How the Covid-19 Pandemic was Experienced by Slovenian and German Adolescents with Specific Learning Difficulties

Oct 15, 2026

Spring-phase distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic made schooling especially challenging for Slovenian and German adolescents with specific learning difficulties (SpLD). A study surveyed 122 adolescents, equally from Slovenia and Germany, using two online questionnaires to examine how participants perceived and addressed distance-learning challenges. Slovenian adolescents reported more attention- and multisensory-learning related problems, greater need to choose study time, more psychosomatic issues, and more teacher praise, while German adolescents reported less learning support and more social-media chatting. Differences also appeared by age and gender.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

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Introduction

Distance learning challenges in Germany

Distance learning challenges in Slovenia

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.1140 How the Covid-19 Pandemic was Experienced by Slovenian and German Adolescents with Specific Learning Difficulties Karmen Javornik*1, Marija Kavkler2, Sven Lychatz3 and Milena Košak Babuder4 • The spring phase of the pandemic made the education of adolescents with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) challenging. In the present study, which included 122 adolescents with SpLD (50% from Slovenia, 50% from Germany), we investigated how Slovenian and German adolescents with SpLD perceived and solved some of the challenges of distance learning. The study data were collected with two online questionnaires (in Slovenian and German, respectively) . Slovenian adolescents were statistically significantly more likely than German adolescents to mention problems with attention, the importance of multisensory learning, and the importance of being able to choose the time to learn, as well as psychosomatic problems. Slovenian adolescents had more experiences with praise from teachers during the pandemic and they also mentioned more issues with the transition to distance learning and the use of information and communication technology. Younger adolescents had more parental help. Male adolescents were more likely to report that they did not have the right spatial conditions for learning. German adolescents spent more time chatting on social media and experienced less support for learning. Female adolescents were more likely to express fear of the pandemic and a lack of learning support, while male adolescents across the sample missed their peers more. Most of the respondents came from families in which the pandemic did not cause serious material and spatial problems, but German adolescents were statistically significantly less likely to feel these consequences. According to the respondents, the spatial and material conditions were similar in both countries. Keywords: adolescents, Covid-19, distance learning, pandemic, specific learning difficulties 1 *Corresponding Author. Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; [karmen.javornik@pef.uni-lj.si](karmen.javornik@pef.uni-lj.si). 2 Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. 3 Institute for Systemic – Integrative Learning Therapy, Germany. 4 Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. 244 how the covid-19 pandemic was experienced by slovenian and german ... Kako so pandemijo covida-19 doživljali slovenski innemški mladostniki s specifičnimi učnimi težavami Karmen Javornik, Marija Kavkler, Sven Lychatz in Milena Košak Babuder • V spomladanski fazi pandemije je bilo izobraževanje mladostnikov sspecifičnimi učnimi težavami (SUT) zahtevno. V raziskavi, v kateri jesodelovalo 122 mladostnikov s SUT (50 % iz Slovenije, 50 % iz Nemčije), smo ugotavljali, kako slovenski in nemški mladostniki s SUT zaznavajo in rešujejo nekatere izzive učenja na daljavo. Raziskovalne podatkesmo zbrali z dvema spletnima vprašalnikoma (v slovenskem oziromanemškem jeziku) . Slovenski mladostniki so statistično značilno pogosteje kot nemški navajali težave s pozornostjo, pomen multisenzornegaučenja in možnosti izbire časa za učenje ter psihosomatske težave. Slovenski mladostniki so imeli več izkušenj s pohvalami učiteljev med pandemijo, omenjali pa so tudi več težav s prehodom na učenje na daljavo inuporabo informacijsko-komunikacijske tehnologije. Mlajši mladostniki so imeli več pomoči staršev. Mladostniki moškega spola so pogosteje poročali, da niso imeli ustreznih prostorskih pogojev za učenje. Nemški mladostniki so več časa preživeli ob klepetu na družbenih omrežjih in doživeli manj podpore pri učenju. Mladostnice so pogosteje izražalestrah pred pandemijo in pomanjkanje podpore pri učenju, medtem ko so mladostniki v celotnem vzorcu bolj pogrešali vrstnike. Večina anketirancev je prihajala iz družin, v katerih pandemija ni povzročala resnih materialnih in prostorskih težav, vendar so nemški mladostniki statistično značilno redkeje občut

FAQs

What study population and method were used to investigate distance learning during the pandemic?

The study included 122 adolescents with SpLD, 50% from Slovenia and 50% from Germany, using two online questionnaires in Slovenian and German.

How did Slovenian and German adolescents differ in reported learning challenges?

Slovenian adolescents more often mentioned attention problems, the importance of multisensory learning, choosing the time to learn, and psychosomatic issues, while German adolescents reported less learning support and more time chatting on social media.

What differences were observed by age and gender?

Younger adolescents reported more parental help. Male adolescents more frequently reported lacking appropriate spatial conditions for learning and missed peers more in the overall sample, while females more often expressed fear of the pandemic and a lack of learning support.

Oct 15, 2026

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