ORCID
Sam Hilbert, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7865-312X; Katherine Wheeler, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9232-2511; Janna Brendle, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4205-2952; Kassi Gregory, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0408-9915
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to pause in-person learning. Prior research indicates that these closures affected overall mental health and student academic performance. Mental health concerns, particularly anxiety and depression, were exacerbated for many school-aged children during these closures. Research has linked disorders, such as anxiety and depression, with changes in behaviors. Academic gaps have also been linked with negatively displayed behaviors in school settings. COVID school closures resulted in a 25% increased global prevalence of anxiety and depression diagnoses and an estimated 1-year academic loss in student learning. Although both variables have been shown to contribute to changes in behavior on their own, very little research has been conducted to explore the impact of COVID-19 closures on teachers’ experiences—specifically regarding students’ behaviors. To explore this, a questionnaire with open-ended responses was developed and dispersed to pre-K through 12th-grade classroom teachers. Results of 56 survey responses indicated that teachers perceived significant changes in student behaviors after in-person learning resumed and that teachers should provide more behavioral and academic support for students through increased utilization of Tier 2 behavioral interventions.
Updated edited manuscript.
