Parents' perceptions of secondary school students' motivation and well-being before and during the COVID-19 lockdown: The moderating role of student characteristics

Abstract

During the COVID-19 lockdown of spring 2020, Dutch children were being homeschooled. We examined how parents’ (n = 470) perceptions of secondary school students’ (Mage = 14.23 years) need satisfaction, academic motivation and well-being differed before the lockdown (assessed retrospectively) and during the lockdown. Furthermore, we examined the differential impact of the lockdown for different groups of children based on parental educational level, academic track, gender and special educational needs (SEN). Results indicated that students’ motivation and well-being as perceived by parents decreased during the lockdown and this could be explained by decreases in need satisfaction. Most student characteristics did not moderate the effects of the lockdown, except for SEN. The lockdown effects were less negative for children with SEN, especially gifted children and children with behavioural disabilities, than for children without SEN. Results are discussed with regard to their practical implications after the lockdown and for future lockdowns.