Impacts of K-12 emergency online teaching within a rural, rural-remote context: Finding value in the experience
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https://doi.org/10.70116/2980274181Keywords:
Emergency online teaching, pandemic teaching, K-12 online instructionAbstract
Exploratory, convergent mixed methods research was used to examine the shifts in rural/rural-remote K-12 teachers' (n=40) perspectives and experiences of emergency online teaching (EOT), including perceptions of value before and after the EOT phase of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The sample came from one highly rural state (64.9% rural population) in the western United States. Data were collected using a Likert-like survey along with a set of open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and a t-test were used to examine survey data while thematic analysis of the participants’ narratives was used to identify themes within the open-ended data. A substantial increase in knowledge was reported post-EOT, and statistical analysis confirmed significant gains in perceived knowledge of and confidence with online instruction (t (39) = 8.2041, p ≤ 0.001) within the sample. Findings suggest that participants’ self-efficacy with online teaching improved because of their EOT experiences. Results also suggest the experience had value beyond the pandemic years, with participants reporting perceptions of slight to moderate value, including ongoing value for enhancing teaching and value for learning along with perceptions of self-efficacy and adaptability in times of future crisis. Within the qualitative data, both prominent challenges, such as student engagement, and successes, such as teacher adaptability and resilience, emerged. Recommendations along with consideration of the implications for teacher educators, rural policy makers, and other stakeholders interested in determining the long-term benefits and challenges of the emergency online teaching experience on teachers and their professional practice are examined as well.
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