Tele-Education under the COVID-19 Crisis: Asymmetries in Romanian Education

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened social and educational asymmetries in some developing countries, such as Romania. Tele-education failed to replace face-to-face education due to the lack of symmetrical policy, connectivity, infrastructure, digitalized educational materials and digital competences. Was this issue predictable and, hence, the stakeholders’ mission failed? Our qualitative research aims at analyzing, in depth, these digitalization asymmetries, with a sample formed of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists working for/with Romanian 1–4 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) schools. The collected primary data were processed with Atlas.ti 8. The results emphasize major key areas to be addressed with future public symmetrical policy and change management strategies: equal access to infrastructure, as well as development of compulsory and complementary digital skills (for teachers and students). The necessity to support school management in accessing funding is also required to enhance digitalization.

Parents' Emotion Management for Personal Well-Being When Challenged by Their Online Work and Their Children's Online School

“…Parents reported their children struggling with distance learning and they, as the proxy educators during the distance education imposed by the pandemic, experienced elevated symptoms of mental health distress (Davis et al, 2020 ). This new type of education, a pandemic distance learning, asks for both specific technological devices and the skills necessary to use them and, even more, teachers must use pedagogical strategies specific to online teaching (Nicolau et al, 2020 ). All these features meant not only teachers, but also parents, had to do a sort of home-schooling during COVID-19 pandemic for the benefit of their children.…”

Students' Attitudes Toward Online Music Education During the COVID 19 Lockdown

“…Secondly, there are also other important variables which could explain e-learning system use outcomes, not included in this study, such as personal characteristics (online self-efficacy, technology anxiety, user experience regarding e-learning platforms, learning engagement) (Maican et al, 2019;Stephan et al, 2019) or dimensions of the acceptance technology models (perceived ease-of-use, social influence, performance expectancy, effort expectancy or facilitating conditions) (Venkatesh et al, 2003). Future research may provide a closer look on understanding the effects of these variables on learners' satisfaction or intention to further use online applications, but also on more complex learning outcomes, such as academic performance (Nicolau et al, 2020). Future research cold also focusses on the impact of online teaching and learning and the development of selfregulated learning skills and autonomous learning of music students (Bonneville-Roussy et al, 2020) and on interventions to reduce burnout and anxiety (Grigorescu et al, 2020).…”

Tele-Schooling as Distance Learning Approach in Schools of Pakistan During Pandemic COVID-19

“…These results are aligned with findings of previous study which conducted in other settings. A study was led by Nicolau, Henter, Roman, Neculau, and Miclaus (2020) in Romania on Tele-Education under the COVID-19 crisis. Donkor (2010) directed a study in Ghana related to video based teaching and learning.…”