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International Journal of Emergent Issues of Social Science, Arts, and Humanities
Vol. 1 No. 1; December 2022; Page: 52-67


Predictive Factors of Stress on Parents of Primary School Students During Covid-19 Pandemic in Oman

Farah Naaz 1*, Lubna Ali Mohammed2


1&2 Faculty of Social Science, Arts and Humanities, Lincoln University College, Malaysia


*Corresponding author’s e-mail: naazf1987@gmail.com


Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the predictive factors of stress on parents of primary school students during the Covid-19 pandemic in Oman. A total of 384 parents of primary school children participated in this study. By using survey data technique and was analyzed by using quantitative research method. The results showed that there is a significant difference in the level of stress between employed and unemployed parents. In addition, the study found a significant difference in the stress level between parents with different educational levels. Based on the findings and analysis of the data obtained, COVID-19 has been determined to influence students’ learning negatively. It has created an unpleasant atmosphere for them in this area. It has been discovered that children and their parents are confronted with various problems and hurdles, in addition to a poor education level and parental stress as a result of a lack of resources at home. The study recommends that the government and educational institutions provide support to parents, especially those who are unemployed or have low levels of education.

Keywords: COVID-19; Pandemic in Oman; Predictive Factors; Primary School Students; Stress


  1. Background

    The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented stress and anxiety levels for parents worldwide. As schools have closed and families have been forced to stay home, parents have had to deal with the added stress of childcare and home-schooling (Hiraoka &Tomodo, 2020, Alareqe et al., 2021; Aljaberi et al., 2021). In addition, many parents are now working from home, which can add to the stress of managing a household because they no longer have the option to go to a different workplace. Moreover, this is due to the increased demands on parents to be available to their children 24/7, which can lead to feelings of guilt, failure, and inadequacy. Several factors can predict how much stress a parent will experience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Parents who have children with special needs or chronic health conditions may be at increased risk for stress (AL van Tilburg et al., 2020). In addition, unemployed or underemployed parents may also be more likely to experience stress (Lewis & Lee, 2020). As the Covid-19 pandemic has led to widespread job loss, many parents have found themselves unemployed or underemployed. This can add to the stress of managing a household and caring for children.


    Additionally, parents who are unemployed or working part-time could find it challenging to pay for necessities like food and housing. Parents may get anxious and depressed as a result, which may increase the stress they already feel. Schools have been shuttered in Oman and many other nations since March 2020 in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Parents have been significantly impacted by this because they now have to balance being a parent and a teacher while also juggling employment and other obligations. It has been hypothesized that parents' worry and anxiety at this time may have a detrimental effect on the learning and development of their children. Stress and anxiety can lead to impaired memory and executive functioning, making it more difficult for parents to help their children with schoolwork (Drysdale et al., 2020). As parents experience stress and anxiety, it can affect their cognitive abilities. This means that they may have trouble remembering things or concentrating on tasks. As a result, they may find it more difficult to help their children with schoolwork.


    Additionally, parents who are anxious and stressed are more likely to behave badly with their kids, which might result in behavioral issues. In addition, parental anxiety and stress can exacerbate family conflict, which can be detrimental to children's emotional health (Drysdale et al., 2020). Furthermore, the stress and worry that parents feel at this time might cause their kids to experience higher levels of sadness and anxiety (Drysdale et al., 2020). All of these issues, which students encountered while taking online courses under COVID-19, have the potential to gravely impair their mental health. University students frequently have mental health issues related to their academic stress. This is mostly because students are concerned about dropping their grades and afraid of failing.


    The main goal of this study is to determine the predictive factors of stress on parents regarding a forced home-stay during COVID-19 or a child’s home-schooling.


    Specifically, this study aims to answer the following research questions:


    1. What is the stress level among parents of primary school students during Covid-19?

    2. What is the difference in parents’ stress levels of primary school students during COVID- 19 across their gender?

    3. What is the effect of home-schooling on the stress level of parents of primary school students during Covid-19?

    4. What is the effect of receiving insufficient support from teachers during Covid-19 on the stress level of parents of primary school students?

    5. What is the effect of the quality of education on the stress level of parents of primary school students during Covid-19?


