Learning in Troubled Times: Parents' Perspectives on Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered profound social consequences, affecting all aspects of human activity, including education. The process of remote teaching that was implemented in response to this crisis is known as emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL). The present study focuses on Portuguese parents' perspectives about this process. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire, answered by 203 parents of preschool, basic, and secondary education students (ages 3-18), focusing on self-perceived digital competence, satisfaction with ERTL, and pedagogical activities developed with their children. Parents were moderately satisfied with ERTL but expressed a marked increase in their workload, particularly those working from home. Parents of children in the second cycle of basic education (ages 10-12) were less satisfied with the process. A variety of activities was promoted, responding to different educational levels' characteristics. Results show the importance of promoting parents' digital competence and directing support policies, particularly to parents of younger children (ages 3-12), and raise concerns about equity.

Full text

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Sustainability2022,14,301.https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010301www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Article
LearninginTroubledTimes:Parents’Perspectiveson
EmergencyRemoteTeachingandLearning
FilipaSeabra
1,
*,MartaAbelha
1,2,3
,AntónioTeixeira
1,4
andLuísaAires
1

1
LE@D,DepartamentodeEducaçãoeEnsinoaDistância,UniversidadeAberta,4200‐055Porto,Portugal;
mabelha@upt.pt(M.A.);antonio.teixeira@uab.pt(A.T.);Laires@uab.pt(L.A.)
2
CEIS20–Centreof20thCenturyInterdisciplinaryStudies,UniversityofCoimbra,
3000‐186Coimbra,Portugal
3
PortucalenseInstituteforHumanDevelopment,PortucalenseUniversity,4200‐072Porto,Portugal
4
CFUL,UniversidadedeLisboa,1269‐001Lisbon,Portugal
*Correspondence:Filipa.seabra@uab.pt
Abstract:TheCOVID‐19pandemictriggeredprofoundsocialconsequences,affectingallaspectsof
humanactivity,includingeducation.Theprocessofremoteteachingthatwasimplementedin
responsetothiscrisisisknownasemergencyremoteteachingandlearning(ERTL).Thepresent
studyfocusesonPortugueseparents’perspectivesaboutthisprocess.Dataweregatheredthrough
anonlinequestionnaire,answeredby203parentsofpreschool,basic,andsecondaryeducation
students(ages3–18),focusingonself‐perceiveddigitalcompetence,satisfactionwithERTL,and
pedagogicalactivitiesdevelopedwiththeirchildren.ParentsweremoderatelysatisfiedwithERTL
butexpressedamarkedincreaseintheirworkload,particularlythoseworkingfromhome.Parents
ofchildreninthesecondcycleofbasiceducation(ages10–12)werelesssatisfiedwiththeprocess.
Avarietyofactivitieswaspromoted,respondingtodifferenteducationallevels’characteristics.
Resultsshowtheimportanceofpromotingparents’digitalcompetenceanddirectingsupport
policies,particularlytoparentsofyoungerchildren(ages3–12),andraiseconcernsaboutequity.
Keywords:COVID‐19;emergencyremoteteachingandlearning(ERTL);educationalconsequences;
parents’perspectives;Portugal;preschooleducation;basiceducation;secondaryeducation

1.Introduction
Sincetheturnofthemillennium,therewasconsiderableworldwideadvancement
towardsuniversalaccesstobasic/primaryeducationforallchildren.Ensuringinclusive
andequitablequalityeducationandpromotinglifelonglearningopportunitiesforallis
thefourthsustainabledevelopmentgoal—QualityEducation(SDG4)—includedinthe
2030Agenda[1].Thetrainingandempowermentofindividuals,basedontheprinciples
ofhumanrightsandsustainabledevelopment,isthecoreofSDG4,whichaimstoexpand
theopportunitiesofthemostvulnerablepeopleonthepathtodevelopment.
Inthisregard,itshouldbeemphasizedthatPortugalattachescentralimportanceto
lifelongeducation,training,andqualification,seekingtoreversehistoricaldelaysand
exclusions,withdirectimpactsonpeople’swellbeing,economicperformance,fighting
poverty,promotingequalityandsocialcohesion,citizenship,andtheenvironment.
Therefore,SDG4‐QualityEducationisrecognizedasaprioritygoalandatransversal
pathwaytoachieveseveralotherSustainableDevelopmentGoals[2].
However,bytheendof2019,SDG4ofthe2030Agendawasfarfrombeingachieved
worldwide,since,accordingtoUNESCO[3],itwasexpectedthatby2030oneinsix
citizensbetween6and17yearsoldwouldstillbeoutofschool.Thissituationwas
worsenedbytheworldwidedisseminationoftheCOVID‐19virus,whichledtothe
physicalclosureofschoolsallovertheworld(frompreschooltohighereducation)asa
Citation:Seabra,F.;Abelha,M.;
Teixeira,A.;Aires,L.Learningin
TroubledTimes:Parents’
PerspectivesonEmergencyRemote
TeachingandLearning.
Sustainability2022,14,301.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010301
AcademicEditors:DiegoMonferrer,
AlmaRodríguezSánchezandMarta
Estrada‐Guillén
Received:21November2021
Accepted:24December2021
Published:28December2021
Publisher’sNote:MDPIstays
neutralwithregardtojurisdictional
claimsinpublishedmapsand
institutionalaffiliations.

Copyright:©2021bytheauthors.
LicenseeMDPI,Basel,Switzerland.
Thisarticleisanopenaccessarticle
distributedunderthetermsand
conditionsoftheCreativeCommons
Attribution(CCBY)license
(https://creativecommons.org/license
s/by/4.0/).

