The School and the Consequences of Confinement: New Social-Emotional Needs

The school, as a fundamental space for socialization and social networking, has become even more relevant after the pandemic (Choi and Lee, 2021; De Schaepmeester, van Braak and Aesaert, 2021). Our study focuses on the consequences of the pandemic on school coexistence in Chile, the OECD country that kept schools closed the longest since 2020, with a total of 259 school days with school closure (OECD, 2022), preventing students from interacting in the same physical space for an exceptionally long period period. Available data suggests a serious deterioration after the reopening of schools, mainly reflected in situations of school violence (Bellei et al., 2022). However, there is no systematic diagnosis of the school coexistence challenges in the post-pandemic period, nor is there a characterization of institutional responses to these challenges. This paper presents the findings of a research project that seeks to contribute to filling this gap by focusing on public schools. A mixed methods design was used based on descriptive and multilevel factor analyses of available data on school coexistence, as well as interviews and focus groups with key school actors. These methods have made it possible to gather valuable information on the perceptions and experiences of those at the front line of the educational system. The analyses show that the students’ socioemotional wellbeing has required special attention from teachers, who have seen an increase in emotional dysregulation in their classrooms. Educational teams have recognized the urgent need to adapt the teaching spaces and pedagogical practices to address the emotional socialization deficiencies experienced by Chilean students during the long months of confinement. These results contribute to better understanding the schools’ socioemotional challenges and responses in the post pandemic context and provide orientations to address these challenges, both nationally and internationally.