      The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented stress and anxiety levels for parents worldwide (AL van Tilburg et al., 2020; Zaid et al., 2022). As schools have closed and families have been forced to stay home, parents have had to deal with the added stress of childcare and home-schooling (Hiraoka & Tomodo, 2020). In addition, many parents were employed from home, which may increase the strain of keeping an entire household because they do not have the option to work in a different place. (Drysdale et al., 2020). As a result, it is a time of great transition for both parents and their kids. Parents must make significant adjustments to allow their children to partake in after-school activities or sleepovers, which could negatively affect their development and learning (Embregts et al., 2021). Understanding the risk factors for stress during this period is crucial for reducing the detrimental impacts of stress and anxiety on parents.


      The main problem on which the research has been pivoted is the stress among the parents of children studying in the primary schools of Oman. The case has been developed to analyse the predictive factors that can influence the parents’ psychological condition and lead them to feel stress and anxiety. The pandemic suggested social isolation, and schools implied online learning. In the first few weeks of COVID-19, parents experienced mild stress levels due to the backdrop of providing improved educational facilities and supervision, better economic stability, and health concerns (Susilowati & Azzasyofia, 2020). It means that parents experience stress as a result of feeling under pressure to give their kids better educations. The situation is not unique, though. A few additional factors need to be carefully examined. Stress has a negative impact on children's physical and mental health because parents with mental illnesses do not put them to bed at a reasonable hour or provide a conducive environment for learning and living (Tso et al., 2020). It highlights that stress among parents has a negative impact on children. In that context, it is important to analyse the certain factors due to which stress is developing among the parents to develop a better solution for stress reduction.


      The study’s rationale is to explore the possible predictive factors of stress on parents of primary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oman. The main principle underlying this research is the belief that certain factors can make parents more prone to stress during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher has identified some factors that can stress parents during this critical time. These include the fear of infection, social isolation, economic hardship, and change in daily routine. The study will help identify these factors’ effects on parents’ stress levels and coping strategies. This will provide valuable information for policymakers and practitioners to develop interventions to reduce parents’ stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present research is also unique: it sought to connect the gaps in the existing literature, and it was conducted over three years. There is limited evidence available on the factors that cause stress among parents. Therefore, it motivated the author to research the current topic. Thus, it would add to the theoretical knowledge of the field. On the other hand, from a practical standpoint, it is vital to remember that successfully managing stress significantly impacts the harmful effects of COVID-19.


  2. Methods

    The current research uses a “cross-sectional method” to gather data about the aims and objectives. A cross-sectional method is a research design used to simultaneously gather data from a single point. Al-Marafi, Somasundaraswaran, and Ayers (2020) stated that the main strength of cross-sectional is as it is relatively quick and is the best way to examine multiple exposures and outcomes. This nature study demands multiple exposures and outcomes associated with predictive stress factors on parents of Primary school students during the covid-19 pandemic in Oman. Therefore, the author has selected this method to gain multiple exposures and outcomes.

    The population of the current research is the parents of primary school students in Oman. The survey’s sample population was collected from the “Omani Pedagogic Industry of Oman,” i.e., “Ministry of Education in Oman,” which includes the details of Omani and non-Omani parents. The sample size is expected to be large, as there are about “1124 Private and Public Educational Institutions” in Oman (Education Council of Oman, 2019). Using an online sample calculator, the sample size for the current study was determined, and the result was a "sample size of 384. For calculating the sample size, some considerations were made, including:

    • A confidence level of 95%, and

    • An interval of 5%.

    The sample size has been calculated with the help of a sample size online calculator. The calculator determines how many samples are required to get adequate results and reflect the target population as precisely as possible (Survey System, 2022). For this purpose, the online sampling calculator was utilized. According to Hejase & Hejase (2013), the sample size is one of the study’s potential considerations. A large sample size tends to offer a more authentic mean value than the small one.

      1. Data Collection

        The data collection of current research has been performed with the help of primary sources. A survey has been performed to attain the aim and gather relevant information from the student’s parents. The research questions are descriptive. However, it is to avoid ambiguity among the research participants and ensure they understand the question and give their opinion precisely.

        Questionnaire surveys are the tool or instruments researchers use to collect data. In the study of Predictive factors of stress on parents of primary school students during the Covid-19 pandemic in Oman, the researcher generated a questionnaire. To develop the questionnaire, the researcher extracted the statements associated with the variables of this research from several research papers to make questionnaire statements. The questions were associated with Parents’ roles and responsibilities, demographics, home-schooling, and quality of education.


