Optimizing learning comfort: ergonomic influences on children’s transition to online education

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the implementation of lockdown measures, resulting in children attending classes from their homes through online platforms. This study aimed to examine the impact of studying at home on children by investigating various aspects related to their study environment. Data were gathered through two questionnaires administered in Jordan: One targeted children aged 8–15 year through interviews, while the other targeted parents with at least one school-aged child through an online survey. The interview-based survey (N = 152) identified significant factors such as the study location, excessive use of computer peripherals, and physical discomforts like back, hand, and ear pain. Similarly, the parent survey (N = 1,152) revealed various significant factors including parents’ monthly income, educational level, occupation, living area, sources of COVID-19 information, fear of the virus, TV time, eating and reading habits, smartphone usage, difficulty in concentrating while studying, engagement with social media, internet usage, elbow position, and eye protection.

Practitioner Summary

This study examined the impacts of online learning on children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, the practitioners should focus on factors related to the excessive use of screens, ergonomic setup of study environments, and children’s physical discomforts. Furthermore, the parents’ socioeconomic status, engagement with media, and educational level played an essential role in shaping children’s learning experiences. Strategies to improve the study environment, provide ergonomic guidance, and promote healthy media habits could contribute to the effectiveness and success of online learning during a crisis.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• children
• classroom
• online learning
• Jordan

Acknowledgements

The authors thank those parents who allow their children to participate in the children’s survey. In addition, the authors thank those parents who participated in the parent survey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics statement

The authors have no potential competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.