Qualitative Analysis on Psychological and Social Effects of Distance Education During SARS-CoV2-COVID-19 on Students at Greek Public Institutes of Vocational Training

During the pandemic, distance education was transformed from an adjunct to a main educational method, due to the social distancing required to limit the spread of the disease. This change brought to the educational community heaps of issues to be resolved and issues particularly important for the effectiveness of learning processes. The aim of the present research is to investigate the psychological and social impact of the SARS-CoV2 - COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic in the educational community of Greek Public Institutes of Vocational Training (PIVT), using qualitative analysis. The interview was carried out on a sample of seventeen (17) students of PIVT, with the aim of investigating their opinions and the attitude they demonstrate towards distance education, as well as a sample of 17 teachers with the aim of investigation the attitude of teachers towards the implementation of distance education, its benefits, or negative consequences for the educational community of the PIVT. The results of the qualitative analysis demonstrate that insufficient material and technical infrastructure, reduced skills of instructors, previous experience of students in such educational models and difficulties in laboratory courses, were key factors according to the students' responses, for their reduced performance. Although the participants recognize the positive elements of distance teaching, such as and the familiarity they have acquired with new technologies, they choose the standard in-person teaching. The lecturers argue that the students' performance showed a decline, since the students were removed from the physical learning environment and the degree of communication decreased.