Sustainability2022,14,3012of19
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waytomitigatethespreadoftheCOVID‐19pandemic,thusplacingSDG4ofthe2030
Agendafurtherfrombeingachieved.AstheCOVID‐19pandemicforcedschoolsinto
lockdown,affectingthemajorityofchildreninschooling[4],educationwasoneofthe
manyaspectsofsocial[5]lifewhichhadtoadaptswiftlytodireandunexpected
conditions[6–8].InthespecificcaseofPortugal,thephysicalclosureofallschoolswas
determinedon13March2020,andimplementedon16March2020,whichledtotherapid
transitionfromeducationdesignedentirelyforface‐to‐facedeliverytodigitallymediated
education,inorderforPortuguesechildrenandyouthtobeabletocontinuetheir
educationandtrainingprocesses,evenifconfinedtotheirhomes[9].
Thisvastexperimentoftransitiontodigitallymediatededucationisnowknownas
emergencyremoteteachingandlearning[10,11].Wehavearguedbeforethattheuseof
theexpression“distanceeducation”torefertothesepractices[9],whichwere
implementedunderverylimitedconditions,canleadtofurtherstigmatizationofquality
distanceeducation,whichrequiresappropriateplanning,teachertraining,curriculum
adaptation,amongotherconditionsthatwereimpossibletomeetinthesituation
educationalsystemsmetwhenfacedwiththelockdowns[9,12].Instead,inasituation
wheretheprioritywassimplytomaintainsomeformofcontinuityofeducation[13],
despiteallthechallengesandlimitedresources,governments,schools,andteachersrose
totheoccasion,quicklyimplementingERTL.
Avastnumberofstudiesaroundtheglobehaveconsideredtheemerging
educationalchallengesposedbytheCOVID‐19pandemic.Evenconsideringthe
Portuguesereality,severalstudieshavealreadybeenproduced[9,14–20].However,those
studieshavefocusedmainlyontheperspectiveofteachersandschools,which,albeit
fundamental,leavesoutthefundamentalroleplayedbytheotherdenominatorinthis
complexequation:studentsandparents’perspectives.Wealsoconsideracontextualized
analysistobevaluable,giventhefactthatnotonlythepandemicaffecteddifferentparts
oftheworldatdifferenttimesandintensities,butalsothatnationalandlocaleducational
responsestoschools’closingswerenotuniversal.
Thisisalsoanunderexploredpointofviewininternationalstudies[21–24].
Additionally,thereisalackofresearchconcerningonlinelearningintheearlyyears[25–
27].Inthepresentstudy,weintendtoaddresssomeoftheselimitationsbypresentingthe
perspectivesofPortugueseparentsofchildrenbetweentheagesof3and17about
emergencyremoteteachingandlearningthattookplaceinaninitialstageoftheresponse
toschools’closings.
Inthefaceofthissituation,ourstudyintendedtoanswerthefollowingquestion:
whataretheperspectivesofparentsofchildreninvolvedinERTLduringtheCOVID‐19
pandemicregardingthisexperience?Weintendedtodescribeparents’perspectivesof
ERTL,includingabroadagerangeofthechildreninquestion.Inparticular,wewere
interestedinunderstandingparents’levelsofsatisfactionwiththeprocessofERTLand
incharacterizingthetypesofteachingpracticesthatweretakingplacewiththeirchildren
duringtheperiodinquestion—anearlystageoftheimplementationofERTL.Wealso
gathereddataconcerningparents’demographiccharacteristics,worksituation,andself‐
perceivedlevelsofcompetence,sinceevenatsuchanearlytimeintothisunprecedented
educationalexperience,weunderstoodthoseaspectsmightmakeadifferenceinhow
parentsperceivedandfacedthischallenge.Webelievehavingamoredetailedknowledge
ofhowthisprocesstookplaceandhowitwasperceivedbyparentsmaybeuseful,not
onlyinunderstandingthecurrentsituationandthechallengesthe“newnormal”still
posestoeducation,butalsotobetterprepareforfutureperiodsofschoollockdowndue
tothispandemic,oranyotheremergency,andhowbettertosupportparentsthrough
them.
Tocontextualizeourstudy,wewillpresentabriefanalysisoftheconceptof
emergencyremotelearningandhowithasbeenimplementedinPortugalduringthe
COVID‐19pandemic,presentabriefliteraturereviewofstudiesfocusingonparents’
perspectivesconcerningemergencyremoteteachingandlearning,andanalyzeworks

Sustainability2022,14,3013of19
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focusingonyoungerchildreninERTL,astheypresentchallengestoimplementingthis
methodology,whichareparticularlydemandingtoparents.
1.1.EmergencyRemoteTeachingandLearning
ERTLisfundamentallydifferentfromonlinelearning[11],sinceitisanimpromptu
responsetoextraordinarycircumstances,ratherthanaplanneddecision,taking
advantageofallthefeaturesonlinelearninghastooffer.Thechoicetoavoidapplyingthe
expression“onlinelearning”tothisexperienceisalsoonewithpoliticalimplications,asa
tendencytoassesstheseexperimentalandunpreparedapproachesassuchmaycasta
detrimentallightononlinelearningpractices.Effectiveonlinelearningrequiresseveral
complicatedandbalanceddecisionsaboutseveralaspects,includingmodality,pacing,
student‐instructorratio,pedagogy,theroleofonlineassessment,instructorroleonline,
studentroleonline,onlinecommunicationsynchrony,andsourceoffeedback—allof
whichrequireplanning.Unlikeonlinelearning,ERTLemergedasahastyandnecessary
responsetoacrisis,shiftingactivitiesandcurriculaplannedforface‐to‐faceeducationto
distanceenvironments,withoutthenecessaryplanningorconditions,including
infrastructureorteachertraining[9].
ThePortugueseeducationalsystemrespondedtoCOVID‐19inawaythatis
fundamentallysimilartootherEuropeancountries.Asaresultoftherisingconcern
amongstfamiliesandpublicopinion,theGovernmentdecreedtheclosingdownofall
educationalinstitutionsstartingon16March2020.Followingthatswiftdecision,several
exceptionalfamilysupportmeasureswereimmediatelyputinplace.Thissupportwas
dueincasesofassistancetochildrenorotherdependentsunder12yearsold,or,inthe
caseofassistancetochildrenordependentswithdisabilitiesorchronicillness,without
agelimit.Itshouldbenotedthatthissupportreachedasmanyas201,000familiesin2020
[28].
Atthesametime,educationalinstitutionshadtoundergoadramaticshiftand
implementERTL.Fromonemomenttothenext,parentsandteacherswereconfronted
withatotallynewscenario.Justafewmonthsearlier,manywerediscussingbanningthe
useofmobiledevicesinclassrooms.Now,theyhadrapidlymovedtoaskformoredigital
devicesandbroadbandInternetconnectionsfortheirchildren.Infact,theeducational
communitieswereconfrontedforthefirsttimewiththeimplicationsofdigitalexclusion
inthenetworkedsociety.
TheliteratureidentifiesfourphasesintheeducationalresponsetoCOVID‐19[29,30].
Thefirstphasecanbedescribedasarapidtransitiontoremoteteachingandlearning.In
Portugal,educationalinstitutionsweregivenonlyfourweekstoensurethatallregular
teachingactivitiesplannedforbeingdeliveredinpersonwouldbetransferredtoanonline
learningenvironment.
Awareofthelevelofunpreparednessoftheinstitutionsforthisrapidtransitionand
uponthepressureofSchoolBoards,theMinistryofEducationcreatedthewebsite
“SupportforSchools”,providingvaluableinformationanddocuments,teaching
materials,andlearningresourcestoallstakeholders.Inaddition,thedocument“Guiding
PrinciplesfortheImplementationofDistanceEducationatSchools”[31]wasissued.
Basedonthesuggestionsandrecommendationspresentedintheofficialguidelines,
schoolswereaskedtodesignDistanceTeachingPlans,implementingtheprinciples
accordingtotheirlearningcontexts.Asaresult,manycommunitiesofteachersatthe
schoollevelemerged,playingasignificantroleinorganizingtheprocess[9].
Theseefforts,however,couldhardlymeetthecomplexityandscopeofthetransition
process.Firstly,institutionsandfamilieswereconfrontedwithashortageofdigital
devicesandinsufficientaccesstobroadbandInternetconnection[32].Accordingtoa
studyconductedbytheeducation’snationalcouncil,almosteveryschoolmanager(92%)
agreedwiththisclaim.Mostofthem(80%)concludedthatthisfactoraffectedthequality
oftheworkdone[19].Nevertheless,althoughtransversal,thiselementdidnotaffectthe
institutionsequally,dependingoneachgeographic,social,andeconomiccontext.Local

