Lost In Space

An Explorative Study of Arrested Emotional Development Among High School Aged Children Post-Pandemic

Abstract

College enrollment in the United States has continued to decrease since the pandemic. For colleges and universities, the students who are enrolling face unprecedented challenges, which many university leaders need help understanding and managing. The explorative nature of this study is to examine the traumatic environment of the pandemic on high school students, examining how this trauma has led to the suggested rampant arrested emotional development among said students. Arrested emotional development is attributed to rising cases of immaturity, anger, confusion, and suffering among high school students. Furthermore, the study will examine a connection between underdevelopment and the quality of students currently entering higher education. This investigation endeavors to understand the mindset of future university students and to help leaders of these institutions identify and serve future admits. This research methodology will be a principally qualitative approach consisting of primary information gathered from a culturally diverse sample of interviewed parents, teachers, administrators, and social workers based on their observations. Secondary information illustrates a broader and more global view of this problem. The evidence offered within this study explores an emerging issue that is currently under-researched, with the optimism of proposing opportunities for further exploration.