K-12 teacher perspectives on the pandemic pivot to online teaching and learning

• Main Authors: Daniel W. Eadens (Author), David Maddock (Author), Amy Wooten Thornburg (Author), Dixie Friend Abernathy (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Journal of Pedagogical Research, 2022-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2602-3717; 10.33902/JPR.2022175776
• Keywords: educational leadership; pandemic; COVID-19; online preparation; pivot; school improvement; Education; L; Education (General); L7-991
• Source: Journal of Pedagogical Research, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 131-151 (2022)

The study examines teacher perspectives on preparedness to implement the transition of over 50 million K-12 students to online and virtual teaching formats. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were instructed to remain at home and to avoid the potential dangers of virus spread in schools. Once this transition began, and then continued on as the pandemic ignited, attention and scrutiny was aimed at how well teachers had been prepared for this shift. Relationships between these perceptions in terms of years of teaching, grade level, content area, school type, and school level were examined in this study. Over 140 teachers, ranging from kindergarten to senior English teachers completed the survey. The researchers analyzed emerged patterns and sentiment scores for the most prevalent themes. The study sought teacher perceptions of preparation as provided by schools, districts, and universities as well as perceptions on how engaged parents and students felt during this dramatic and sudden shift. Findings demonstrate that significant differences exist between how teachers perceive their levels of preparedness for teaching remotely depending on their teaching experience. It was evident that the pandemic affected K-12 school systems in one state harsher than in higher education. Conclusions from this study better inform future decisions of this nature and that could ensure higher levels of teacher preparation.