Sustainability2022,14,3014of19
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institutionsandorganizationsacrossthecountryhelpedalleviatethissituationproviding
studentsinneedwithresources—suchascomputersandInternethotspots—which
allowedthemtoparticipateinERTL[9].
Secondly,itbecameclearhowthelowlevelofdigitalcompetencesbothofteachers
andeducatorsandofstudentsandtheirparentsaffectedthequalityandefficiencyof
education.Forabout41%ofschoolmanagersand47%ofteachers,emergencyremote
teachinghasbeenaffectedbytheinadequacyofteachers’digitalcompetences.Likewise,
themajorityofschoolmanagers(79%)andteachers(80%)indicatethatremoteemergency
educationwasaffectedbythelackofadequatetrainingofstudentsandfamiliesintheuse
ofdigitalresources[18].
ThisexplainsthepredominanceofsynchronousvideocommunicationinERTL
[29,30,33],aphenomenonidentifiedgloballyandreferredtoas“zoomism”[15].Formost
Portugueseteachers,thesynchronoussessionswereaneffectivewaytodelivercontent
withouthavingthetime,themeans,ortheknowledgetoapplyamoreelaboratelearning
design.Infact,fewteachersusedthesesessionstopromotediscussion,interaction,and
socialization[18].
TheliteraturedescribesasecondphaseintheimplementationofERTL,underthe
title“(re)addingthebasics”[29,30].Thisrelatestoamorematuremomentintheprocess
whenconcernswithquality,suchascoursedesign,equityandaccessibility,oracademic
integrity(re)emergeintotheERTLpracticesalreadyinplace[29,30].InthePortuguese
case,thislatterphasecoincidedwithseveralactionstakenbothattheofficiallevelbythe
MinistryofEducationinalliancewithotherpublicinstitutions,andattheunofficiallevel
bytheeducationalcommunities,professionalassociationsandothernon‐governmental
organizationsactingindependently.Worthmentioningthejointinitiativeofthe
GovernmentandtheUniversidadeAberta(OpenUniversity,Aberta,Portugal)which
deliveredamassiveopen‐accesscourse(MOOC)to2300teachersfromthebasicand
secondaryeducationondistanceeducation[9].Similarly,theGovernmenttogetherwith
thepublictelevisionnetworkprovidededucationalcontentthroughtelevision,an
initiativedubbed“StudyatHome”.Thiswasintendedtoreachthemostisolatedstudent
populationswhichwereexperiencingdifficultiesinaccessingacomputerandbroadband
Internet.
Eventhoughthereactiontothepandemicwasswift[34],theotherwisevery
centralizededucationalsystemrespondedbyadoptingdecentralizedpoliciesthatrelied
onschools’capacityfordecisionandself‐organizationandweremeanttopromote
contextualadaptation.Still,thisattitudemayhaveledtoalackofcoordinationand
inequality,evenifsomeschoolsrosetothechallengewithcreativityandinnovation[9].
However,thegeneralfeedbackabouttheexperiencewaspositive,andstakeholders
highlightedhowERTLhasreinforcedtheimportanceofreflectiveteacherpractice,howit
hasledtorenewedattentiontoassessmentmodelsandpractices,andhowithas
contributedtobringingtherelationshipbetweeneducationalinstitutions,families,and
communitiescloser.
TwosubsequentphasesofERTLhavebeendescribed,namelyphase3—Extended
transitionduringcontinuedturmoilandphase4—Emerging“newnormal”[29,30].
Duringthesephases,activitiesbecomeincreasinglymoreplannedandsupportedby
teachertrainingandeveninfrastructure,asmoretimegoesby,enablingschoolstonot
onlyreacttoacrisisbutrespondonthebasisof(somelevelof)acquiredexperience,
training,andreflection.However,atthemomentofdatagathering,Portugalhadnotyet
reachedtheselevelsofconsolidatedresponse.
AlthoughERTLhasbeendescribedearlyintotheonsetofthisphenomenon,we
believeourpapermayaddtoitsdiscussionbyincludingtheperspectivesofparents,who,
aswewilllaterseeareunderrepresentedinstudiesofthisperiod,andalsobecauseeach
countryhasdevelopeddifferentresponses,hasdifferentpopulations,educationallevels
andevenlevelsofaccesstoequipment,andtherefore,contextualizedstudiesportraying
therealityindifferentcontexts,worldwide,areavaluablecontributiontothestudyofthis

Sustainability2022,14,3015of19
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educationalexperience.PreviousstudiesofERTLinthePortuguesecontext,toour
knowledge,havenottakenparents’perspectivesintoconsideration.
1.2.ParentsandEmergencyRemoteTeachingandLearning
Davisandcolleagues[35]referredtoparentsduringtheCOVID‐19pandemicas
proxyeducators.Theseproxyeducatorswereplacedundertremendousstrain,asthey
hadtoaccumulatetheirpreviousresponsibilitieswithteachingandcaringforthe
children’sindividualneeds.ThiswasaUSA‐basedstudy.
Aqualitativestudyofparentsofchildrenpreviouslyonface‐to‐faceeducation
carriedoutonemonthafterschools’closing[23]foundthatparentsagreedwithschool
closuresandweresatisfiedwiththesupporttheyweregiven.However,theystruggled
withbalancingresponsibilities,keepingtheirchildrenmotivatedtolearn,learning
outcomes,andaccessibility.Balancereferredtobalancingworkandparentingdemands,
butalsothedemandsofdifferentchildren,personalneeds,andfeelingoverwhelmed.The
concernsrelatedtolearnermotivationwereoften,butnotalwaysspecifictotheonline
contextinwhichtheyoccurred.Concernswithaccesswerelinkedtochildrenwithspecial
needs,parents’lackofcontentspecificaswellaspedagogicalknowledge,technological
barriersandneedformorecommunicationwithteachersaswellasresourceorganization.
Lastly,parents’concernswithlearningoutcomesincludedacademicachievement,socio‐
emotionaldevelopment,andconcernswiththequalityofthecurriculum.
Parentswereconcernedwiththeirchildren’slearning[22,36]anddistrustfulofthe
educationalinstitutions’capacitytoaddressthesituationwithcompetence[36].The
perceivedsupportandabilitiesofteacherswereacknowledged,throughalongitudinal
study,tobethemainpredictorsofparents’schoolsatisfactionduringthelockdown
period[24].
Astudyofparents’attitudescarriedoutinKazakhstan[37]foundolderparents,
parentswithahighereducationallevel,andparentswhoassessedtheirchildren’s
teachers’competencelevelmorefavorablyweremoresatisfiedwithonlinelearning.In
contrast,thosewithalargerfamilywerelesssatisfied.Thereadinessofswitchingtoonline
learningactivitieswasalsoassociatedwithgreatersatisfaction.
ADutchpreliminarystudy[38]foundthatdespiteunanimousconcernwith
children’sschoolwork,therewerecriticalsocialdifferencesinhowparentscopedwith
thisnew“homeschooling”task.Childrenfromadvantagedbackgroundsreceivemore
significantsupportandhaveaccesstomoreresources.Parentswithhighereducationfeel
betterequippedtosupporttheirchildren.Therewerealsodifferencesinperceivedschool
supportbetweenparentsofchildreninacademictrackvs.pre‐vocationalsecondary
education.
Throughaliteraturereview,Lateefandcollaborators[39]wereabletoidentifyfour
recurringthemes.Namely,(i)thereciprocalinfluenceofeachfamilymember’semotions,
(ii)thehigherlevelofpsychosocialstressduringlockdownexperiencedbyparentsin
comparisonwithadultswithoutchildren,(iii)theneedtoprovideparentswithformal
andinformalsupport,and(iv)theneedforfurtherresearchonthepsychosocial
consequencesofpandemicsonchildren.
Parents’stresslevelsduringlockdownincreased[22,35,40,41],andtheirincrease
continuedthroughoutthedayandduringweekdays,onceagainrelatingtotheneedto
jugglechild‐careandworkdemands[42].Mothers,youngerparents,parentsofchildren
inemotionaldistress,amongothers,werefoundtobeparticularlyatrisk[41].
Nevertheless,thequalityoftheparent‐childrelationshipwasconsideredtohave
increased,particularlyforgirls’parents[22].However,parentalstressduringCOVID‐19
wasfoundinanotherstudytoincreasetheriskofreducedparent‐childrelationship
closeness[43],whichmay,inextremecases,leadtochildmaltreatment[44].
Charlandandcolleagues[45]consideredcurricularimpactsofthissituation,
includinghowparentswereinvolved.Theyrecognizedparentsandfamiliesareoften
forgottenincurricularanalysesandthereforesawtheERTLasanopportunitytorethink

