Students in poor broadband areas engaged less with school during lockdown

Secondary students were less likely to engage with school work during the shift to remote teaching in areas with poor broadband coverage, new research shows.

An ESRI study also indicates that schools which used individual student devices in the classroom prior to the pandemic may have been better equipped to rapidly shift to distance learning in emergency circumstances.

It found that student engagement was better supported when distance teaching methods were more interactive and collaborative. This was best facilitated in areas where high-speed broadband was widely available.

The study was based on responses from just over 200 school principals, or a third of all second-level schools.

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School leaders were asked to rate the effect of the shift to remote teaching on student engagement with learning, student attendance in classes and delivery of lesson content.

Using spatial and statistical models, researchers were able to assess the relationship between the perceived impact on student engagement and availability of high-speed broadband in the catchment area.

Live video teaching

Principals said that the perceived reduction in engagement was less than half as likely among schools that employed live video teaching in most classes.

“It is plausible that the availability of broadband affected how distance learning was delivered, which in turn may have impacted student engagement,” the study states.

The report’s authors – Ciarán Mac Domhnaill, Gretta Mohan and Selina McCoy – say that the findings can be interpreted as an argument in support of Government intervention to provide greater equity in access to high-speed broadband.

“Where distance learning is required in future, teachers should be equipped to use live online teaching and collaborative approaches to better promote student engagement,” the report notes.

The paper states that Government has prioritised digital education as an area for investment under the EU funding, with the aim of equipping learners with digital skills and ensuring equal access to devices and broadband.

The report’s authors say findings from this study may also feed into the next Digital Strategy for Schools, currently being developed by the Department of Education.