Covid-19 Research

Original Article

COVID-19 is an Amplifier of Social Inequalities Structural Violence against Students with Special Learning Needs and Low Socio-Economic Status

Journal of Biomedical Research & Environmental Sciences article abstract with citation details, DOI, publication dates, subject areas, full text links, and references.

View DOI Submit Manuscript

Article Details

Publication record, authors, dates, abstract, and full text access.

Open Access
Article Type Original Article
Subject General Science
OCLC JBRES Record
Yin Yung Chiu*
Issue: Volume5-Issue2
Pages: 137-146
Received: 2023-04-05
Accepted: 2024-02-06
Published: 2024-02-08

Abstract

In the year 2019, the curtain has risen, setting the stage for a pandemic which has since been infecting millions and millions of individuals around the world, thereby affecting, disrupting, and intensifying our reliance on technology in a techno-driven era. Schooling mode has coped with the situation and switched from a traditional, in-person one to an online, virtual one. While our reliance on technology did not begin from there, the pandemic has transformed the reliance on technology into a necessity even for students. Learning disparities amongst students from different socio-economic statuses resulted from resources and access disparities have never been more conspicuously amplified before. Not every family has the financial resources to support the hardware and the soft skills required for ‘online/homeschooling’; additionally, these drastic changes occurred so rapidly that online learning is still a new concept to many students in various educational contexts. Despite how emergency remote teaching has seemingly enabled the continuation of schooling and countered the disruption of teaching and learning, the inconvenient truth is that students’ learning, particularly those coming from multiple intersectionalities: special educational needs and from low-income families, has been seriously jeopardised. This paper uses Foucauldian theory of power and resistance as well as agency to explore how the pandemic has contextualised social exclusion faced by students with special educational needs who also belong in the group of lower socio-economic statuses. The significance of the study lies in how it applies the classic yet timely theory of Foucault’s power and resistance and aims to dissect the social inequalities that are hidden beneath emergency remote teaching. The second key finding is showing how the aids and assistance given by non-profit organisations are often an ostensible reinforcement of social injustice, as society is under the misguided zeal that certain social groups have received help, where in fact, the learning of students belonging in those hidden groups are not being taken care of and in some cases, are even jeopardised.

FullText HTML FullText PDF DOI: 10.37871/jbres1880 Crossmark

Certificate of Publication

Certificate of Publication

Copyright

© 2024 Chiu YY. Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 Creative CommonsAttribution

How to cite this article

Chiu YY. COVID-19 is an Amplifi er of Social Inequalities Structural Violence against Students with Special Learning Needs and Low Socio-Economic Status. J Biomed Res Environ Sci. 2024 Feb 08; 5(2): 137-146. doi: 10.37871/jbres1880, Article ID: JBRES1880, Available at: https://www.jelsciences.com/articles/jbres1880.pdf

Subject area(s)

