Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has tremendously reshaped the landscape of education worldwide, shifting digital learning from a substitute to a possible necessity in a time of uncertainty. This study explored the digital learning experience for children in China during and after the lockdown periods from February 2020 to January 2022, with a particular focus on the urban–rural divide. Forty‐eight semi‐structured interviews were conducted with fifth‐ and sixth‐grade students, parents and teachers to obtain multiple perspectives regarding children's digital learning in YY County in southwestern China. This study revealed that the urban–rural digital divide is not rooted in differences in minimal access to digital devices per se but rather in meaningful access to make full use of those devices for extended learning purposes. The major barriers that give rise to the digital divide include teachers' technology challenges, internet addiction among children and a lack of parental supervision of children's digital use. However, digital learning also offers an opportunity to address educational inequality. This study calls for empowering rural teachers and parents to better support children's digital needs and boost their digital learning experience. Well‐designed virtual interventions, school‐ and community‐based programmes and policy interventions are potential solutions to address the needs of rural teachers, parents and children.

Abstract
Today, many children are living with their grandparents in rural hometowns whilst their parents migrate to work in cities. This qualitative study explores these left-behind children's perspectives of grandparental involvement in their lives through Photovoice. Thirty left-behind children (63% female, mean age = 12 years) in a major labour-sending rural area in southwest China joined five-session Photovoice groups, during which they took photos that best represented their lives with their grandparents. Visual data of eighty-four photos were analysed with thematic analysis. The most prominent themes were living environments and daily routines with grandparents, followed by grandparents' material support, time spent together, reciprocal support and perceived cultural traditions from the grandparents. Boys highlighted more material support from their grandparents in their shared photos, whereas girls focused more on their perceptions of cultural traditions being passed from their grandparents. This study illustrates the multifaceted nature of intergenerational solidarity and highlights the protective roles grandparents play in left-behind families in the labour migration context. The findings suggest the importance of using strength-based, culturally sensitive social work research (e.g. Photovoice techniques) and practices (e.g. community empowerment) to foster quality grandparental companionship and intergenerational bonding in left-behind families.

AbstractChildren with disabilities encounter unique challenges in rural Asia, where community resources are often lacking. This study is the first scoping review to understand nonmedical barriers and needs perceived by rural children with disabilities and their families in Asian countries. A literature search was conducted among six major databases for peer‐reviewed articles published between 1 January 2010 and 21 June 2022 and written in English. Based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 23 studies were identified and included in this review. The barriers and needs experienced by rural disabled children and their relatives are classified into family, school, community, and service levels. The review also highlights potential practice, policy, and research implications. To break down barriers and meet their needs, it is essential to take a holistic approach by supporting the family as a whole. In addition, to promote gender equity and prevent societal stigmatization and discrimination, policies and support programmes must be developed and implemented at the school and community levels. This review also identifies extant research gaps and suggests directions for future research, calling for more quantitative and mixed‐method studies, the inclusion of experiences from all Asian countries, a focus on intersectionality, and more research on the pandemic's effects on these marginalized individuals.

Purpose: To examine the determinants and impacts of implementing the mitigation interventions to combat the COVID-19 disease in the United States during the first 5 weeks of the pandemic. Method: A content analysis identified nine types of mitigation interventions and the timing at which states enacted these strategies. A proportional hazard model, a multiple-event survival model, and a random-effect spatial error panel model in conjunction with a robust method analyzing zero-inflated and skewed outcomes were employed in the data analysis. Findings: Contradictory to the study hypothesis, states initially with a high COVID-19 prevalence rate enacted mitigation strategies slowly. Three mitigation strategies (nonessential business closure, large-gathering bans, and restaurant/bar limitations) showed positive impacts on reducing cumulative cases, new cases, and death rates across states. Conclusion: Some states may have missed optimal timing to implement mitigations. Swift implementation of mitigations is crucial. Reopening economy by fully lifting mitigation interventions is risky.