        The research questionnaire consists of 5 sections, which are explained in Table 1.


        Table 1: Sections includes in the questionnaire


        Section

        Description

        Type of Variable

        Section – A

        Demographic characteristics of the research respondents.

        Demographic variables

        Section – B

        Difficulties faced by parents due to shifting of the schooling responsibilities.

        IV

        Section – C

        Difficulties faced by parents when teachers were unable to provide adequate support.

        IV

        Section – D

        Effects of low-quality education on parents’ stress in virtual schooling.

        IV

        Section – E

        The effect of parental stress level

        DV


        All questions in the questionnaire are “direct” and use the “Likert Scale Method” with statements such as “strongly agree,” “agree,” “neutral,” “strongly disagree,” or “disagree.” In the course of determining the effects of parental stress levels caused due to online classes on primary children’s education, the researcher identified some independent variables with the support of the literature review enclosed in the literature. The Independent Variable (IV) of the current study is as follows:

        • Section – B

        • Section – C &

        • Section – D


    Thus, there is a total of 3 IVs in the current research. The questions that form part of independent research variables are “Scaled Questions.” Various types of scaled questions are used in monitoring and evaluating social science research. In a scaling context, entities’ attributes/traits, behaviors, or perceptions are measured or ordered according to quantitative characteristics (Grager, 2020). The rating scale used to measure the IV of the current research is the “Perceptions of Parents” in Oman. The Dependent Variable (DV) emphasizes gathering information on “The Effect on Children’s Education,” which is caused due to parental stress. Thus, a series of independent variables (stressors) are evaluated to investigate their influence on the dependent variables. Section – E, with 5 questions, is enclosed in Appendix – 2; these questions measure the DV. Each question used in the current research survey has been referenced in this section to demonstrate where the questions were adopted. Table – 2 contains the sources of the Research Question enclosed in Section – B. Further, Table – 3, Table – 4, and Table –5 contain the sources of the research questionnaire enclosed in Section – B, Section – C, and Section – E.


    Table 2: Source of each research question related to Section – B


    SECTION – B: Home Schooling

    Research Question No.

    Research Question Details

    Source

    Q. 1

    Parents’ sole responsibility is to ensure that their children keep up with their academics and online learning sessions by constantly monitoring them and their digital devices.

    Ribeiro, Cunha, Andrade-e-Silva, Carvalho, & Vital, (2021)

    Soltis, Davidson, Moreland, Felton, & Dumas (2015)

    Susilowati & Azzosyofia (2020)

    Thorell et al. (2021)

    Wajdi, Kuswandi, Faruq, Zulhijra, Khairudin & Khoiriyan (2020)

    Q. 2

    As parents, it was tough to manage schooling activities such as day-to-day assignments and school activities, check notebooks and prepare children for termly online exams.

    Gerard, Lanier, & Wong (2020)

    Ribeiro, Cunha, Andrade-e-Silva, Carvalho, & Vital, (2021)

    Spinelli et al. (2020)

    Thorell et al. (2021)

    Weaver & Swank (2020)

    Witt, Ordóñez, Martin, Vitiello, & Fegert (2020)

    Q. 3

    Parents had to self-learn their children’s syllabus and self- educate their children.

    Cluver, Lachman, Sherr, Wessels, Krug, Rakotomalala & McDonald (2020)

    Weaver & Swank (2020)

    Moscardino, Dicataldo, Roch, Carbone, & Mammarella (2021)

    Schmidt, Kramer, Brose, Schmiedek, & Neubauer (2021)

    Timmons, Cooper, Bozek, & Braund (2021)

    Yamamura & Tsustsui (2021)

    Q. 4

    Helping children with knowledge enrichment activities was a stressful task as parents have little or no knowledge about it.

    Cluver, Lachman, Sherr, Wessels, Krug, Rakotomalala & McDonald (2020)

    Dong, Cao, & Li (2020)

    Golberstein, Wen, & Miller (2020)

    Li & Lalani (2020)

    Yamamura & Tsustsui (2021)

    Q. 5

    Parents with less technical knowledge, who are employed full-time, have less education, or do not have a natural teaching temperament, find the virtual medium more difficult.

