Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19 and researchers at Brandon University want to know how the virus has impacted youth and learning.

Researchers at Brandon University are starting a new Manitoba-wide project to understand how students, their parents or guardians, and educators are faring during this unprecedented learning climate.

“We would like to hear from you about youth learning concerns and about mental health,” said Dr. Breanna Lawrence, who is leading the project. “By doing this research during the pandemic, we will gain valuable insight into how families are responding to stressors like suspensions of face-to-face classes and how families are accessing educational resources. We want to know more about how youth are participating in activities that promote well-being.”

Dr. Breanna Lawrence. Submitted photo.

Dr. Lawrence teaches child and adolescent development to pre-service teachers and also teaches in the graduate guidance and counselling program in the Faculty of Education at Brandon University. She also has a four-year-old and a seven-year-old child at home.

“I know first-hand some of the challenges that families are facing,” she said. “Now is the time for us to put our heads together, to learn from one another, and to share the strategies that we are using to manage these unprecedented challenges. That’s what this study is all about.”

She says the main goal of the project is to understand how youth with learning and mental health concerns are impacted, and how families and educators are working together to support student well-being.

“As a teacher educator, my focus is on helping the next generation of teachers learn about working effectively with families,” she said. “This is a strengths-based study to find out what’s working— and to pass on this information to future educators.”

The research team is interviewing youth aged 12 to 18 years old and their parents or guardians from across the province to discuss their experiences with learning and mental health amidst the COVID-19 health pandemic.Findings from this research will inform educational practices and provincial policies to better support the learning and mental health needs of youth.

This study is part of a larger study funded through Research Manitoba, with research collaborators at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba that also will include analyzing Statistics Canada survey data. The overarching project goal is to advance understandings of positive youth development.

Ultimately, the findings from this research will be invaluable in understanding the numerous influences and strategies used as families and educators’ collaborate to support the well-being of students during the COVID-19 health pandemic.