WAUSAU, Wis. (WAOW) — A local research group conducted a recent study that revealed students’ anxieties and uncertainties as a new school year begins.
This study was a first of its kind done by the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) documenting a total of 47 students throughout Marathon County.
WIPPS conducted 5 focus group discussions. During the focus groups with students, some themes stood out.
“There’s really an underlying theme of stress and anxiety that’s cutting across students anticipation of returning to school this fall,” said Sharon Belton, Director of WIPPS and team lead for the study.
She also said it’s not just that, students also want to feel connected to their teachers and classmates.
“For many of the students, we talked to they didn’t know yet whether they were going back in person or virtually and they really wanted information communicated to them directly from the schools,” said Belton.
This study is giving students a voice with one goal in mind.
She says, “they want opportunities to engage with school leaders on a more regular basis to provide feedback into what they’re feeling, what they’re thinking, they have a lot of good ideas about things that they think might work in this new environment if people are just willing to ask them and listen.”
The full research report can be viewed here.