    Bhamani, et al. (2020)

    Ribeiro, Cunha, Andrade-e-Silva, Carvalho, & Vital, (2021)


    Table 3: Source of each research question related to Section – C


    SECTION – C: Insufficient support from teachers in virtual schooling

    Research Question No.

    Research Question Details

    Source

    Q. 1

    It was more important for parents to act as teachers than to provide care and support for their children.

    Fahrurrozi et al. (2021)

    Moscardino, Dicataldo, Roch, Carbone, & Mammarella (2021)

    Muthuprasad et al. (2021)

    Reynolds et al. (2021)

    Timmons, Cooper, Bozek, & Braund (2021)

    Q. 2

    Parents had to study the assessment pattern of online exams and their study material to guide their children to attend the online objective questions.

    Adams, Smith, Caccavale & Bean (2021)

    Moscardino, Dicataldo, Roch, Carbone, & Mammarella (2021)

    Spinelli et al. (2020)

    Q. 3

    Parents and their children must keep up with the online sessions, so their children do not fall behind academically.

    Ribeiro, Cunha, Andrade-e-Silva, Carvalho, & Vital, (2021)

    Spinelli et al. (2020)

    Weaver & Swank (2020)

    Q. 4

    Parents had difficulty managing children’s life skills and textbook activities.

    Sangeeta & Tandon (2020)

    Q. 5

    The parents had to make placards and do various activities to ensure their child remembered the lessons taught in the virtual classes.

    Cluver, Lachman, Sherr, Wessels, Krug, Rakotomalala & McDonald (2020)

    Golberstein, Wen, & Miller (2020)

    Moscardino, Dicataldo, Roch, Carbone, & Mammarella (2021)


    Table 4: Source of each research question related to Section – D


    SECTION – D: Quality of Education

    Research Question No.

    Research Question Details

    Source

    Q. 1

    Quality of education has declined dramatically, potentially reducing educational attainment and long-term effects on their learning instinct.

    Muthuprasad et al. (2021)

    Reynolds et al. (2021)

    Spinelli et al. (2020)

    UNICEF (2020b)

    Q. 2

    The syllabus was cut short, and children were made to learn only basic things.

    Muthuprasad et al. (2021)

    Reynolds et al. (2021)

    Q. 3

    The regular process of writing notes and correcting it had completely vanished.

    Reynolds et al. (2021)

    Q. 4

    Online objective questions have completely transformed the traditional examination process.

    Reynolds et al. (2021)

    Q. 5

    Children were found reluctant to write their classwork and complete their notes.

    Reynolds et al. (2021)


    Table 5: Source of each research question related to Section – E


    SECTION – E: Measuring the level of Parent Stress

    Research Question No.

    Research Question Details

    Source

    Q. 1

    Does avoidance behaviour, such as lack of adaptability among children toward school, present a wide challenge?

    Cluver, Lachman, Sherr, Wessels, Krug, Rakotomalala & McDonald (2020)

    Golberstein, Wen, & Miller (2020)

    Q. 2

    Schooling children at home develop more pressure as it creates a burden when the supporting material school is unavailable.

    Yamamura & Tsustsui (2021)

    Q. 3

    Managing house responsibility and a child’s schooling responsibility creates a stressful home environment.

    Reimers & Schleicher (2020)

    Q. 4

    Parent-child relationships will be strained, which might cause irreversible damage to their future.

    Chung, Lanier, & Wong (2020)

    Chung, Lanier, & Wong (2020)

    Thorell et al. (2021)

    Q. 5

    Negatively impacts their temperaments and behavioural attitude.

    Chung, Lanier, & Wong (2020)


    Research variables are tested for internal consistency with the Cronbach Alpha method, which is nothing more than a coefficient of reliability. The Cronbach Alpha method, however, is used to test the reliability of the research questionnaire. The values of Cronbach’s Alpha for research variables are scaled on the parents’ perceptions on the Likert Scale. The Online survey was conducted to collect the current data using Google Forms. The data collection took 3 months, from January 2022 to March 2022. The survey participants were asked to go through an ethical consent form (Appendix – 1), which was digitally forwarded to them. Furthermore, upon receiving ethical consent, a survey link was forwarded to research respondents via WhatsApp or email (whichever was convenient for them) to obtain their opinions.

