Abstract

The study investigated the impact that children experienced after the inclusion of educational devices and non-contact virtual learning during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. An investigation was needed see how the primary use of educational devices and how the effects of non-contact virtual learning impacted the social-emotional development of children during this time. Five educators and five parents participated in this study including their observations and perspectives. Open-ended interviews and a survey had been conducted to gather the qualitative data. I examined the data in a thematic analysis using evaluation and emotion coding to quantify the results. 37% of the parents felt their child had been negatively impacted by the use of educational devices and non-contact virtual learning by the virtual modifications created for children who were originally in brick-and-mortar schools during the pandemic. The majority of the educators (64%) believed the use of educational devices and non-contact learning methods negatively impacted their students' social-emotional development. Educators disclosed the difficulty to incorporate group activities on the educational devices, as the time only allotted for individual module work. When non-contact virtual learning was incorporated, the educators discussed the regulation control skills students lacked. There were concerns by the participants of the limited exposure to social experiences children need for development. It was important to see if this study showed any areas of concern if educational devices and virtual learning practices had impacted children during COVID-19. Results could be used to inform educational practices toward social-emotional development for future distance education needs.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Szente, Judit

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Teacher Education

Degree Program

Early Childhood Development and Education

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008793; DP0026072

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026072

Language

English

Release Date

December 2026

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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