Educational Science

References

  1. Bjursell C. The COVID-19 pandemic as disjuncture: Lifelong learning in a context of fear. Int Rev Educ. 2020;66(5-6):673-689. doi: 10.1007/s11159-020-09863-w. Epub 2020 Oct 30. PMID: 33144741; PMCID: PMC7596631.
  2. Murphy MPA. COVID-19 and emergency eLearning: Consequences of the securitization of higher education for post-pandemic pedagogy. Contemporary Security Policy. 2020;41(3):492-505. doi: 10.1080/13523260.2020.1761749.
  3. Day T, Chang I -CC, Chung C K, Doolittle W E, Housel J, McDaniel PN. The immediate impact of covid-19 on postsecondary teaching and learning. The Professional Geographer. 2020;73(1):1-13. doi: 10.1080/00330124.2020.1823864.
  4. Said E. Orientalism. Pantheon Books. New York; 1978.
  5. Kabel A, Phillipson R. Structural violence and hope in catastrophic times: from Camus’ The Plague to Covid-19. Race & Class. 2021;62(4):3-18. doi: 10.1177/0306396820974180.
  6. Foucault M. The archaeology of knowledge. Vintage Books; 2010.
  7. Burchardt T, Le Grand J, Piachaud D. Degrees of exclusion: Developing a dynamic, multidimensional measure. Understanding Social Exclusion. Oxford University Press; 2002:30-43.
  8. Schneider J, Bramley C J. Towards social inclusion in mental health?. Advances in psychiatric treatment. 2008;14(2):131-138. doi: 10.1192/apt.bp.106.003350.
  9. Timmons K, Cooper A, Bozek E, Braund H. The Impacts of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education: Capturing the Unique Challenges Associated with Remote Teaching and Learning in K-2. Early Child Educ J. 2021;49(5):887-901. doi: 10.1007/s10643-021-01207-z. Epub 2021 May 14. PMID: 34007140; PMCID: PMC8120493.
  10. Hassan M M, Mirza T, Hussain M W. A critical review by teachers on the online teaching-learning during the COVID-19. International Journal of Education and Management Engineering. 2020;10(8):17-27. doi:10.5815/ijeme.2020.05.03.
  11. Ashikkali L, Carroll W, Johnson C. The indirect impact of COVID-19 on child health. Paediatr Child Health (Oxford). 2020 Dec;30(12):430-437. doi: 10.1016/j.paed.2020.09.004. Epub 2020 Sep 16. PMID: 32959000; PMCID: PMC7494255.
  12. Foucault M. The subject and power. Critical inquiry. 1984;8(4): p.777-795.
  13. Powers P. The philosophical foundations of foucaultian discourse analysis. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines. 2007;1(2):18-34.
  14. Carrington S, Robinson R. Inclusive school community: Why is it so complex? International Journal of Inclusive Education. 2006;10(4-5):323-334. doi:10.1080/13603110500256137.
  15. Gordon M. Student voice key to unlocking inclusive educational practices. Canadian Journal for New Scholars in Education. 2010;1-11.
  16. Messiou K. Research in the field of inclusive education: time for a rethink? International journal of inclusive education. 2017;21(2):146-159. doi: 10.1080/13603116.2016.1223184.
  17. Schmidt M. Self-concept of Students in Inclusive Settings. International Journal of Special Education, 2008;23(1):8-17.
  18. Trampler RE. Inclusion classrooms as it relates to self-esteem, behavior, and social skills. Southeastern University. Selected Honors Theses. 2012:p.26.
  19. Schwab K, Moseley B, Dustin D. Grading grades as a measure of student learning. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education. 2018;33(2):87-95. doi: 10.1080/1937156X.2018.1513276.
  20. Lindsay G. Inclusive education: A critical perspective. British Journal of Special Education. 2003;30(1):3-12. doi: 10.1111/1467-8527.00275.
  21. Suleymanov F. Issues of inclusive education: Some aspects to be considered. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. 2015;(3)4:1-24.
  22. Mpu Y, Adu EO. The challenges of inclusive education and its implementation in schools: The South African Perspective. Perspectives in Education. 2021;39(2). doi: 10.18820/2519593x/pie.v39.i2.16.
  23. Walker J D, Barry C. Assessing and supporting social-skill needs for students with high-incidence disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children. 2018;51(1):18-30. doi: 10.1177/0040059918790219.
  24. Schwab S, Resch K, Alnahdi G. Inclusion does not solely apply to students with disabilities: Pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive schooling of all students. International Journal of Inclusive Education. 2021;1-17.
  25. Deleuze G. Foucault. University of Minnesota Press; 2021.
  26. Education Bureau. EDB to provide subsidies to schools and students to fight against epidemic. GovHK. 2021.
  27. MacKenzie I. Resistance and the politics of truth. The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. 2018.
  28. Jakubowski TD, Sitko-Dominik MM. Teachers' mental health during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. PLoS One. 2021 Sep 23;16(9):e0257252. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257252. PMID: 34555049; PMCID: PMC8460021.
  29. Almendingen K, Morseth MS, Gjølstad E, Brevik A, Tørris C. Student's experiences with online teaching following COVID-19 lockdown: A mixed methods explorative study. PLoS One. 2021 Aug 31;16(8):e0250378. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250378. PMID: 34464386; PMCID: PMC8407578.
  30. Castelli FR, Sarvary MA. Why students do not turn on their video cameras during online classes and an equitable and inclusive plan to encourage them to do so. Ecol Evol. 2021 Jan 10;11(8):3565-3576. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7123. PMID: 33898009; PMCID: PMC8057329.
  31. Conti AH. Motivation among students with learning disabilities. Rowan Digital Works. 2000.
  32. Watkins DE. Maximizing learning for students with special needs. Kappa Delta Pi Record. 2005;154-158. doi: 10.1080/00228958.2005.10532062.
  33. Jordan HM. Loving Our Differences Motivation and Special Education. School of Education, Regent University; 2012.
  34. Weiser B. Academic diversity: Ways to motivate and engage students with learning disabilities. Council for Learning Disabilities. 2014;1-16.
  35. ​​Inspiring motivation for special needs students. Alvernia University; 2020.
  36. Foucault M. The subject and power. Critical Inquiry. 1982;8(4):777-795.
  37. Mezirow J, Taylor E W. and associates. Transformative Learning in Practice. Jossey-bass. 2009.
