Webcam Use and Its Role in Children’s Engagement and Achievement During Extended Remote Learning

Online classes substitute in-person instruction in K-12 general education, yet whether children’s webcam use in online classes is meaningful for their learning remains poorly understood. This study examined children’s webcam use and academic outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic using data from 1,426 elementary students (49% male, 47% female, 93% White) across 65 classrooms, exploring how individual- and classroom-level webcam use, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and remote learning duration explain variation in children’s engagement and achievement. In May 2021, students reported their remote learning routines and online class participation since May 2020; responses were then linked with 2020-2021 MSTEP achievement and demographic data. Correlational analyses indicated individual webcam use varied as a function of children’s perceived engagement, academic achievement, socioeconomic disadvantage, and gender identity, while classrooms differed in mean webcam use based on socioeconomic and demographic composition, remote learning duration, and mean engagement and achievement. MANOVA results indicated classroom webcam norms had a larger effect on engagement during remote learning relative to individual use. Specifically, children in classrooms with universal webcam-on norms reported significantly higher mean emotional and behavioral engagement compared to children in classrooms with moderate/mixed or low webcam-on norms. Multilevel models revealed classmates’ webcam use explained a significant portion of the variance in children’s 2020–2021 achievement and was a stronger predictor of 2020-2021 achievement than individual webcam use. Overall, findings underscore the need to consider classroom-level webcam use policies and incentives when developing and refining effective online classroom structure and curricula for elementary school student populations.