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theirrolesincurriculumconceptualization.Parentswereexpectedtotakeonaroleasco‐
educatorswithoutanypreparation,andoftenwhilemaintainingtheirprofessionalduties.
Theireducationallevelandneedtocontinueworkingwereconsideredcrucialto
understandingtheirperspectivesonthismatter.Lastly,theauthorshighlighttheschools’
rolesinsupportingandtrainingparents,recognizingtheiruniqueneedsandpossibilities,
andestablishingeffectiveschool‐parentpartnerships.Inthesamelineofthought,Iyengar
[46]proposesCOVID‐19tobeanopportunitytorethinktheroleofthecommunityin
education,includingparentalinvolvement,thuscontributingtoenrichingthecurriculum.
Insummary,thestudiesofparents’perspectivesonERTLthusfarhaveshownthis
tobearelevantmatter,withimplicationsconcerningeducation,mentalhealth,and
family.Theyhavealsorevealedthatparentsareconcernedwiththissituationandthat
theirperceptionisinfluencedbyeducationalvariables,suchasthetypeofsupportgiven
duringlockdown,butalsobypersonalcharacteristicsoftheparentsandchildren
themselves.Concernsaboutequityarealsoraisedinthiscontext.Asnodatawerefound
regardingtheperspectivesofPortugueseparents,ourresearchmaycontributeto
increasingtheknowledgeofthisprocessinthisnationalcontext,aswellasestablishing
dialogueswithpreviousresearch,asweproposeinthediscussionsection.
1.3.EmergencyTeachingandLearningandYoungerChildren
BeforetheCOVID‐19pandemicforcedthemajorityoftheworlds’childrentoleave
brick‐and‐mortarschools,therewerealreadydecadesofresearchandexperimentingwith
distancelearningwithk‐12children,focusingoneffectiveness,studentreadiness,and
descriptionofconcreteexperiences.Students’motivation,readiness,access,accreditation,
andretentionwereacknowledgedaschallengeswhileexpandingaccessandproviding
opportunitiesforhigh‐qualityeducationwereportrayedaspotentialsofthismodality.
However,researchonk‐12distanceeducationwasstilllimited[47].Wewillnowfocuson
summarizingsomepreviousstudiesconcerningparents’perspectivesabouttheERTL
experiencewithyoungerchildren.
AnalyzingChineseparents’beliefsandattitudestowardsonlinelearning,specifically
parentsofchildreninearlychildhoodeducationduringtheCOVID‐19pandemic,ranging
betweentheagesofthreeandfiveyears,revealedtheirchildrenwerepredominantly
engagedinonlineeducationforshortperiods—mostlyunder30min,withfrequencies
rangingfromonceaweektomultipletimesaday.Theseparentswerecriticalofonline
learning’squalityandeffectiveness.Difficultiessuchaslackofcontactwithpeers,lackof
self‐regulation,lackofalearningatmosphere,andinabilitytofocuswerementioned.This
ledthemtoexpressconcernsaboutthenegativeconsequencesonlineeducationcould
haveontheirchildren’sdevelopment.Anothercriticalaspecttheyuncoveredwasthe
highdemandsthisexperienceplacedontheparentsthemselves,namelyintermsoftime
andofprofessionalknowledge[27].
Similarly,Mangiavacciandcollaborators[22]positedtheimpactofconfinementon
childrendisproportionatelyaffectednotonlythosefromlower‐incomeandlower
educationalstatusbutalsoyoungerchildren.Parents’concernabouttheirchildren’s
educationalattainmentdifferedsignificantlyaccordingtothechild’sschoolleveland
whethertheschoolprovidedonlineactivities.
Spiteri[25]addstotheseconcernsbyarguingstudyingathomeaffectsyounger
childrenmorethantheirolderpeersandmayhavemoredetrimentalconsequencesfor
thisagegroup,particularlyasearlychildhoodeducation,whichisfundamentalforthe
achievementoftheUnitedNations2030goalsofsustainabledevelopment[48],relies
extensivelyonhands‐onactivities,directexperiences,andface‐to‐faceinteractionand
care.
Yi,Lau,andLee[49]carriedoutastudywithparentsofkindergartenandprimary
schoolstudentsthreeweeksafterlockdown.Theyfoundmostchildrenwereunableto
independentlyrespondtotheactivitiesschoolsaskedofthem,andexperienced
difficultieswithmotivationandrelatedtothehomeenvironment.Onlinelearning

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activitieswereappreciatedbyparents,whovaluedonlineinteractionandsupport,aswell
asflexibleworkarrangementsandgovernmentsubsidiestohelpthemaddresstheir
children’sneeds.
Studiescarriedoutwithparentsofyoungerchildrenhighlightparticularchallenges
facedbythisdemographicandencouragetheirinclusioninoursample.Webelieve
havingencompassedabroadrangeofchildren’sagesisarelevantcontributionofthe
presentstudy.
Thestudiesanalyzedinthissectionhelpinbetterunderstandingoneofthecritical
dimensionsofERTL,astheyhighlightthemediatingroleofparentsofchildrenand
adolescentsduringtheglobalschoolclosureinthefirstphaseoflockdown.Thedigital
divideintheaccessandtheuseoftechnologiesandtheInternetinfamilieswithlower
technological,economic,andeducationalcapital;theoverburdeningoffamilieswith
youngerchildrenandwithspecialeducationalneedsduringthelockdown;aswellasthe
needforfurtherresearchontheroleoffamiliesasprivilegedpartnersintheeducational
processinschools,aredimensionsofthecomplex,multi‐faceted,andspecificreality
experiencedbyparentsofyoungerchildreninthiscriticalperiod.
2.MaterialsandMethods
Dataweregatheredbetween13Apriland14May2020,approximatelyonetotwo
monthsaftertheschools’closing,throughanonlinequestionnaireincludingclosedand
openquestions.ThequestionsanalyzedinthepresentarticlearereplicatedinAppendix
A.Inthepresentarticle,wefocusexclusivelyontheclosedquestions,whichweresubject
tostatisticalanalysisusingSPSS37.Duetothenoveltyofthesituation,andlackof
previousstudiesatthetimeofdatagathering,theauthorsoptedforanexploratorystudy,
aimingtodescribethesituationasitwasunfolding,ratherthantestingprevious
hypotheses.
Therespondentswere203parentsorcaregiversofchildrenenrolledinpreschool,
basic,orsecondaryeducation(ages3through18)inPortugueseschools.Thesamplewas
derivedbyconvenience,bydisseminatingthequestionnaireonlineonFacebookgroups
relatedtoparentingandeducation.Theresultingsampleincludesparentsfromallthe
countries’regions,includingthearchipelagos.However,itseemstoincludea
disproportionatenumberofmothersandolderparentswithpost‐secondaryeducation,
whichneedstobeconsideredwhenanalyzingdata.Thecharacteristicsofparticipantsand
theirchildren’sschoolsaredescribedinTables1and2.
Table1.Respondent’sdescriptivestatistics.
FrequencyPercentage
GenderMale2713.3%
Female17485.7%
Rathernotanswer21%
AgeUnder25146.9%
26to35yearsold209.9%
36to45yearsold12159.6%
46to55yearsold4220.7%
56yearsandolder52.5%
EducationallevelSecondaryorlower3316.3%
Post‐secondary11757.6%
Post‐graduate5225.6%
WorksituationNotworking6130%
Workingfromhome11958.6%
Workingoutsidethe
home2210.8%
Anothercaregiverinthesame
householdYes17083.7%
No3316.3%

