Learning and evaluation in the context of the coronavirus pandemic - short and long - term ethical implications. Case study: Primary education in Romania

This study is based on the premise that closing down schools, due to the Covid 19 pandemic, significantly affects the educational process, both with regard to learning and with regard to assessment and its affective implications; if we refer to primary school pupils, the effects will be felt not only in the short term, but also in the long term, given that this is the age at which fundamental learning skills are acquired. The situation is aggravated in Romania by the absence of an effective digital infrastructure and its specific practices. Our study targets 3rd and 4th grade students in Ploiesti, a large Romanian city (about 250 000 inhabitants);the sample included two ‘city-centre’ schools (schools appreciated and sought after by parents, with a very good public image and adequate digital resources), two ‘neighbourhood’ schools (with rather average material and digital resources), and two rural schools; the sample includes 194 pupils, of which 149 attend urban schools and 45 attend rural schools; of the 149 pupils attending urban schools, 90 are enrolled in ‘neighbourhood’ schools and 59 in schools considered elite; pupils completed a questionnaire in the presence of the class teacher, after the teacher had been trained by the study authors.