7 in 10 US parents think kids focus better learning remotely
Almost seven in 10 parents think their kid focuses better while learning remotely, new research indicates.
According to a recent survey of 2,000 American parents with school-aged children, which also gathered responses from the children of those polled, one in three kids are excited by a remote system of learning. And 72% of parents think virtual learning is a game-changer that will be around long after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning remotely has given rise to good study habits; in addition to focusing better, parents said their child has started asking more questions (46%) and multitasking more effectively (43%).
Nine in 10 parents also expect these habits to last beyond the pandemic.
When asked what aspects of remote learning they’d like to bring to the traditional classroom, 43% of parents supported letting kids learn at their own pace; a similar percentage (43%) feel that remote learning allows for smaller class sizes, and more than two in five like that virtual learning lets kids learn in their own style with additional visual or audio resources.
Conducted by OnePoll in partnership with TutorMe, the study also compared parents’ study habits to those of their kids. As students themselves, respondents spent an average of five nights cramming before each test. Now, 86% want to instil better study habits in their kids than they’d exhibited at school.
More than one in five parents even said it took them until high school to overcome their “study anxiety,” and 45% said the increased availability of peer learning is what did the trick.
Still, four in five parents wish they’d had access to the resources their kids have today, such as the internet.
“Kids today have a lot more tools to help them learn than their parents ever dreamed possible,” said Myles Hunter, CEO and co-founder of TutorMe. “Moreover, they can access educational resources on their own and in their preferred format, such as text, visual or audio, without having to wait for a parent or educator to become available.”
When kids have a question, the first place they go to is the internet or social media (45%), with three in five saying it’s faster and less stressful to seek help online.
And 58% of kids have found new ways or tricks to study while learning remotely, such as having a textbook open while being online, finding games and examples on the web to help them study, and recording remote classes to revisit at a later date.
But studying alone can be challenging, a sentiment expressed by nearly two-thirds of kids.
“Learning remotely isn’t limited to the interaction between the student and their computer,” Hunter added. “There are tools that incorporate the human element of in-person classrooms in a virtual setting, bringing kids’ favorite parts of the traditional classroom to the comfort of their homes.”
10 GOOD HABITS KIDS GAINED FROM REMOTE LEARNING
- Focusing better 53%
- Asking more questions 46%
- Becoming a better multitasker 43%
- Becoming more independent 41%
- Improving their tech skills 40%
- Becoming more organized 40%
- Asking parents for help when needed 39%
- Making better use of their time 36%
- Pacing themselves 28%
- Teaching parents new tech skills 24%
- Helping other kids with schoolwork/studying 18%