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Table2.Schools’andchildren’sdescriptivestatistics.
FrequencyPercentage
TypeofschoolPublic15978.3%
Private3617.7%
Both*83.9%
SchoolcontextUrban11355.7%
Demi‐Urban5024.3%
Rural4019.7%
ChildreninpreschoolYes7135%
No13265%
Childreninthe1stCBEYes8541.9%
No11858.1%
Childreninthe2ndCBEYes4019.7%
No16380.3%
Childreninthe3rdCBEYes6431.5%
No13968.5%
ChildreninsecondaryschoolYes4220.7%
No16179.3%
Totalnumberofchildren19245.3%
28843.3%
3157.4%
4ormore63%
*Selectingtheoption“both”impliestherespondenthasoneormorechildreninpublicschooland
oneormorechildreninprivateschool,andthereforecheckedbothprivateandpublicastypeof
school.1Preschoolincludeschildrenaged3–5;1stCycleofBasicEducation(CBE)6–10;2ndCBE
10–12;3rdCBE13–15;secondary16–18.
Thequestionnairegatheredsocio‐demographicandeducation‐relatedindicators,
accesstotheInternetandapersonalcomputer,self‐assesseddigitalcompetence,
satisfactionwitheducationalactivitiesduringthelockdown,workmethodsimplemented
bytheteachers,andpedagogicalchangesaftermovingonline.
Self‐assessedlevelofcompetencewasassessedbytwoitemsona4‐pointscale
rangingfromnoknowledgeorexperienceandhighlevelofknowledgeorexperience,
pertainingtobothdistanceeducationandtheuseofinformationandcommunication
technology(ICT)foreducation.
Parents’satisfactionwasassessedonafive‐pointscalerangingfromnotatalltovery
much.Althoughthefirstversionofthescalewasafour‐pointscale,liketheoneusedfor
self‐assessmentofdigitalcompetence,duringtheinstruments’validation,some
respondentsexpressedtheneedforanintermediatelevel.Afive‐pointscalewasadopted
inresponsetotherespondents’expressedneed.Itemsconcernedhowtheparentsvalued
thetransitionprocessonthefollowingdimensions:efficiency,simplicity,
equitability/fairness,organization,andincreaseofworkloadfortheparent(negative
parameter).Thefirstfourdimensionswereconsideredasatisfactionscale,rangingfrom
4to20,andwithaCronbach’sAlfaof0.737.Thisscalewascomputedbyaddingtheresults
ofthefourpositivesatisfactionparameters(efficiency,simplicity,equitability/fairness,
andorganization).
Avarietyofpedagogicalstrategies,bothsynchronousandasynchronous,were
assessedonhowfrequentlytheywereimplemented.Answersrangedfromnevertodaily
ormorethanonceadayona4‐pointscale.
Finally,parentswereaskedwhethertherehadbeenpedagogicalchanges
subsequentlytomovingeducationonline(dichotomicanswer).
Thestudyfollowsinternationalguidelinesforethicsineducationalresearch[50],
includingvoluntaryparticipation,anonymity,andinformedconsent.Research
proceduresandinstrumentswereapprovedbytheethicscommitteeoftheLaboratoryfor

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DistanceEducationandE‐Learning(LE@D)oftheOpenUniversity,Portugal,inApril
2020.
3.Results
ThevastmajorityofrespondentshadaccesstotheInternetathome(99.5%).
However,anon‐negligiblepercentage(26,12.8%)onlyhadaccesstomobileInternet,
whichisusuallylimitedandcanbeanimpedimenttoaccessingonlineeducational
activities,particularlythoserelyingonvideo.
Concerningaccesstoonedevice(computer,tablet,orsmartphone)perpersoninthe
householdineducationorworking,anevenmoreconcerningminorityofrespondents
mustshareadevicewithanotherpersoninthehousehold(37,18.2%).Onlyfour
respondentsdidnothaveatleastonecomputerathome,whichlimitsthetypesof
activitiesthestudentscanperform.
Parentsself‐assessedtheirlevelsofcompetencemorepositivelyconcerningtheuse
ofinformationandcommunicationtechnologyforeducationthanconcerningdistance
education,asshowninFigure1.

Figure1.Self‐assessmentofcompetenceindistanceeducationandinformationandcommunication
technology(ICT)foreducation.
Theseself‐assessedlevelsofcompetencecorrelatedwitheachother(r=0.696,p<
0.01)andwiththerespondent’sleveloftraining(distancelearning0.292p<0.01and
informationandcommunicationtechnologyforeducation0.320p<0.01)butdidnot
correlatewithanyotherdescriptivevariable.Kruskal‐Wallistestconfirmedsignificant
differencesbetweengroups,withsignificanceinthe0.000range.
Parents’levelsofsatisfactionwiththeprocessrangedfromaminimumof4points
andamaximumof18pointsonafourto20‐pointscale(M=11.3,SD=2.98).Giventhat
thescales’mid‐pointis8,theresultsshowmoderatelypositivelevelsofsatisfaction,
despiteconsiderabledispersion.
Thesatisfactionscaleshowedasignificantnegativecorrelationwiththenumberof
childreninthesecondcycleofbasiceducation(ages10–12)(r=−0.196,p<0.01),and
parents’age(r=−0.183,p<0.05).Therewerealsosignificantdifferencesinsatisfaction
accordingtothetypeofschoolfrequentedbythechildren,infavorofprivateschools
(Kruskal‐Wallistestshowsp<0.05).
Lookingintospecificindividualaspectswithinsatisfaction,olderparents(r=−0.257,
p<0.01),parentswithmorechildreninthethirdcycleofbasiceducation(r=−0.157,p<
0.05),andsecondaryeducation(r=−0.166,p<0.05)tendtofindtheprocesswaslesswell‐
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Assessmentofexperienceorknowledge
Distancelearning ICTinEducation

Sustainability2022,14,30110of19
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coordinated,whereasparentsofchildreninthefirstcycleofbasiceducation(r=0.200,p
<0.01)finditbettercoordinated.
Parentswhoself‐assesstheirinformationandcommunicationtechnology
competencesforeducationbetteralsotendtofindtheprocessslightlysimpler(r=0.174,
p<0.05).Onthecontrary,parentswithmorechildrenundertheircare(r=−0.157,p<0.05)
andespeciallythosewithchildreninthesecondcycleofbasiceducation(r=−0.300,p<
0.01)foundtheprocesslesssimple.
Interestingly,parentswhowerenotworkingconsideredtheprocessmoreequitable
(Kruskal‐Wallistestrevealedp<0.05).
Mostparentsconsideredthisexperiencetoprovokeanincreaseintheirworkload,as
depictedinFigure2.Nevertheless,thisincreasewasdifferentaccordingtotheparents’
worksituation,withparentswhowereworkingfromhomeduringthisperiod
consideringthisincreasehadbeengreater(Kruskal‐Wallisshowedp<0.01).

