Section 7: How the pandemic affected children’s mental health and wellbeing
(iii) Lack of structure and routine at home
Many children struggled with the unstructured
learning environment at home, compared to the
routines of school. They felt less motivated to
learn and struggled to maintain their focus.
rt
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ed 9–11
g
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(iv) Hard to focus when learning at home
(v) Increased distractions at home
Self-directed learning can be especially
challenging for younger children whose
executive functioning abilities are still
developing.33 In the survey, many younger
children aged 9–11 said that they found it
difficult to focus during remote learning.
A number of children also reported that they
were more easily distracted, as siblings and
parents were also studying and working from
home. Some said they were distracted by
technology and other things available at home.
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—Child
ary or o
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,
11 NSW
aged 9–
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ettin
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han d
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.
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—Boy
, aged
68 |
9–11,
VIC
‘Mental health shapes my life’: COVID-19 & kids’ wellbeing • 2022 | 69