コロナ禍における公民館利用団体の学習活動の状況

—日野市中央公民館を事例として—

抄録

This study seeks to clarify the status of learning activities of groups using community learning centers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the spread of COVID-19, many community learning centers in Japan temporarily closed for extended periods beginning in the spring of 2020. Given this situation, this study explores the actions taken by users of community learning centers. Additionally, this paper explores the types of difficulties experienced by users and the steps taken to develop learning activities. This paper explores the new image of the community learning centers in the eyes of its users following their closure. These centers were spaces used daily by the community.

To answer the above questions, we conducted exhaustive mail surveys for all groups of community learning centers and sampling interview surveys targeting groups who could not restart activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of the survey, the following three points were clarified. First, users were at risk of infection from the virus, and they resumed and suspended learning activities so as not to lose sight of their purpose. Second, few of the groups using community learning centers introduced online activities during the COVID-19 crisis. However, once facilities reopened, there were requests for support to aquire online skills. Third, although users recommenced their everyday lives at community learning centers, during the corona disaster, they perceived learning with peers and the sustainability of connections to be a challenge.