An Exploration of Adolescents’ Daily Lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Photovoice Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand the daily lives of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide educational implications for enhancing the competencies of adolescents living in rapidly-changing environments. To this end, the photovoice method, consisting of orientation, documentation, discussion, and analysis, was employed to study nine adolescent participants, who were interested in sharing aspects of their daily lives. The results yielded four themes and nine sub-themes. The first theme is “home life”, which is composed of two sub-themes: most comfortable to be alone and EA (eating alone) for lunch. The second theme is “leisure life”, which consists of two sub-themes: the virtual world of playing with friends and exercise is the only way out to breathe. The third theme is “school life”, which consists of three sub-themes: time for inner exploration and reflection, cracks in daily life due to excessive autonomy, and pros and cons of virtual classes. The fourth theme is “the voice of adolescents”, which consists of two sub-themes: requiring adults to set a golden example and anxious voices due to an uncertain future. This photovoice method of study is meaningful in that it explores the daily lives of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and provides valuable educational implications.