RETRACTED ARTICLE: COVID 19 response: An analysis of teachers’ perception on pedagogical successes and challenges of digital teaching practice during new normal

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study undertaken between June and August 2020 was to capture teachers’ perspectives to explore (a) what kind of pedagogies they have successfully implemented in the face of a pandemic; (b) what hurdles and successes did they encounter while implementing virtual teaching-learning; and (c) how virtual pedagogies can be improved. Data was collected using purposive sampling via 47 social media groups and pages, using internet survey as an instrument from 141 teachers, teaching kindergarten and elementary students, from different regions (continents) of the world. Findings revealed, six success themes and eight major challenges from the voice of teachers experiencing a rapid and unprepared shift to virtual education. Suggestions for improving digital education revolve around four areas which suggest that pupils from marginal socioeconomic households were significantly disadvantaged during the COVID-driven virtual education scheme. This research is not preoccupied with identifying universal outcomes but, instead, is focused on how the real virtual teaching experience can help in informing areas of focus for reimagining the approach to education for an uncertain future.

Austrian Elementary School Teachers’ Perception of Professional Challenges During Emergency Distance Teaching due to COVID-19

“…As such, this development may have been especially challenging for those teachers who hhave been using traditional pedagogical tools. However, several studies indicate that even young teachers who are considered "digital natives" (Prensky, 2001) often do not possess extensive digital skills (König et al, 2020;Bej, 2020, Kundu andBej, 2021). In accordance with this assumption, numerous findings show that only a small number of teachers had prior knowledge in digital education (e.g., Tengler et al, 2020;Helm et al, 2021;Wu, 2021).…”

“…However, the rapid transition to distance teaching has caught many schools unprepared (Helm et al, 2021). Accordingly, recent findings suggest that both technologyaware teachers as well as technology-skill-deficient teachers experienced numerous challenges due to the shift to distance teaching (Kundu and Bej, 2020;Kundu and Bej, 2021). Several studies suggest that tendencies of digitalization may have already advanced large parts of education systems and contributed to improvements in learning processes in higher grades (e.g., Lu and Law, 2012;Edmunds and Hartnett, 2014).…”

“…Because of the school closures, communication between elementary school teachers and students took place primarily through the parents Ferguson et al, 2021;Kundu and Bej, 2021). In some cases, this form of alternative communication led to considerable difficulties.…”

“…In addition, numerous teachers reported on the importance of parental support in terms of effective distance teaching Moss et al, 2020;Kundu and Bej, 2021). Some teachers and school administrators even criticized the parents' lack of digital knowledge, responsibility and support, which further exacerbated the problem of maintaining contact with the students Kundu and Bej, 2021). As such, several research works show that teachers found it difficult to establish contact due to the lack of digital skills on the student side (e.g., Stenman and Pettersson, 2020).…”

“…However, the use of digital teaching methods was often contraindicated in elementary schools since there was a risk of overtaxing the students (e.g., . Also, young students often did not have technical devices or digital skills required to participate in distance learning (e.g., Helm et al, 2021;Kundu and Bej, 2021).…”