Formal and Informal Education During the Lockdown: A Growing Inequality of Learning Opportunities

Authors

  • Xavier Bonal Sarró UAB
  • Sheila González Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/RASE.14.1.18177

Keywords:

Learning gap, cumulative disadvantage, digital divide, school closure, afterschool activities, informal education

Abstract

The lockdown of schools in Catalonia to confront the effects of COVID-19 forced schools and families to react very rapidly to a new scenario of teaching and learning processes without previous planning. This paper assesses the impact of the school lockdown on the learning gap between children from different social backgrounds in Catalonia. Based on data from an online survey (n= 35.419) to families with children aged 3 to 18 years old carried out between 26 and 30 of March, our analysis shows that learning opportunities among children vary significantly between children with different characteristics. During the lockdown, some schools were able to adapt to the new circumstances with better means than others. Likewise, the structure and size of families’ forms of capital explain that middle-class families were able to maintain higher standards of education quality, while children from socially disadvantaged families had few learning opportunities both in terms of time and learning experiences (schoolwork and maintenance of after-school activities). In the final part of the paper we highlight the importance of the role of the school to ensure learning opportunities for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds and discuss some policy implications of our findings. 

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Author Biography

Xavier Bonal Sarró, UAB

Catedrático de Sociologia, Departamento de Sociología, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

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Published

2021-01-28

How to Cite

Bonal Sarró, X., & González, S. (2021). Formal and Informal Education During the Lockdown: A Growing Inequality of Learning Opportunities. Revista De Sociología De La Educación-RASE, 14(1), 44–62. https://doi.org/10.7203/RASE.14.1.18177
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Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2021): EDUCATION DURING THE LOCKDOWN

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SPECIAL ISSUE

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