Silent Progression of “Collapsed Class” Syndrome : Changes in Personal Relationships Among School Children

The interruption of school education due to the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a variety of serious challenges to classroom management. A substantial number of schools still have no choice but to continue implementing reduced attendance or remote learning. The lives of students are still uncertain. Under the current circumstances, school children’s relationships have been“silently”shifting. Although many concerns were voiced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is indicated that the divide in student relationships in schools has been widened further since the onset of the pandemic. Based on the data of school refusals in the wake of“Collapsed Class”Syndrome, I will clarify what relational changes have been observed among school children in this article. Moreover, I will analyze the observed characteristics of the “Collapsed Class” Syndrome by exploiting a cross-disciplinary approach that includes evaluation beyond the pedagogical standpoint. In conclusion, this study has determined that there are a certain number of students who experience difficulties in group settings; additionally, some students have the tendency to circumvent peer pressure they are continuously exposed to in their relationships. Furthermore, I will discuss the contradictory fact that student groups are less likely to be formed, even though they are strongly encouraged to form desirable groups, while “connection” and “bond” are more emphasized, particularly since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Additionally, the efficacy of assertiveness training, which has recently drawn attention as an effective approach for the students who have difficulties in group settings, is examined in this study.“Collapsed Class”Syndromeschool refusal“Risk-Term”periodassertivenes