Figure2.Degreetowhichthetransitiontoschoolingfromhomeincreasedtheparents’workload.
Parentswithahigherdegreeoftraining(r=0.188,p<0.01‐KruskalWallisconfirms
differencesamonggroups,withparentswithpost‐secondarybutundergraduate
educationrevealingasteeperincrease(p<0.05)),morechildrenintheircare(r=0.273,p<
0.01),morechildreninpreschool(r=0.168,p<0.05),morechildreninthefirstcycleof
basiceducation(r=0.286,p<0.01),andmorechildreninthesecondcycleofbasic
education(r=0.144,p<0.05),expressedhavingfeltagreaterincreasetotheirworkload.
Concerningthetypesofsynchronousactivitiesmorefrequentlyused,livevideo
lectureswerethemostfrequentlymentioned,followedbygroupreal‐timedebate.Real‐
timeone‐on‐onetutoringwastheleastusedsynchronousstrategy(Figure3).
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Frequency
Assessmentofhowmuchtheirworkloadhadincreased

Sustainability2022,14,30111of19
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Figure3.Synchronousteachingmethodsfrequencyofuse.
Thetasksforstudents’individualresolution,tasksrequiringparentalsupport,
readingproposals,differedvideolectures,anduseofresourcesinvirtualplatforms,such
asthoseprovidedbysomeschoolbooks’editoriallabels,werethemostfrequentlyused.
Onthecontrary,group‐workamongstudentsandinterortrans‐disciplinaryworkwere
themostseldomused(Figure4).

Figure4.Asynchronousteachingmethodsfrequencyofuse.
Correlationalanalysis,aspresentedinTable3,showsignificantcorrelationsbetween
thenumberofchildrenineachofthelevelsofeducationandthetypesofpedagogical
activitiesusedbyteachers.


0 50 100 150 200 250
Livevideolectures(ie.Zoom)
Groupreal‐timedebate(ie.WhatsApp,
Zoom)
Real‐timeone‐on‐onetutoring
TV‐basedactivities
Frequency
Typesofactivities
Dailyormorethanonceaday Sometimesperweek Occasionally Never

Sustainability2022,14,30112of19
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Table3.Correlationsbetweenthechildren’slevelsofeducationandpedagogicalactivities.
Childrenin
Preschool1stCBE2ndCBE3rdCBESecondary
Livevideolectures −0.250**0.196*0.152*
Groupreal‐timedebate−0.162*  0.154*
Deferredvideolectures−0.121*  0.140*
Resourcesinvirtualplatform−0.254**  0.243**
Asynchronousdebate−0.237**  0.169*0.200**
Tasksrequiringparental
support0.205**0.235** −0.323**
Group−work−0.235** 0.297**0.187**
Researchprojects−0.230** 0.147*
Play−basedactivities0.278**−0.156*−0.212**
1Preschoolincludeschildrenaged3–5;1stCycleofBasicEducation(CBE)6–10;2ndCBE10–12;
3rdCBE13–15;secondary16–18.*p<0.05;**p<0.01.
Finally,parentswereaskedifsubsequentlytomovingpedagogicalactivitiesonline
therehadbeenchangestoteachingorevaluationpractices.Aslightmajorityconsidered
therehadbeennochanges(52.2%).
4.Discussion
Accesstodistanceeducationhasbeenaconcernhistoricallyassociatedwithpre‐
secondaryeducationmediatedbytechnology[47]andoneoftheconcernsexpressedby
parentswithERTLinthecontextofCOVID‐19[23].Inoursampleofparents,accesstothe
Internetwasalmostuniversalbutsometimesrestrictedbyinternetproviders,whichposes
accessconcernsforpartofthestudentsinvolved.Anexpressiveminoritydidnothave
onedevice(computerormobiledevice)foreachpersonineducationorworkingfrom
homewithinthehousehold.Thiscanposeaddeddifficultyinmanaginglimitedresources
andraiseissuesofequity,whichhavebeenacknowledgedasaprimaryconcerninthe
contextofERTL[10,32,51].Oursample,aswehaveacknowledgedinthemethodology
section,maybefavorablyskewedasdataweregatheredthroughanonlinequestionnaire,
anddemographicdataindicaterelativelyolderandwell‐educatedparticipants.Thisleads
ustoquestionwhetherarepresentativesamplemightrevealevenmorerelevantissues
withaccesstoERTL.
Parents’self‐assessedcompetencewithdistancelearningrevealthiswasarelatively
novelexperienceformost.Theyself‐assessedmorepositivelyconcerningtheirknowledge
orexperiencewithtechnologyforeducation.Self‐assessedcompetencewiththeuseof
technologyalsocorrelatedwithhowsimpletheyconsideredthetransitiontoERTLto
havebeen.Parents’levelofeducationhadbeenshowninotherstudies[38,45]toimpact
howwell‐preparedtosupporttheirchildreninlearningactivitiestheymayfeel,once
againraisingthematterofequitytoawareness.Thismayalsopointtotheneedtoinvest
notonlyinchildren’sandteachers’digitalcompetences[33,52]butalsothoseofparents,
who,asproxyeducators[35],hadtotakeonafundamentalroleinERTL.
Thisisalsoclearlythecaseoftheparentsinoursample,whoacknowledgea
significantincreaseinworkload,asreflectedinotherstudies[21,23,39],whichmayresult
inadversepsychosocialconsequences,includingparentalstress[35,40,41].Interestingly,
parentswithahigherdegreeoftrainingreportedamoresignificantincreaseinworkload,
whichmayrevealagreaterinvolvementinsupportingtheirchildrenthroughtheprocess
[38].
Parentswithmorechildrenintheircareandparentsofyoungerchildren(preschool,
firstcycleofbasiceducation,andsecondcycleofbasiceducation—3to12yearsold)also
feltagreaterincreaseintheirworkload.Thismaybethecasebecauseofyounger
children’slesserautonomy[49]andduetothecharacteristicsofchildhoodeducation
[22,25,27],whichrequireahighlevelofsupportfromparents.Thisideaisreinforcedwhen

