This is the final research paper, prepared within my Masters of Science program, at Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST), presented to Dr. Manal Abou El Ela and Dr. Heba Safey El Deen, for the “Environment and Behavior: applications in architecture and urban design” course.

Abstract

As schools and children day care facilities remain closed to prevent the spread of the new corona-virus, parents everywhere are struggling to keep children healthy and occupied. Children extended stay at home with no possibility of outdoor activities, whether educational or play activity, resulted in reported change in their behaviors, and how they use space, according to primary studies by World Health Organization and UNICEF.

The focus of this study is to attempt to map this change both in the physical space and on the behavioral patterns, through a hybrid quantitative and qualitative approach. This was done through a questionnaire that was distributed to 59 participants, and structured in depth interviews with 8 respondents. The findings of the questionnaires was that the majority of the participants reported changes to their children’s behaviors and play activity post pandemic confirming the initial findings of WHO organization, however, only 40% reported physical settings changes to correspond to these behavioral changes.

Download the full paper in Pdf format: Children under Covid19