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Attitudes of Teenagers and Parents Regarding the Future of High School, University, College, and Career
According to the recent public survey, the Coronavirus pandemic and the current social justice issues have encouraged United States teens to embrace online studies, re-assess their future plans, and align around things that they care about in their lives. The New High School Normal, research undertaken by OnePoll, interviewed parents together with their high-school-aged teenagers on how they think events happening across the globe are transforming the education sector as well as their lives.
The finding of the study shows that teens care more about the issue of racism more currently. 43% of high school learners across the United States voice their concern over the issue, followed by academics at 30%, climate change which stands at 29%, and lastly, gun control which stands at 23%. Additionally, current social justice and racism issues have impacted the academic interests of teenagers, with around 30% of teenagers admitting that social justice issues such as Black Lives Matter have greatly impacted what they intend to learn in college. Also, 31% of the teens reported that issues of social justice have, to a great extent, affected their career ambitions.
Additionally, three-quarters of high school students believe that they should focus more on highlighting political and social issues. About 7 out of 10 learners believe that textbooks require updates so as to reflect the racial and social issues in the United States presently.
When it comes to the students’ parents, 55% of them believe that learning institutions ought to give learners a day off from high school for public activities such as protesting or marching for a cause or attending political rallies. A good number, 73%, of parents who were surveyed agree that today’s learners take part in politics more actively than while they were young.
It is imperative for those in the education sector to listen to the needs of students since they are the ones who would lead us to the next generations. This study highlights what many United States residents witness each day: not only are these high school students resilient, the year has transformed them in regards to what they need to learn, what they rally behind, the way they want to work, and the type of careers they will select. 25% of the teenagers said that they would only take into consideration jobs that permit online or remote work. These indicators are crucial and should be considered when developing better education experiences for students today and in the future.
Regarding the lasting effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual learning will last forever since a large number of parents (74%), and learners (56%) agree that high school’s future will consist of a mixture of in-person and online education. 45% of parents also agree that virtual learning is appropriate for their teenagers till the Covid-19 vaccine is offered, while 57% of the students’ parents who responded said that even if Covid-19 ends, they plan to keep their teenager in an online or remote learning program.
The views of these parents might be due to the fact that 81% of both learners and their parents signaled online academic success. 43% of the learners stated that they performed “as well” online, while 38% of the students stated that they performed “better” in online learning. 68% of the learners said that they did put in a lot of effort so as to perform better online.
The study concludes that the Covid-19 pandemic also proved to use that access to technology is a key issue that the United States has to address for online education to deliver its promise of equity. Will a full-time virtual school be for each learner? Perhaps not, but for a good number, it is, and it will be the best school option.
Other Findings of the New High School Normal Study
- Covid-19 sparked an interest in health care occupations, with 24% of teenagers suggesting that they are now having in mind careers in health care due to Coronavirus, whereas 32% of the learners are re-evaluating their careers in general.
- Teenagers value the flexibility of online learning. The results of the survey regarding the flexibility of online learning are in line with what High School of America has seen with its virtual learning program over the past years: Learners surveyed love the choice of learning anywhere they want (53%) and at their own speed (50%). 41% love working during non-traditional school hours at any place of their choice. 33% of learners surveyed ranked “socializing with friends” as a challenge they experienced with online studies. Besides, cyberbullying was the least area of concern, whereby only 8% of the students cited it as a challenge.
- Social media would be an important tool in schools. 68% of the learners and 65% of parents stated that social media would be a beneficial tool as well as part of the new norm in high school.
- Teenagers are actually self-sufficient with online studies. 81% of parents state that their teenagers have been self-sufficient with online studies during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Methodology
OnePoll conducted the research in September 2020. The study was conducted online as per ESOMAR and MRS guidelines. All the respondents in the survey were double chosen to respond to market research surveys. Additionally, the sample size was recruited from a panel of adults who are representative of the United States population. The whole sample size of 2,000 respondents provided a topline Margin of Error of 2.2% at 95% confidence.
Online High School Programs: The New Normal?
There is no getting around it: The fame of online learning is skyrocketing. High schools in the country are rushing to offer more and more online education opportunities.
If you are a parent, as high schools shift from traditional classrooms to digital devices, you might feel caught off guard. Fortunately, there are numerous ways for you and your teenager on how to prepare for the new normal of online high school.
It is not a secret that online learning has grown significantly in recent years. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 60% of public high schools now provide some online courses.
Notably, change to online learning appears to be meeting with wide-ranging social changes. According to Pew Research, 95% of teenagers can access mobile devices, and almost half of those teenagers admit to being online “nearly always.”
Online courses ought to be structured so as to focus on peer-to-peer and community connections. Besides, instructors can integrate social media or online gaming into their classes, where learners chase goals or share content as part of a community or team.
Connections between instructors and learners are easier to build when the cameras of learners are on, but some districts do not need that due to privacy reasons. Many learners interviewed by USA TODAY stated that even when cameras are off, they felt that they studied more and better in online classes, which featured active group chats.
Now, what does this imply for learning in the future?
It seems trends are merging. Students are becoming gradually comfortable with technology, and virtual schooling chances are growing fast.
About High School of America
High School of America provides online high school programs which meet and exceed state standards for high school graduation. All of our programs are easy to navigate and make sure that learners must understand the subject matter of the courses. Also, we reinforce education at the very basic level making sure that learners fully understand the learning materials, prior to proceeding to the next stage. High School of America’s online courses are offered anytime-24/7. High School of America is affordable, and its flexible tuition payment plans are accessible to all learners.
The combination of certified instructors, community experiences, technology tools, and award-winning curriculum creates a successful and supportive virtual learning for teenagers and families who require a tailored approach to learning. We pride ourselves on our capability to the community from using phone support, online chat, email, as well as High School of America learner community. High School of America is fully accredited; thus, you are assured that credits of your teen will be transferred back to other schools, and universities and colleges will accept them in the United States and across the world.
Attending high school online provides a great deal of flexibility. Additionally, online courses at High School of America can be accessed anytime and from anywhere so long as there is internet connectivity. One myth regarding online programs is that it is easier compared to brick-and-mortar high school programs. Essentially, the opposite is true. High School of America finds its course to be more rigorous compared to brick-and-mortar high school courses. Learners attending high school online programs virtually are usually needed to be more disciplined compared to traditional learners. Learners enrolled at High School of America truly learn, and they are ready for university and college. Contact us today for more information at +1-(888)242-4262 or Enroll Now.