Sustainability2022,14,30113of19
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weanalyzethetypesofactivitiesmorefrequentlypromotedwitheachlevelof
education—asisunderstandable,activitiesthatrequireparentalsupportaremore
frequentforchildreninpreschoolandthefirstcycleofbasiceducation.Therefore,not
onlydoyoungerchildrenseemtobedisproportionatelyaffectedbyERTL[25],buttheir
parentsalsoseemtorequiremoreintensesupport.Similarly,parentswhowereworking
fromhomeexperiencedadifferentiallyhighlevelofincreaseintheirworkloads.The
policiesimplementedatthetimedidnotallowparentswhowereinahome‐office
situationtoapplyforthestatesupporttocareforchildren,evenifonlyoneoftheparents
wasinthatsituation,andregardlessofthenatureorflexibilityoftheworkcarriedoutor
ofthechildren’sages.Laterinthepandemicresponse,thiswouldbechanged,asworking
parentsexpressedtheirinabilitytorespondtoallthatwasaskedofthemwithoutsupport.
Ourfindingsrecommendthat,infuturelockdowns,parentswhoareworkingfromhome,
particularlythosewithchildrenunder12yearsofage,begiventhepossibilityof
benefitingfromthefamilysupportmeasures.Thisisacrucialindicationforschoolsand
policymakersandvalidatesthesupportpolicieslaterimplementedinPortugal[28].
AshadbeenthecasewiththestudyofGarbeandcollaborators[23],parentsinour
studywererelativelysatisfiedwiththeprocess.Parentswithmorechildreninthesecond
cycleofbasiceducation(ages10–12)showedlesssatisfactionwiththeprocess.Thisisa
novelresultandmaypointtospecificneedsofchildreninthatagerange,whichshould
meritfurtherinvestigation.Olderparentswereslightlylesssatisfied,whichcontrastswith
whatwasfoundinanotherstudy[37].Parentsofchildreninprivateschoolswerealso
moresatisfied,whichmayreflectdifferencesinsupport[38],aswellasissuesconcerning
equity.Thistooisanareathatmeritsfurtherresearch.
Parentswithmorechildrenundertheircarefoundtheprocesslesssimple,aswasthe
casewithanotherstudy[37].Onceagain,parentsofchildreninthesecondcycleofbasic
educationconsideredtheprocessparticularlycomplex.
Parentswhowerenotworkingduringthisperiodseemtohavebeenlessawareof
problemsconcerningequitabilityinERTL,whichisalsoanovelfinding.
Theanalysisofthetypesofactivitieswhichwerepromotedduringthelockdown
reflectsawidevarietyofpracticesexpressingthefreedomenabledbythedeconcentrated
approachbasedoneachschooldevelopingtheirowndistancelearningplan[31]and
contradictingBarbourandcollaborators’descriptionofthefirstphaseofERTLashaving
astrongrelianceonsynchronouscommunication,simplytransposingclassestoanonline
platform[29].Nevertheless,andwhileasynchronousactivitieswerealsoprevalent,there
seemstobeapredominanceof“traditional”activities,suchasindividualwork
assignmentsorreadingproposals.Thediversityofactivitiesalsoseemstoreflectthe
educationallevelsbeingtaught.
ThelackofchangestopedagogicalpracticessincetheimplementationofERTL
reportedbyasignificantnumberofparentshelpstosituatethedatagatheringinthe
transitionbetweenthefirstandsecondphasesofERTLasdescribedbyBarbourand
collaborators[29],asitseemsthetypesofactivitiesandprocessesunderwayhad
remainedunalteredsincethebeginningortheERTLexperience.Thisisincontrastwith
teachers’perspectivesonthismatter[9].
5.Conclusions
Duringthe2020lockdown,parentswithschool‐agechildrenwereactiveERTL
mediators,astheyaddedtotheireverydayfamilyroutinestheroleofproxyteachers‐
educators[10,11,35].Eventhoughtheroleofparentsintheschoolingprocessofchildren
andyouthwaspreviouslyrecognizedbytheeducationalcommunities,thevalueofthis
partnershipwasoftendownplayedinpracticecontexts.ExperienceswithERTLin
preschool,basic,andsecondaryeducationtransformedthisstateofthingsandbrought
thisissueintothepublicspace,theeducationalcommunities,aswellasintheresearch
agendas.Consideringanewreality,itwasimportanttoknowtheparents’perceptions
aboutthisteachingandlearningemergencysolutioninPortugal.

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Theempiricalstudypresentedherewasbasedonasampleconsistingmainlyof
womenbetween36to45yearsoldandwithapost‐secondaryeducationallevel.Sinceit
isnotarepresentativesample,theconclusionstobedrawnfromthisresearchnotonly
cannotbegeneralizedbutmustalsoconsiderthespecificityofthisgroupofrespondents
[38,45].
Inlinewithotherstudies,thisstudyhighlightedhowparentswithchildrenbetween
3and12yearsofageandwithchildrenwithSENmanagedtheirprofessionalactivities
andtheirrolesasfamilycaregiversandasproxyeducatorsinthesamespace‐time[35].
Therefore,theylivedagreaterphysicalandemotionalworkloadduringthisperiod.Our
dataalsorevealthatbeingresponsibleformorechildrenseemstobeassociatedwitha
lesspositiveperceptionofthisprocess[37],andworkingfromhomeisassociatedwitha
higherperceptionofanincreaseintheirworkload.
Theuniquenessofparenthoodinfamilieswithyoungerchildrenandinacontextof
crisisseemstohighlighttheneedfordifferentiatededucationalandsocialresponses
appropriatetothegreaterphysicalandemotionalinvestmentofparentswithchildren.
Ontheotherhand,itgaveavoicetoparents,particularlymothers,allowingabetter
understandingofthevalueofthepartnershipbetweenparentsandteachersinERTL,with
importantlessonsforthefuture.Finally,andasthisisanexploratorystudy,thereisa
needtofurtherexplorethisissuewithlargerandmorediversesamplessothatwecan
identifymoresustainedtrajectoriesfortheachievementoftheSDG‐4goal[2].
6.LimitationsandSuggestionsforFutureResearch
Oneofthemostimportantlimitationsofourstudyrelatestothefactthatthesample
isrelativelysmallandisoverlyrepresentativeofolderandmoreeducatedparents.This
maybeareflectionofthefactthatweusedanonlinequestionnaire,whichatthetimewas
theonlywaytoreachparentssinceschoolswereclosed.Parentswithmoredifficultaccess
totechnologyorlessfamiliarwithitsusemayhavebeenlesslikelytoanswerthe
questionnaire.Webelievefuturestudiesmightbetterrepresenttheperspectivesofall
parents,nowthatschoolshavereopenedandthereforedatagatheringthroughwritten
formsisagainpossible,bytryingtobemoreinclusiveandthereforerepresentative.
Anotherlimitationderivesfromthechoicenottoaskforseparateanswersinrelation
toeachchildineducationwhentherespondentswereparentstomorethanonechild.
Thiswasadifficultandpondereddecisionwearrivedatbecauseweconsidered
subdividingthequestionnairewouldmakeittoolengthy,whichmightdeterparentsof
multiplechildrenfromansweringthequestionnaireinfull,particularlyduringatime
whentheywerealreadysooverburdened.Weriskedlosingsomeprecisioninfavorof
greaterinclusivityandasamplethatmayresemblethepopulationmoreclosely.Asan
exploratorystudy,webelievethiswasawiserdecision,andconsiderthatthepresent
studynowleavesopenapossibilityoffurtherexplorationbymorefocusedstudies.
Studiesdirectedtofamilieswithmultiplechildren,parentswhoworkedfromhome
duringtheschools’lockdown,parentsofchildrenindifferentschoolsettings,orchildren
withspecialneedsarestillneededtohelpusunderstandERTLandbetterplanforfuture
schoolclosings.
Ourquestionnairehighlightedtheimportanceofparentsthroughoutthisprocess,as
wellasasubjectiveperceptionofincreasedworkload.Futurestudiesmaymoveforward
bygatheringmorein‐depthinformationabouttherolesthatparentsassumedasproxy
educators.Howmuchtimedidtheyinvestinthisrole?Whatkindsofsupportwerethey
calledtoprovide?
Thefactthatparentswithchildreninthesecondcycleofbasiceducation(10–12years
ofage,inaverage)seemtobelesssatisfiedshouldalsoberesearchedandeventually
verifiedbyotherstudies.Adeeperanalysisofthesituationofthoseparentscouldreveal
thereasonsbehindthislowersatisfactionandeventuallypointtoamelioratingactions.