  3. Results

    The collected data has been analyzed through descriptive, correlation, and regression analysis.

    Frequency table (demographics)


    Table 6: Nationality table


    Nationality

    Frequency

    Percent

    Valid Percent

    Cumulative Percent

    Omani

    193

    54.7

    54.7

    54.7

    Indian

    58

    16.4

    16.4

    71.1

    Pakistani

    38

    10.8

    10.8

    81.9

    Bangladesh

    18

    5.1

    5.1

    87

    Sri Lanka

    9

    2.5

    2.5

    89.5

    African

    8

    2.3

    2.3

    91.8

    UK Nationality

    6

    1.7

    1.7

    93.5

    European

    4

    1.1

    1.1

    94.6

    Middle East Countries

    10

    2.8

    2.8

    97.5

    Far East Countries

    5

    1.4

    1.4

    98.9

    Other Asian Countries

    4

    1.1

    1.1

    100

    Total

    353

    100

    100


    Table 7: Nationality table


    Frequency

    Percent

    Valid Percent

    Cumulative Percent

    Grade-1

    101

    28.6

    28.6

    28.6

    Grade-2

    138

    39.1

    39.1

    67.7

    Grade-5

    114

    32.2

    32.3

    100

    Total

    353

    100

    100


    The above two table presents the nationality of the participants. Table 10 examined that around 193 participants were Omani, and the rest belonged to countries such as India, the UK, UAE, etc. Table 11 shows how many participant children's were studying in grades 1 to 5. The analysis shows 101 parents whose children were in grade 1, 138 in grade 2, and 114 in grade 5.


    Table 8: Correlation Analysis


    Pearson Correlation

    Sig. (2-tailed)

    N

    Home Schooling

    1

    0

    353

    Insufficient support from teachers

    0.69

    0

    353

    Quality of education

    0.573

    0

    353

    Parental stress

    0.573

    0

    353


    Correlation analysis can be defined as a technique that helps to present the connectedness among the variables with each other (Cui et al., 2020). The researcher can utilize multiple correlation techniques, as the most used techniques are Spearman, Kendall, and Pearson’s correlation. Pearson correlation is one of the most suitable techniques based on easiness and simplicity of interpretation and analysis. Therefore in this study, Pearson’s correlation technique is used in the data set to examine and evaluate the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Makowski et al. (2020) stated that Pearson’s correlation is considered the most suitable technique based on the easiness and simplicity of the interpretation and analysis. There are three aspects of Pearson correlation analysis: significance, strength, and level. To measure the significance of the value, it is important to examine the P-value. If the Sig (2-tailed) P value is below 0.05 or 5%, the variable has significance. If there is a negative symbol in the table, the connection among the variables is adverse (Makowski et al., 2020). However, it is important to examine the coefficient value to examine the strength of the connection. If the value of the coefficient is lower than 0.5 – 0.7, this presents a moderate interaction.


    In contrast, a value above 0.7 depicts a strong connectedness. Table 6 represents the results of the correlation analysis of the variables and also presents the association of the dependent variable, i.e., Home-schooling, Insufficient support from teachers, quality of education, and Parental stress with the other variables, as can be seen from the above table that home-schooling have a positive association with the insufficient support from teachers and quality of education that can be noticed with the values of 0.69 and 0.573 that shows a positive and strong correlation between the variables. The Sig (2-tailed) P value presents 0 in all variables. This shows that all variables, Homeschooling, Insufficient support from teachers, quality of education, and Parental stress, significantly impact the dependent variable.


    This has shown that the educational situation in COVID stresses parents more. Moreover, it has also been assessed that the highest correlation is found to be with the measuring level of stress. It has been found that it has a positive association with other variables, proving that children face several challenges pertaining to online learning and staying at home.


    Regression analysis


    Table 9: Model Summary



    Model

    R

    R Square

    Adjusted R Square

    Std. The error in the Estimate

    1

    0.713

    0.508

    0.504

    0.35111


    The above regression analysis model summary shows a positive association between the variables as the value of R is 0.713 which shows a positive association; similarly, the adjusted R square is also presented to be 0.504, which also shows a moderate positive association between the variables.


    Table 10: Anova Table


    Model

    Sum of Squares

    df

    Mean Square

    F

    Sig.

