo COVID-19. Preučeval sem njihovo doživljanje vzgojno-izobraževalnega procesa v času epidemije ter tudi načine spoprijemanja s krizno situacijo in oceno lastne usposobljenosti ter podpore ustanove pri delu v krizni situaciji. Prav tako sem preučeval, kako so socialni pedagogi, zaposleni na osnovnih šolah, organizirali in izvajali svoje delo v času epidemije ter katere prilagojene oziroma nove metode dela so uporabljali pri svojem delu in jih bodo uporabljali tudi pri običajnem pouku. Zanimalo me je še, kako zaznavajo prednosti in izzive izobraževanja v času epidemije. V ta namen sem opravil kombinirano raziskavo, saj sem odgovore na zgornja vprašanja analiziral s pomočjo daljšega anketnega vprašalnika na vzorcu stotih anketirancev ter tudi s pomočjo poglobljenih intervjujev s petimi socialnimi pedagoginjami. Magistrsko delo je podalo vpogled v odzivanje socialnih pedagogov kot strokovnih delavcev na krizno situacijo in njihove načine spoprijemanja z njo. Ugotovil sem, da je večina sodelujočih v času epidemije doživljala bistveno več stresa kot v običajnih pogojih. Delo jim je vzelo veliko več časa, zanj pa so porabili tudi več energije. Tudi zahtevnost dela je bila večja. Večina socialnih pedagogov je svoje delo sproti prilagajala in usklajevala z učenci, le redki so imeli urnik kot med običajnim potekom pouka. Meja med zasebnim in službenim je bila zabrisana, delo se je marsikdaj potegnilo čez cel dan ali pa tudi med vikende. Socialni pedagogi so v času epidemije uporabljali nekatere nove metode dela, za nekatere od teh se je izkazalo, da so zelo uporabne in jih bodo uporabljali tudi v običajnih pogojih dela. Delali so večinoma individualno, in sicer preko videokonferenc. Nekateri so delali tudi s pomočjo telefonskih pogovorov, elektronske pošte ali drugih oblik spletnega okolja. Prav tako so nekateri uporabljali še druga družbena omrežja, videoposnetke, ali pa učencem dostavljali natisnjena navodila in naloge. Nekateri so se ves čas srečevali z učenci osebno, in sicer na domu ali pa v prostorih kakšnega društva, ki je delalo tudi med epidemijo. Vse to kaže na zelo veliko mero prilagodljivosti in iznajdljivosti pri iskanju načinov, kako pritegniti učence k sodelovanju. Eden najbolj skrb vzbujajočih rezultatov raziskave je, da kljub vsemu trudu in naporu, vloženemu v socialnopedagoško delo, ter inovativnim metodam dela, kar 77 % anketirancev ocenjuje, da je bila kakovost pouka pri delu na daljavo slabša oziroma občutno slabša kot v šoli. Prav tako se je izkazalo, da so socialni pedagogi zelo zaskrbljeni glede trenutne situacije, saj jih je kar 88,5 % izrazilo to skrb (od tega je 62,5 % precej oziroma zelo zaskrbljenih). Socialne pedagoge najbolj skrbi negativen vpliv dlje časa trajajoče epidemije na duševne težave učencev in družinske razmere ter tudi dolgoročne posledice, ki jih bo imela epidemija in z njo povezani ukrepi na učence z vidika socializacije. Prav tako jih skrbi povečanje razlik v znanju med učenci zaradi dela na daljavo, izguba motivacije za delo pri učencih z učnimi težavami ter negotovost, povezana z dolgotrajnostjo epidemije.My master\u27s thesis studies the responses of primary-school social pedagogy workers to the COVID-19 crisis situation. I was researching how they perceived the educational process in the time of the global pandemic and how they coped with the situation. I was also interested in how satisfied the workers were with the support of the institution they are working in. My focus was on how did the primary-school social pedagogy workers organize the work in the time of the pandemic and which new strategies did they have to adopt and use in the new situation. It was also of great interest to me if they would continue using the new strategies in the everyday lessons as well. Pros and new challenges in the educational process in the pandemic time was another field I was interested in and which I researched. To achieve that I conducted a combined research survey where I dealt with the abovementioned issues which I analysed. The base for my analysis was the responses of one hundred people and also the detailed interviews of five social pedagogy workers. My master’s thesis offers an insight into responses of social pedagogy workers as highly trained experts to the crisis situation and to effective strategies of coping with the pandemic situation. The results show that the big majority of the participants experienced greater level of stress than they usually do. They had to invest a bigger amount of time and energy in the process of education. The majority of the workers adapted their work on a daily basis, only a few had a set timetable as they had it before the pandemic crisis. The distinction between a professional and private life was blurred and many had to work throughout whole days or even at the weekend. The social pedagogy workers used new strategies as well and some of them proved to be useful, so they will be used in the future too. Mainly they worked individually via online meetings. Some work was done also via phone calls, emails, or other means of online environment. Also, social media was widely used, or video recordings, and printed instructions and exercises were distributed to pupils’ homes. Some workers met regularly with pupils, be it in pupils’ homes or at some organization which was working during the pandemic times as well. All this points to the high level of adaptability and resourcefulness in searching new means of involving and motivating pupils for school work. One of the most alarming results of the survey is that despite of all the additional and innovative work and effort implied by the social pedagogy workers, up to 77% of the interviewees estimate, that the quality of the educational process did not meet the standards of the school environment. The results also show how worried the workers are regarding the current situation – 88,5% of them are worried and even 62,5% of them are very worried about the consequences. The social pedagogy workers are concerned about the negative impact such a long pandemic period has on pupils’ mental problems, on family relations and on long term consequences of socializing point of view. They are also concerned about the gap in knowledge among pupils which is the result of the online learning. Other issues brought up by the workers are the lack of motivation among pupils with special needs and the insecurity caused by the pandemic period