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AuthorContributions:Conceptualization,F.S.;validation,F.S.,L.A.andA.T.;formalanalysis,F.S.;
investigation,F.S.;datacuration,F.S.;writing—originaldraftpreparation,F.S.,M.A.,A.T.andL.A.;
writing—reviewandediting,F.S.,M.A.,A.T.andL.A.;visualization,F.S.;supervision,F.S.;project
administration,F.S.Allauthorshavereadandagreedtothepublishedversionofthemanuscript.
Funding:ThisresearchwasfinancedbynationalfundsthroughFCT–FundaçãoParaaCiênciaea
785Tecnologia,I.P.,intheprojectsUIDB/04372/2020andUIDP/04372/2020.
InstitutionalReviewBoardStatement:Thestudywasconductedinaccordancewiththe
DeclarationofHelsinki,andapprovedbytheEthicsCommitteeoftheLE@D,UniversidadeAberta,
Portugal,April2020.
InformedConsentStatement:Informedconsentwasobtainedfromallsubjectsinvolvedinthe
study.
DataAvailabilityStatement:Thedataarenotpubliclyavailableduetotheconfidentialinformation
787involved,aspertheconfidentialityagreementestablishedwiththeparticipants.
ConflictsofInterest:Theauthorsdeclarenoconflictofinterest.Thefundershadnoroleinthe
designofthestudy;inthecollection,analyses,orinterpretationofdata;inthewritingofthe
manuscript,orinthedecisiontopublishtheresults.
AppendixA
SupplementaryMaterial—Excerptfromthequestionnaireappliedtoparents(questions
analyzedinthepresentarticle)
Characterization:
Yourchild’sschoolis(checkallthatapply)
__Public
__Private
Inwhatcontextdoyoureside(checkonlyonebox)
__Urban
__Demi‐urban
__Rural
Inwhatregionofthecountrydoyoureside(checkonlyonebox)
__AutonomousregionoftheAzores
__AutonomousregionofMadeira
__DistrictofOporto,BragaorVianadoCastelo
__DistrictofAveiro,CoimbraorLeiria
__DistrictofLisbon,SantarémorSetúbal
__DistrictofÉvora,BejaorFaro
__DistrictofBragançaorVilaReal
__DistrictofViseu,Guarda,CasteloBrancoorPortalegre
Howmanychildrenareunderyourcare,ineachofthefollowinglevelsofeducationand
teaching?(Markonlyoneboxperline.)
1234orMore
Preschooleducation  
1stCycleofBasicEducation(1stto4thgrades)  
2ndCycleofBasicEducation(5thand6thgrades)  
3rdCycleofBasicEducation(7thto9thgrades)  
Secondaryeducation  
Sex(Checkonlyonebox)
__Male
__Female
__Rathernotanswer
Age(Checkonlyonebox)

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__25andunder
__26to35
__36to45
__46to55
__56ormoreyears
Higherdegreeofeducationcompleted(Checkonlyonebox)
__1stCycleofbasiceducation(4thgrade)
__2ndCycleofbasiceducation(6thgrade)
__3rdCycleofbasiceducation(9thgrade)
__Secondaryeducation(12thgrade)
__Post‐secondaryeducation(Non‐highereducationtechnologicalspecializationdegree)
__Professionaltechnicalhighereducation
__Bachelor’sdegree
__Licensedegree(Undergraduatedegree)
__Master’sdegree
__Doctoraldegree
Inwhatsituationareyoucurrently?(Checkallthatapply)
__Athome,supportingmychildren
__Athome,workingfromhome
__workingoutsidethehome
__Other
Doyouhaveaccess,inyourhome,to(Checkallthatapply)
__homebroadbandInternet
__mobilebroadbandInternet
__IdonothaveInternetaccessathome
Doyouhaveaccess,inyourhome,to(Checkallthatapply)
__Computer
__Mobiledevice(s)(tabletorsmartphone)
__Printer
__Scanner
__Other______________
Atyourhome,isthereonedevicewithInternetaccess(computer,tablet,ormobilephone)
perpersonineducationand/orworkingfromhome?(checkonlyonebox)
__Yes
__No
Consideringthemomentwhenthetransitiontoexclusivelydistance‐basedteaching
processes:(Checkonlyoneboxperline)

1.No
Knowledgeor
Experience
2.Little
Knowledgeor
Experience
3.Some
Knowledgeor
Experience
4.Much
Knowledgeor
Experience
Howdoyouself‐assessyourlevel
ofknowledgeorexperienceon
distanceeducation?

Howdoyouself‐assessyourlevel
ofknowledgeorexperienceon
theuseoftechnologyin
educationalsettings?

Accelerateddigitaltransitionatschools
Consideringtheprocessoftransitiontodistance‐basededucationyouareliving,doyou
considerit:(Checkonlyoneboxperrow.)

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1.NotatAll2.aLittle3.Reasonably4.Fairly5.VeryMuch
Hasbeen
efficient  
Hasbeensimple  
Hasbeen
equitable/fairfor
studentsand
childrenin
general
  
Hascausedan
increaseinyour
workload
  
Teaching
practicesare
coordinatedand
coherentamong
teachers
  
Whatworkmethodshavebeenusedwiththechildrenunderyourcare?(Checkonlyone
boxperrow.)
NeverOnOccasionSomeTimesaWeekDailyorMorethan
OnceaDay
Deferredvideolectures
(i.e.YouTube)  
Resourcesinvirtual
platforms(i.e.“Escola
Virtual”)
  
Asynchronousdebate   
Readingproposals   
Tasksrequiringsupport
byparents/others  
Tasksforindividual
resolution  
Groupworkamong
students  
Inter/trans‐disciplinary
work  
Researchprojects   
Play‐basedactivities   
Livevideolectures(i.e.
Zoom)  
Groupreal‐timedebate
(i.e.WhatsApp,Zoom)  
Real‐timeone‐on‐one
tutoring  
TV‐basedactivities   
Sincethestartofthedistance‐basedactivitiesduetoschoolclosingmotivatedbythe
COVID‐19,weretherechangesinteachingorassessmentpractices?(Checkonlyonebox.)
__Yes
__No


Sustainability2022,14,30118of19

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