By Samuel Stones and Jonathan Glazzard
The Covid-19 lockdown has inevitably resulted in multiple transitions for children and young people. In this blog, we outline our understanding of transitions and we identify some ways in which young people may have been affected. Finally, we outline some strategies to support young people to experience positive adaptations to the changes that they are currently experiencing in their lives.
We conceptualise transitions as a process of adaptation to different contexts and changes in interpersonal relationships (Jindal-Snape, 2010). In line with Multiple and Multi-dimensional Transitions (MMT) theory (Jindal-Snape, 2016) we view transitions as multiple and synchronous rather than linear and sequential. In addition, transitions not only impact upon individuals, but also on their families (Jindal-Snape & Ingram, 2013), their friends (Rienties & Nolan, 2014) and others that they are connected to.
Young people have had to quickly adapt to multiple changes within their lives. Many are no longer attending school, apart from those whose parents are key workers or those who are particularly vulnerable. For those who are attending, normal lessons have been suspended and the structure of the day looks very different. Young people have had to adapt to lessons being delivered online. They can no longer meet their teachers or peers in person and they have been forced to rely on technology to facilitate communications. Some children and young people do not have access to technology and are therefore not able to maintain regular contact with their friends. Social networks and friendships have been disrupted and some have been forced to remain in households where their safety and wellbeing is compromised. These academic and social transitions can have adverse impacts on their psychological wellbeing, particularly for those who experience low self-esteem. Self-worth and self-competence are two major components of self-esteem (Mruk, 1999). Self-esteem effectively acts as an internal protective factor which helps individuals to cope with adverse situations (Jindal-Snape & Miller, 2010). Those with high self-esteem are more likely to experience positive transitions but, in contrast, those with low self-esteem may take longer to adapt and transitions may be adversely experienced. The security of the positive relationships that they form with friends and teachers at school have been disrupted and this can impact detrimentally on both self-esteem and resilience (Jindal-Snape & Miller, 2010).
We talked to a Year 7 (first year of secondary school in England) student about how the current situation is affecting them. We have identified the questions we asked and summarised their responses below each question.
- How do you feel about school being closed?
It is annoying not being at school but I know that it is the only way to help stop the spread of the virus. I miss seeing my friends and teachers and I can’t wait to get back to school. I really hope that we can get back to school before September because, for some people, it’s their last year at school and they might never see some of their friends again.
- What is good about it?
Not going to school has given me a lot more time to spend with my family and a lot more free time. It also gives me a lot more freedom and responsibility with my school work because there are no timetables or teachers telling me what to do. I have to be self-motivated and keep up with all my work and make sure I do it on time.
- What are the challenges?
It is hard not seeing my friends in and out of school and having to stay at home. Being in the company of only three other people can be challenging at times and being unable to go to any musical and sporting activities is also hard.
- How well are you adapting to online learning?
Online learning is a good temporary solution to make sure that everyone is still learning, even if it’s not in the classroom. I think I am quite self-motivated and good at making sure everything is sent in on time. I would say I adapted quite well to online learning.
- How are you keeping in touch with your friends?
I mainly use social media and have WhatsApp and Instagram group chats with my friends so we can all talk to and help each other. Many of us are in the same classes so we can still help each other out.
- What are you enjoying?
I like being able to choose when I start work and when I have a break. I also like to be able to choose which lessons I do and when. I have a lot more time to spend with my family and to go outside as well which is nice.
- What are you missing?
I miss seeing my friends and going to clubs such as orchestra and netball. I can’t wait to gain back the freedom to go out and see my friends. I also miss being surrounded by my friends and constantly being with everyone who is my age.
- How are you looking after your mental health?
I make sure that I am outside for at least an hour every day and take regular breaks from work. On an evening I put my phone down and spend time with my family, usually watching a film.
- What have you learnt from this?
I learnt that everything can change in a minute and you can’t do anything about it. I think that when we go back to school I will be more grateful for my friends and my teachers.
These responses illustrate that not all the transitions that young people experience are negative. It is too easy to underestimate young people’s capacity to adapt to changes but they can and do adapt, particularly if they have support from their families and have good self-esteem and resilience. Newman and Blackburn (2002) identified protective and risk factors in the individual (for example, self-esteem), the family (positive relationships at home) and the external environment. In cases where young people are exposed to multiple protective factors, their capacity to adapt to change is likely to be positive.
To support young people in adapting to the current Covid-19 situation, it is important for families to provide a caring and nurturing environment for their children. This will protect their self-worth (Mruk, 1999) which will act as a buffer to help young people to cope with setbacks (Jindal-Snape & Miller, 2010). It is also critical that young people maintain connections with their friends because positive feedback from friends can influence self-esteem and social networks can also enhance resilience. It is important to provide children and young people with a sense of routine and a structure to the day. Setting goals helps young people to stay focused which fosters motivation. In addition, parents should encourage them to maintain contact with their teachers because this will foster motivation and teachers are a source of self-esteem.
Young people will continue to surprise us with their capacity to adapt to changes in their lives. The current situation demonstrates that schools play a vital role in fostering resilience in children and young people. This will help them to cope with sudden, unexpected adverse situations which take them by surprise. Fostering and promoting resilience should be a key element of the school curriculum so that young people have the tools to respond to negative experiences in positive ways.
References
Jindal-Snape D. (2010). Educational transitions: moving stories from around the world, London: Routledge.
Jindal-Snape, D. (2016). A-Z of Transitions, London: Palgrave.
Jindal-Snape, D., & Ingram, R. (2013). Understanding and supporting triple transitions of international doctoral students: ELT and SuReCom models, Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 1, (1), 17-24.
Jindal-Snape, D., & Miller, D.J. (2010). Understanding transitions through self-esteem and resilience, In D. Jindal-Snape (Ed), Educational Transitions: Moving Stories from Around the World, London: Routledge, 10-32.
Mruk, C. (1999). Self-esteem: Research, theory and practice, London: Free Association Books.
Newman, T. & Blackburn, S. (2002). Transitions in the lives of children and young people: resilience factors, Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Education Department.
Rienties, B. & Nolan, E.M. (2014). Understanding friendship and learning networks of international and host students using longitudinal and social network analysis, international Journal of Intercultural Relations, 41, 165-180.
Image copyright Divya Jindal-Snape
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