Navigating School Remotely: Examining the Learning Beliefs and Involvement Actions of Parents of Students with Special Education Needs During COVID-19

Abstract

The transition to at-home learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns across Canada was challenging for many students, particularly those with special education needs (SEN). Parents faced various challenges and adopted multiple roles in supporting their children with SEN. While research exploring the experiences of families of children with SEN during COVID has begun to emerge, much is unknown about the involvement of parents during school closures. The current study analyzes interviews with 14 Canadian parents of children with SEN, exploring their experiences with virtual learning. The study is framed by the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model of Parent Involvement, which theorizes the 'why' of parent involvement beginning with motivational and life context variables and moving to higher levels such as student self-efficacy and, ultimately, to student achievement. Specifically, in this study, I explored a) how parents of children with special education needs viewed and enacted their role in at-home learning during the first COVID-19 lockdown, b) how parents' beliefs about learning were reflected in the ways in which they were involved in their children's at-home learning, and c) how, if at all, did parents' beliefs about their child's learning shift throughout the COVID-19 lockdown? Thematic analyses of the interview data identified three main themes: a) Common Involvement Actions: What Do We Need to Do to Make This Happen? b) Factors and Contexts That Influence Involvement and c) How Involvement Actions and Experience Influence Learning Beliefs. Many similarities are noted between the current findings and those emerging studies exploring parent experiences in various countries during the first COVID-19 school closures. Several unique aspects also emerge, particularly the learning-specific beliefs of parents concerning at-home learning. Results are considered in relation to the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model, which was relevant in many respects but limiting in its linear, hierarchical progression. A more cyclical, ongoing and dynamic relationship between parent and contextual variables is suggested.