Increased ICT Use and Other Changes in Educational Settings and Their Impact on School Stress: A Mixed‐Method Study

ABSTRACT Recently, students have faced major changes in the educational setting. For example, the lockdown triggered by the COVID‐19 pandemic marked a turning point after which ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) became much more commonplace in our lives. Despite this, however, relatively little is known about the effects of this on school stress. Other activities, such as school trips and general coexistence in the classroom also disappeared as a result of the measures taken to combat the COVID‐19. This study analyses how these changes impact school stress in secondary students using a mixed‐method approach. The quantitative phase involved 4,768 secondary school students (47.9% boys, 52.1% girls) aged 11‐17 years. They completed online surveys during the 2020‐2021 school year. The qualitative phase followed during the next academic year, and consisted of focus groups that were conducted with students from purposively selected high‐stress and low‐stress participating schools. Results point to some relatively temporary stressors, like the use of facemasks and problems with content itself or the pace at which it was taught. In contrast, particularly those linked to the use of ICTs and constraints on social interaction may have left a stronger mark on the everyday lives of students at school.