Exploring Teachers’ Perception on Successes and Challenges Associated with Digital Teaching Practice During COVID-19 Pandemic School Closures

Abstract

The current phenomenological study was undertaken, during the COVID-19 pandemic induced school closures, with the purpose to explore successes and challenges of implementing virtual education and collecting suggestions for improving virtual teaching practice. Data was collected using purposive sampling via social media, using open-ended survey. 141 teachers, teaching kindergarten and elementary school, from different regions submitted their responses. In our research findings, three success themes and five major challenges have emerged from the voice of teachers experiencing a rapid and unprepared shift to virtual education. Suggestions for improving digital education revolved around engagement strategies, training, access, school policies and collaboration among teachers. The finding of the research can help in informing areas of focus for reimagining the approach to education for an uncertain future.

Virtual literacy instruction: An investigation of how elementary educators exhibited TPACK during COVID-19 school closures

“…When using Google Suite in their reading and writing instruction, participants were more likely to use more advanced features. These results align with the research of Taimur et al (2021). They found that teachers were willing to add additional pedagogical strategies and various technology platforms to meet the needs of their students.…”

“…Another challenge prevalent in the literature was student access to technology with greater need than the supply (Ogodo et al, 2021;Schleicher, 2020;Steed & Leech, 2021;Taimur et al, 2021;Walker-Dalhouse & Risko, 2020). Many students lacked access to the Internet and technology devices needed for successful virtual learning during the pandemic-related school closures (An et al, 2021).…”

“…Student engagement is necessary for successful K-12 virtual learning (Borup et al, 2014). Worldwide, during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators identified student engagement as a challenge during virtual teaching DeCoito & Estaiteyeh, 2022;Eadens et al, 2022;Francom et al, 2021;Taimur et al, 2021). The online environment, especially the asynchronous format, results in less interaction between students and teachers.…”

“…Some teachers helped maintain a sense of community by conducting daily Zoom lunches (Chamberlain et al, 2020) or check-ins (Doll et al, 2021). Educators worldwide recognized the need for connections and continued fostering teacher-student and student-student connections (Taimur et al, 2021). Some educators made breakout rooms in Zoom available so that students could work collaboratively with each other (Doll et al, 2021).…”

Primary Teachers Difficulties Related to Compulsory Distance Education During COVID-19

“…If you look at the majority of distant education research, you will find that it is done at the university level (Belinova et al, 2020;Heckel & Ringeisen, 2019;Tsay et al, 2020). When forced distant education was implemented in primary schools, primary school instructors experienced significant difficulties (Ben-Amram & Davidovitch, 2021;Taimur et al, 2021;van Wyk, 2021;Wang et al, 2021). Teachers are obliged to reinvent themselves in the absence of any previous training.…”