Impact of school locality on teaching and learning: A qualitative inquiry

Abstract

This research examined the impact of school location on teaching and learning through a case study of two urban, two rural and two remote Fijian secondary schools. A total of 48 semi-structured interviews were conducted: 16 from each category of urban, rural and remote. Each school was represented by three teachers, three heads of department and two administrators. The study established that rural and remote schools often face different challenges to their urban counterparts: geography, poverty and funding influence the quality of education. Leadership support and adequate resources are the key to breaking the overreliance on traditional methods of teaching and enhancing student classroom interest and participation. Finally, just as schools serve different communities, geographical location impacts on external links, cooperation and professional exchange and development. Understanding the impact of school locality on teaching and learning in Fiji should benefit other developing nations and the educational community at large.

Sociology Teacher Innovation in Online Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Central Lombok Regency

“…This finding differs from the study of Wang (2013), who found that compared to urban schools, remote schools have less access to technology and lower levels of computer literacy among instructors and students. In addition, unstable internet networks (Beng et al, 2018), as well as a lack of resources and infrastructure (Chand & Mohan. 2019).…”

Exploring Teacher Leadership’s Effect on Teacher Burnout: Does School Rurality Make a Difference?

“…Rural teachers revealed that factors out of their control (social and political) were far more prevalent stressors than personal factors (Randell, 2019), but compared to non-rural teachers, rural teachers were found to spend nearly an hour less each week (on average) communicating with colleagues (Woodland & Mazur, 2019). A study on Fijian schools found rurality affects cooperation in addition to the professional exchange of ideas with rural teachers having little time during or after school to dialogue (Chand & Mohan, 2019). This, in turn, affects teachers' professional growth and professional identity which together can increase teachers' feelings of burnout (Xu et al, 2023).…”