ERIC Number: EJ1325808
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1751-2271
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Available Date: N/A
"Why Can't I See My Friends and Family?": Children's Questions and Parental Explanations about Coronavirus
Mind, Brain, and Education, v16 n1 p54-61 Feb 2022
Question-explanation exchanges in parent-child interactions foster children's early learning, especially when children are inquiring about unobservable scientific phenomena such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As with other unobservable entities, children must rely on adults to acquire knowledge about COVID-19. Yet, we know very little about what children understand about COVID-19 or its consequences. In our study, we explored developmental changes in children's questions about COVID-19 and parents' explanations. Parents (n = 182) of children (aged 3-8) completed an online survey, which included demographic information, parents' explanations, and children's questions. Parents' explanations "referenced germs," used "illness analogies," and mentioned "mitigation strategies." Most of children's COVID-related questions focused on the "consequences of COVID-19." Whereas older children asked more about "death," younger children asked about loss of "activities." The findings advance our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on parents and children.
Descriptors: COVID-19, Pandemics, Parent Child Relationship, Comprehension, Health Behavior, Disease Control, Young Children, Death, Age Differences, Social Isolation
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www-wiley-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
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