  38. Park CK, Bax J, Pundaky A, Gardi L, Fenster A. Assessment of system performance and phantom validation of ultrasound-guided breast biopsy under dedicated positron emission mammography localization. In Medical Imaging 2021: Image-Guided Procedures. Robotic Interventions, and Modeling. 2021;11598;109-116.. doi:10.1117/12.2580590.
  39. Ozamiz-Etxebarria N, Berasategi Santxo N, Idoiaga Mondragon N, Dosil Santamaría M. The Psychological State of Teachers During the COVID-19 Crisis: The Challenge of Returning to Face-to-Face Teaching. Front Psychol. 2021 Jan 12;11:620718. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620718. PMID: 33510694; PMCID: PMC7835279.
  40. Limone P, Toto GA. Psychological and Emotional Effects of Digital Technology on Children in COVID-19 Pandemic. Brain Sci. 2021 Aug 25;11(9):1126. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11091126. PMID: 34573148; PMCID: PMC8465704.
  41. Adedoyin OB, Soykan E. Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: the challenges and opportunities. Interactive learning environments. 2023;31(2):863-875. doi: 10.1080/10494820.2020.1813180.
  42. Mseleku, Z. A Literature Review of E-Learning and E-Teaching in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology. 2020;5(10):588-597.
  43. Lahiri S, Sinha M. A study of the socio-economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal. 2020;15(1):51-69. doi: 10.14453/aabfj.v15i1.5.
  44. Ali S, Haider Z, Munir F, Khan H, Ahmed A. Factors Contributing to the Students Academic Performance: A Case Study of Islamia University SubCampus. American Journal of Educational Research. 2013;1(8):283-289. doi: 10.12691/education-1-8-3.
  45. Okioga CK. The impact of students’ socio-economic background on academic performance in universities, a case of students in kisii University College. American International Journal of Social Science. 2013;2(2):38-48.
  46. Azhar M, Nadeem S, Naz F, Perveen F, Sameen A. Impact of parental education and socio-economic status on academic achievements of university students. European Journal of Psychological Research. 2014;1(1):1-9.
  47. Eshetu A A. Parental socio-economic status as a determinant factor of academic performance of students in regional examination: A case of Dessie town, Ethiopia. African Educational Research Journal. 2015;3(4). 221-229.
  48. Bhat M A, Joshi J, Wani I A. Effect of socio economic status on academic performance of secondary school students. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. 2016;3(4). 30-37. doi: 10.25215/0304.004.
  49. Farmer P. An anthropology of structural violence. Current Anthropology. 2004;45(3):305-325. doi: 10.1086/382250.
  50. Farmer P. Haiti after the earthquake. Public Affairs. 2011.
  51. Rylko-Bauer B, Farmer P. Structural Violence, Poverty, and Social Suffering. The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Poverty. 2017.
  52. Scheper-Hughes N. Dangerous and endangered youth: social structures and determinants of violence. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Dec;1036:13-46. doi: 10.1196/annals.1330.002. PMID: 15817729.
  53. Galtung J. Cultural violence. Journal of peace research. 1990;27(3):291-305.
  54. Schwebel M, Christie DJ. Children and structural violence. Peace, conflict, and violence: Peace psychology for the 21st century. 2001;120-129.
  55. Sheehy-Skeffington J, Rea J. York: How poverty affects people's decision-making processes. Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 2017;1-73.
  56. Szkudlarek T, Zamojski, P. Education and ignorance: between the noun of knowledge and the verb of thinking. Studies in Philosophy and Education. 2020;39:577-590. doi:10.1007/s11217-020-09718-9.
  57. Ahmad A S.Why you should ignore all that coronavirus-inspired productivity pressure. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2020.
  58. Wijeyesinghe C L, Jones S R. Intersectionality, identity, and systems of power and inequality. Intersectionality and higher education: Theory, research, and praxis. 2014;9-19.
  59. Whalen J. Should teachers be trained in emergency remote teaching? Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 2020;28(2):189-199.
  60. Engzell P, Frey A, Verhagen MD. Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 Apr 27;118(17):e2022376118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2022376118. PMID: 33827987; PMCID: PMC8092566.
  61. Vit E. The ability of low- and High-SES schools to inhibit learning losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soc Sci Humanit Open. 2023;7(1):100393. doi: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2022.100393. Epub 2022 Dec 29. PMID: 36593871; PMCID: PMC9797410.
  62. Winters N, Eynon R, Geniets A, Robson J. Kahn K. Can we avoid digital structural violence in future learning systems?. Learning, Media and Technology. 2020;45(1):17-30. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2020.1708099.
  63. Rafalow M H, Puckett C. Sorting machines: digital technology and categorical inequality in Education. Educational researcher. 2022;51(4), 274-278. doi :10.3102/0013189X211070812.
  64. Bailey J, Burkell J, (2021). Tech-facilitated violence: thinking structurally and intersectionally. Journal of Gender-Based Violence. 2021;5(3):531-542. doi :10.1332/239868021X16286662118554.
  65. Lambe J. Student teachers, special educational needs and inclusion education: reviewing the potential for problem‐based, e‐learning pedagogy to support practice. Journal of education for teaching. 2007;33(3);359-377. doi :10.1080/02607470701450551.
  66. Jana, B, Beáta J, Iveta R. Reflections on distance learning when teaching English primary school children, children with special educational needs and adult learners at language school during covid-19 pandemic. ICTE Journal. 2021.
  67. Baird K. Class in the classroom: The relationship between school resources and math performance among low socioeconomic status students in 19 rich countries. Education Economics. 2012;20(5):484-509.
Publish with JBRES — Peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary Open Access with rapid review, DOI, and global visibility.
Double-Blind CrossRef DOI Discoverable
Submit Manuscript Membership