Challenge 1: How Does the Pandemic Make Us Feel?
Learning Targets:
- I can distinguish between social isolation and loneliness.
- I can infer the design of a descriptive investigation based on information provided in infographics that present study findings.
Time Required: 45-60 minutes
Review & Discuss
Results from a 2018 study of loneliness presented in 2 “Loneliness in the Workplace” Infographics
- Loneliness in the Workplace Fact sheet
-
Loneliness in the Workplace Infographic
- What does the infographic tell us about the level of loneliness prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
- How was “loneliness” measured in this investigation?
- What other variables (other than loneliness) were assessed by the questionnaire?
- What conclusions from the study are presented in this report?
- Only adults were subjects in this investigation. In what ways do you see its conclusions relating to you and high school students?
Reflect & Write
- What are the differences between social isolation and loneliness? Discuss ways that social isolation can affect loneliness.
- A research study surveyed the same group of people in February (before the pandemic), in mid March (at the beginning of the pandemic), and in late April (over a month into the pandemic) and did not find significant changes in loneliness.
- What would you hypothesize about these findings?
- Why do you think there were no significant changes in loneliness rates?
- What is your prediction about whether significant changes in loneliness rates exist now, many months into the pandemic?
Discuss
- Share your hypotheses about the changes in loneliness with the prolonged social isolation during COVID-19 pandemic.