Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences of the Transition From Analogue to Digital Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The transition from analogue campus-based learning to digital distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic affected our society in many ways. This study set out to explore the experiences of 30 pre-service teachers when transitioning to digital distance learning. The pre-service teachers (PSTs) participated in a series of focus-group interviews that were subsequently analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that the transition to digital distance learning worked well and that the technology that was used performed satisfactorily. However, the PSTs experienced both opportunities and obstacles with respect to distance learning. The opportunities associated with digital distance learning were reported to be instantiated by teacher-led ‘flipped classroom’ teaching sessions and the additional freedom that was enjoyed by the PSTs (in both space and time). An obstacle associated with digital learning was the feeling that important aspects of interpersonal interaction disappeared. The PSTs remained sedentary and isolated at home, and the learning experience became somewhat dysfunctional when the teaching was not clearly structured and teacher-lead. The study concludes that it is not possible to replace IRL (‘in real life’) teaching entirely with digital distance learning. However, the results suggest that a hybrid form of teaching or elements of digital teaching can work well as a complement to future campus-based courses. Keywords: Covid-19, digital learning, digital teaching, distance learning, hybrid learning

The digital silver lining of the pandemic: The impact on preservice teachers’ technological knowledge and beliefs

“…As a final point regarding the effects of the experience of lockdown, although these findings are only cross-sectional rather than longitudinal and are thus limited in their interpretation (see Section 6 for further discussion), they present initial evidence suggesting that preservice teachers may have drawn some benefits for their technology-related knowledge from the experience of remote learning. Several further studies report similar findings of the experience of lockdown to have been an opportunity for both inservice (e.g., DeCoito & Estaiteyeh, 2022 ) as well as preservice teachers (e.g., Bäcklund et al, 2022 ; Elçiçek, 2021 ) to extend their knowledge of technological tools and resources, as well as being forced to develop new designs and approaches in their teaching. Taken together, evidence presents the experience of lockdown as an event giving rise to a period effect (i.e., experience similarly affecting all groups within a population; see Altman, 2014 ) and thus of relevance for comparative research as well as for the professional development of preservice and inservice teachers having experienced lockdowns.…”

“…This led them to experience remote education from both sides of the coin. From both these perspectives, initial studies find mixed outcomes of preservice teachers reporting both negative as well as positive views towards remote education (e.g., Bäcklund et al, 2022 ; Elçiçek, 2021 ; Erumit et al, 2021 ). With regard to their experiences as remote learners, multiple studies found negative views to be associated with recurring challenges of unreliable or complete lack of infrastructure (Erumit et al, 2021 ; Mohamad Nasri et al, 2020 ; Naah, 2020 ) as well as a lack of motivation (Erumit et al, 2021 ) and social interaction (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ).…”

“…From both these perspectives, initial studies find mixed outcomes of preservice teachers reporting both negative as well as positive views towards remote education (e.g., Bäcklund et al, 2022 ; Elçiçek, 2021 ; Erumit et al, 2021 ). With regard to their experiences as remote learners, multiple studies found negative views to be associated with recurring challenges of unreliable or complete lack of infrastructure (Erumit et al, 2021 ; Mohamad Nasri et al, 2020 ; Naah, 2020 ) as well as a lack of motivation (Erumit et al, 2021 ) and social interaction (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ). On the positive side, several studies found preservice teachers to report advantages such as saving time and offering greater flexibility as well as being an opportunity for developing new digital skills (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ) and technological literacy (Elçiçek, 2021 ).…”

“…With regard to their experiences as remote learners, multiple studies found negative views to be associated with recurring challenges of unreliable or complete lack of infrastructure (Erumit et al, 2021 ; Mohamad Nasri et al, 2020 ; Naah, 2020 ) as well as a lack of motivation (Erumit et al, 2021 ) and social interaction (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ). On the positive side, several studies found preservice teachers to report advantages such as saving time and offering greater flexibility as well as being an opportunity for developing new digital skills (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ) and technological literacy (Elçiçek, 2021 ). Furthermore, Çevik and Bakioğlu ( 2022 ) found that among preservice teachers experiencing remote education in Turkey, their perceived computer self-efficacy was positively related to positive attitudes towards online learning.…”

“…In fact, despite encountering challenges, in their study, DeCoito and Estaiteyeh ( 2022 ) found teachers to report intending to integrate more digital elements into their teaching in the coming year. Along these lines, multiple studies conclude that the “new normal” of teaching and learning will be inherently hybrid (e.g., blended learning, flipped classroom), aiming to optimally balance the advantages offered by face-to-face and online learning (Bäcklund et al, 2022 ; Marek et al, 2021 ; Shamir-Inbal & Blau, 2021 ).…”