    Regression

    44.486

    3

    14.829

    120.29

    0

    Residual

    43.023

    349

    0.123

    Total

    87.509

    352


    The results of the ANOVA are shown in Table 8, and they are used to determine whether or not the regression model is significant and error-free. According to the data above, the regression model is significant because its sig value is less than the threshold of 0.05. In the above table, the sig value is 0.000, which indicates the regression model is significant.


    Table 11: coefficient


    Model

    Unstandardized

    Co-efficient

    Standardized Coefficients Beta

    t

    Sig.

    B

    Std. Error

    (Constant)

    0.444

    0.069

    6.403

    0

    Home Schooling

    0.103

    0.047

    0.119

    2.17

    0.031

    Insufficient Support from teachers

    0.369

    0.049

    0.418

    7.531

    0

    Quality of Education

    0.25

    0.048

    0.266

    5.183

    0


    The relevance of the variable to the dependent variable is shown in the coefficient table. The minimal value for the value of significance is set at 0.05. The table above shows three factors whose impact and applicability have been seen on the level of stress, home-schooling which is the independent variable, has a sig value of .000, this present that home-schooling has a highly significant impact on the level of stress. Insufficient support from the teacher holds the sig value of .031 as this value is greater than 0.05; this indicates that it has a less significant influence on the stress variable. The last independent variable is the quality of education which holds a sig value of .000. This shows that the quality of education significantly impacts stress levels. The findings have been analysed that home- schooling and quality of education are the two variables that have a significant relationship with stress levels.


  4. Discussion

The global expansion of COVID-19 has complicated several industries, especially in the educational sector. Responding to the epidemic’s effects is extremely difficult for every industry worldwide. As a result, several emergency modifications were implemented across this domain in various areas, including public services, governance, healthcare, education, the global energy market, and the economy (Shah et al. 2020). Due to coping with the impact on the educational process, these alterations and adjustments have placed extremely difficult demands on the higher education sector.

Due to covid-19, the nation has suffered from school closure which has made a negative impact on 1.4 billion learners all over the globe. Dwivedi et al. (2020) stated that during the lockdown situation, the home-schooling trend occurred. Calear et al. (2022) stated that parents and caregivers said home- schooling had played an important role in improving their child’s knowledge in this covid-19 situation. This study was based on studying the stress level among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. Windish (2016) stated that due to covid-19, some parents have suffered from mental stress due to home-schooling. This is due to the fact that parents had to put in longer hours at work each day and also had to home-school their kids during a pandemic, all of which had a negative effect on the parents' ability to sleep, cut into their free time, and increased their stress levels. Children struggle with a number of challenges associated to staying at home and studying, according to Bhamani et al. (2020), because of the stressful environment at home and the lack of reading materials.

The parents must research first before instructing their children, and they must be more proactive in their instruction (Susilowati & Azzasyofia, 2020). This author further cited in their study that dealing with quarantine is challenging for both the student and parents (Susilowati & Azzasyofia, 2020). Due to the lockdown situation, a change in children’s behaviour occurs, which creates emotional problems among individuals and stress among the parents due to a disturbance found in the home environment of the individuals. However, the study’s findings revealed that home-schooling positively influences parents’ stress levels.

Another objective was to compare the level of Parental stress among parents of primary school students during Covid-19 across their gender. The findings have indicated that H1 stated that Home-schooling (HS) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19, which has been accepted. Regarding the research hypothesis, it has been assessed that most of the hypothesis was accepted. Homeschooling (HS) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. A literature review by Ravens- Sieberer et al. (2021) supported the above statement and stated that home-schooling has negatively affected parents and their children’s stress levels. Before the epidemic, the parent’s quality of life suffered dramatically. Ravens-Sieberer et al. (2021) emphasise that around 37% of parents said they frequently escalated their arguments with their children during the pandemic, which increased their stress levels. These authors further stated that parents’ relationships with their children had become more challenging in home-schooled situations. The findings have proved that the issue has created a highly stressful environment for the children and has affected their learning and level of stress.

