The Kids are Alright: Middle-Level Students’ Perceptions of School During COVID-19

This research sought to determine middle school students’ perceptions of the academic year they experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in a district in South Carolina. The students were surveyed three times throughout the year (beginning, midyear, and end of year), and their responses were disaggregated by the instructional model choice (face-to-face, in-person instruction, and online, virtual instruction via webcam technology). Families of students in this district were offered a choice of these two instructional models throughout the year, and the reasons for their family’s choice were surveyed. Students who were face-to-face for the entire year were more likely to perceive their school year as a positive experience than their online peers, but both groups identified that despite the circumstances, they mostly felt positive about the year, except in the case of being able to make friends, in which face-to-face students’ responses were significantly more positive. Also, students reported spending time during the previous school year’s shutdown (March 2020 to the end of the school year in June) completing many different academics and social tasks in which they were able to develop skills and direct their free time. The results of this research suggest that consistent with previous research suggesting that offering a few options results in people feeling satisfied, this research suggests that in the future when faced with difficult choices at the district level on how to handle student experiences in unprecedented circumstances, offering choice to the students and families may benefit the outcomes of those students and the district overall.