(Non-)meaningful learning in times of pandemic from the perspective of social justice

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the worldwide public health emergency triggered by its emergence have severely disrupted the global order, posing huge health, economic and social challenges. In response to this outbreak, we summarize a comprehensive data set to analyze the current situation related to education and the implications for inequality in access to quality education and basic study conditions, such as obstacles to full access to Information and Communication Technologies by students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Psychosocial, socioeconomic, and mental health factors must be considered all-together when designing and implementing any educational intervention or teaching and learning methodology, especially in emergency situations. Understanding, from the perspective of social justice, the antagonistic faces of teaching and their implications for learning means answering whether we are, in fact, teaching (meaningfully) or teaching just for teaching (non-meaningfully).