The third objective was to analyse the effect of home-schooling on the stress level of parents of primary school students during Covid-19. As per the research findings, the hypothesis was that the parents’ stress level has increased in COVID-19. The stress level was found to have a strong positive association with the other variables as it is found to be higher in COVID. The second hypothesis, H2, which stated that receiving insufficient support from teachers (RIST) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19, has also been approved because the findings have also provided the results that insufficient support from teachers (RIST) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. Shah et al. (2020) stated in their study that most parents do not know how to make notes or teach their students, which incredibly makes it difficult for the students to manage and concentrate on each subject. This also causes parents and students to become weary of and lose interest in home-schooling approaches (Shah et al., 2020). Similarly, for the other objective, the researcher analyzed the effect of receiving insufficient support from teachers on the stress level of parents of primary school students during Covid-19. Additionally, the children of primary school are facing the issue of insufficient support from the teachers, which has badly affected their learning. As a result, the current study sought to address a vacuum in the body of knowledge on the subject matter by studying the effect of COVID-19-induced e-learning on university students' feelings of stress in Oman. The findings of this study offer guidance to higher education educators, administrators, and policymakers on how to improve the application of e-learning while ensuring the mental and psychological health of the students.

The last objective was to analyse the effect of the quality of education on the stress level of parents of primary school students during Covid-19. This objective has been achieved while considering the findings from the data, the kids are facing this issue of poor quality of education as their syllabuses have also been reduced, and only basic things are being taught to them. The last hypothesis, H3, stated that the quality of education (QE) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19, and it has been approved because the quality of education (QE) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. This can be supported by Yaakov, Shlomo, and Keini (2022) stated in LR that the quality of education is one of the main reasons for parents’ stress. This is because low spending on education has been found to adversely impact the productivity of education and further cause stress among parents. Im et al. (2022) stated that parents are increasingly concerned about their child’s future due to the low-quality level of education. Several tools can help maintain the quality of education and further reduce the parents’ stress. Utilissing immersive technologies, such as ICT abilities, visual classrooms, Metaverse, and AR technologies, is the primary strategy and set of tools that can aid in learning. Disputed this claim and suggested that using digital technology to connect with others could be a great option, but research has shown that virtual classrooms cannot deliver the same standards of instruction and learning outcomes as traditional classrooms. The particular syllabus is not the only form of education. It also includes interaction between the teacher and the student and elements of discipline morale, both of which aid in the student's learning. To introduce these characteristics into a virtual class is really challenging. When the traits are not injected into virtual classes, this increases psychological problems among the students and learners and creates stress levels (SL) among parents of primary school students.


  1. Conclusion


    Based on the findings and analysis of the data, it is seen that data has been gathered from the respondents, and the cross-sectional method has been used. The COVID-19 situation has badly affected the students’ learning and created a stressful environment. The findings stated that the children and their parents face different hurdles and challenges as the quality of education has decreased. The parents are also facing stress due to the unavailability of resources at home. These issues have affected the overall teaching and learning situation in this regard. It has been concluded that there has been a significant impact of emotion on learning success in home-schooling. This has not only affected the children but has affected the parents as well. Parents’ stress level has increased dramatically since the outbreak of COVID–19, as they had to assist their children by studying their curriculum. The potential cause of the stress for a parent during the pandemic is that home-schooling has largely burdened them.


    Moreover, it has also been concluded that the stress level was found to have a strong positive association with the other variables as it is found to be higher in COVID. As per the research hypothesis is concerned, it has been assessed that most of the hypothesis was accepted. Such as home- schooling (HS) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. Similarly, the findings have also shown that insufficient support from teachers (RIST) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19. Lastly, quality of education (QE) positively influences the stress level (SL) among parents of primary school students during Covid-19.


  2. Declarations

    I hereby declare that the following paper is an original piece of work. This paper has been solely developed as per the requirements of my enrollment in the (degree) at the (University). This paper and the content developed, argued, and justified are pure and unbiased in the nature of the application and it has not been submitted to any other course in the current university and any other institute for the same or different course, degree, or any other qualifications. The paper has been developed with the follow-up for various ethical considerations which have been set by the university in the follow- up of research work.


    I have read all the ethical guidelines for the research development in coordination with the university commitments regarding the Human and Animal subjects in the research purposes. The participants and their respective consent has been also been collected and I have made sure to analyse all the associated risks with the research. The variation of risks and their implication for the research conductance has been subjected to great importance. I have made sure regarding the personal and health safety of the participants and acknowledged the ethical obligation to participants’ rights. I have tried effectively to maintain the harmony and integrity of research and education practices.


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