Direct and Indirect Effects of Social Support and School Social Capital on the Academic Success of 11–19-Year-Old Students Using Distance Learning

Brigita Mieziene,Erika Speicyte-Ruschhoff,Indre Eiliakaite,Ichiro Kawachi,Virginija Budiene,Jolita Buzaityte-Kasalyniene,Arunas Emeljanovas,Dainius Zvirdauskas,Sigita Girdzijauskiene,Edita Babkovskiene,Roma Jusiene,Stanislav Sabaliauskas,Rima Breidokiene

doi:10.3390/su14042131

Brigita Mieziene, Erika Speicyte-Ruschhoff + Show 11 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042131

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Feb 13, 2022
Citations: 1	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Vilnius University, Harvard University

Abstract

In the context of current changes in the education process due to the pandemic, the main aims of this study were to highlight social capital factors within the school community that are associated with better students’ outcomes in the context of distance learning. This study was a cross-sectional population-based study. The research sample consisted of 1483 students, whose ages varied from 11 to 19 years old (56.9% were girls). Academic success in this study was measured in terms of average grade and students’ perception of their learning process or outcomes by six single items. A Five-item WHO-5 questionnaire was used to measure students’ psychological well-being. Social capital was measured in terms of relationship, trust, reciprocity, and communication within different social contexts in the school community in total by 16 items. School social capital and social support scales were developed from these items. Students’ gender and age were also taken into consideration. The research results show that although social capital from parents and peers also matters, the relationship with teachers emerges as the main and the most important resource in supporting positive attitudes and outcomes in to learning (std.β varied from 0.116 to 0.439). The results also show that higher psychological wellbeing is associated with higher perceived school social capital (std.β 0.260) and social support (std.β 0.326) and mediates the effects of the latter two for better academic success outcomes. The findings also highlight the importance of close and trusting social ties, especially between students and their teachers as well as parents for better learning outcomes in times of crises and in the context of distance learning. The study results prove that social support and social capital at school are essential factors for sustainable psychological development. The results presumably support the idea that the school is sustainable if it is developing as an ecosystem not solely aimed at academic outcomes. The results of the current study may aid policymakers and practitioners in developing interventions, policies and practices that focus resources where they will have the greatest benefit.

Highlights

Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsThe COVID-19 pandemic has effected a change in the process of education at school.Schools in Lithuania, as in many other countries, were closed in Spring and Autumn of 2020 and again in Spring of 2021
All other outcomes including the average grade and perceived academic outcomes, learning motivation, satisfaction with distance learning, general learning satisfaction are higher and workload perception is lower among the middle school students in comparison with the high school students
The current study aimed to identify important social capital factors within different contexts of a school community that might be associated with academic success in the context of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

Introduction conditions of the Creative CommonsThe COVID-19 pandemic has effected a change in the process of education at school.Schools in Lithuania, as in many other countries, were closed in Spring and Autumn of 2020 and again in Spring of 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has effected a change in the process of education at school. Sustainability 2022, 14, 2131 social, and public life, as well as contributing to social, economic, and health ine-qualities, especially in low-income countries [1]. The authors reviewed the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and found that due to school closures, there are negative changes in students’ eating habits and decreased physical activity, given that a school is a key place for students to receive healthy food and be physically active during physical education classes, recess and after school. Previous experiences of school closures, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, due, for example to natural disasters have shown negative consequences for student academic success. Lower learning outcomes are more common in the students who have taken longer to return to the learning process after the disaster [4]. Researchers are already predicting the deterioration in learning outcomes and the associated financial costs to governments [5,6]

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