Covid-19 e and the difficulties faced by students in integrated High school during social isolation

Abstract

COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus is a respiratory infection of high transmissibility that can evolve from mild to severe cases, with the possibility of death. It has been considered a public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). Because of COVID-19, preventive sanitary control regulations, including social isolation, became mandatory. In the educational field, onsite lessons became remote. Because of that, a psychological impact on students during the pandemic was observed in the school environment. The effects could still be observed after the end of lockdown. Thus, this study aimed at investigating the impact of the return of onsite activities on the mental health of students in the second year of Integrated High School (EMI), at a federal institution in Piauí. It is a field research of qualitative character, descriptive and explanatory nature, developed by means of semi-structured interviews, with the participation of 10 students from Integrated High School. The study took place during the Program for Post-Graduation in Professional and Technological Education (PROFEPT). The technique used for data analysis was based on Bardin’s model (1977). Results indicated, among other things, that the period of social isolation really aggravated the mental suffering of the participants and the return to onsite activities proved an adaptative challenge for these students. Researchers concluded that this period of pandemic caused plenty of learning difficulty for students in remote education, which reveals the importance of discussing mental health at schools.