Educator Survey: Changes in Student Communication Skills

In March 2026, I surveyed educators about changes they have observed in students' face-to-face communication skills over the past 10 years. The survey received 79 responses from educators working across elementary, middle, high school, and multiple grade levels.

This was an informal survey of educators in my professional network and was not designed to represent a nationally representative sample. Its purpose was to better understand what educators are observing in their classrooms.

Key Findings

When asked how students' ability to engage in face-to-face conversation compares with 10 years ago:

• 55.7% said much worse (44 respondents)

• 40.5% said somewhat worse (32 respondents)

• 3.8% said about the same (3 respondents)

• 0% reported improvement

Overall, 96.2% of respondents reported a decline in students' face-to-face conversation skills.

When asked which conversation skill students struggle with most:

• Listening without interrupting: 31.6%

• Responding thoughtfully to what someone said: 21.5%

• Disagreeing respectfully: 13.9%

• Carrying on a back-and-forth conversation: 13.9%

• Starting a conversation: 7.6%

• Speaking confidently to adults or authority figures: 7.6%

• Making and maintaining eye contact: 2.5%

• No major change observed: 1.3%

When asked to identify the biggest factor contributing to changes in students' conversation skills, 63.3% selected increased screen time, followed by increased anxiety or social discomfort (16.5%) and less unstructured social time with peers (11.4%).

Respondents

The 79 respondents represented a range of educational settings:

• 37 high school

• 20 elementary school

• 16 middle school

• 6 multiple grade levels

The respondents were also highly experienced educators. 86.1% had worked in education for more than 10 years, including 39 respondents with more than 20 years of experience.

Survey conducted by Trevor Muir, March 5–9, 2026.