The Effect Failing to Perform Extracurricular Activities Has Had on School Culture and Values Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, education has continued online almost worldwide. Understanding the nature of online learning and how it reflects on practices is essential for developing an effective international perspective for continuous improvement in learning and skills (Altinay et al., 2021). In school cultures, digital technologies forces leaders to establish a vision of effective use of technology. Digital leadership is not only use of technology; it is a strategic view of school culture to engagement and achievement (Altinay, 2015). The concept of organizational culture has had a long history and is a subject of study attracting the attention of researchers from almost all branches of science (Yilmaz, 2019). Social interaction and culture have an important place in how schools acquire a corporate identity (Altinay et al., 2019). School culture forms based on the school community members' interactions with one another and acts as a guide for how members should behave toward one another in school (Isik, 2017). The basic values a school adopts; the stories experienced within a school's history; and that school's traditions, ceremonies, and symbols constitute the basic elements of school culture. The changes and transformations in the hierarchy of social values through globalization have led to social problems in societies (Ersozlu et al., 2018; Koc, 2020). This has caused values to become prominent for the sustainability of universal peace and the standards of human life (Bayburt and Duman, 2020). In this context, one of schools' important duties is to have students gain the values included in their programs regarding the transfer of culture and values, to prepare students for life within the framework of these values, and to positively affect their character and identity formation (Cihan, 2014). Values education in schools is done not as a separate course but within the framework of a curriculum within all courses (Aydin and Akyol-Gurler, 2018). In this context, the aim is to impart the values to be transferred to students in schools not only in class but also in extracurricular social and cultural activities (Koc and Budak, 2021). Many activities are carried out such as field trips, competitions, scouting, book readings, seminars, conferences, camps, tournaments, and picnics within the scope of values education. The purpose of these activities in and outside of school is to create environments where students are active, to activate many different senses, to learn by doing, and to even have fun (Yildirim, 2019). Students are believed to learn more from experiences in traditional classrooms by using education-related experiences carried out in out-of-school environments that contribute to students' socialization (Priest, 1986), and that positively affect their values (Selanik-Ay and Erbasan, 2016). This study has been conducted to examine the effect students' inability to participate in extracurricular activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had on how they adapt to school culture and acquire values. This study is important in terms of presenting results regarding not being able to hold the activities in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic that had previously been held for having students adapt to school culture, gain values, and socialize. In addition, the study is expected to be a guide for the adaptation process to implement for students after a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because schools should guide their students in making the proper choices and should teach students the strategies to fulfill these choices in order to minimize the damage of the negative aspects the COVID-19 pandemic process has caused. The problem of the research can be stated as, “How has students' inability to participate in extracurricular activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected how they adapt to school culture and to acquiring values?