Fjarkennsla í faraldri: Nám og kennsla í framhaldsskólum á tímum samkomubanns vegna COVID-19

Abstract

As in other parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic had an extensive impact on the Icelandic education system. During the spring semester 2020 all upper secondary school buildings closed and teaching and learning was moved online overnight. This change which can be described as ‘emergency remote teaching’ (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020) posed significant challenges for schools and teachers, requiring them to instantly adapt their teaching practices and course plans to a digital environment. The aim of the study is to investigate how upper secondary school teachers adapted and changed their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, their views on administrative support and impact on students. In May 2020, all upper secondary school staff were sent an electronic questionnaire on different aspects of working and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic (Haskoli Islands, n.d.). Here the focus is on the answers of upper secondary teachers to three categories of questions: (1) management and support during the transition to remote teaching; (2) changes made to teaching practices, such as teaching methods and assessment; and (3) impact on students, in terms of demands, participation, and homework. The answers provided are analyzed by school size (less than 250 students, 250–500 students, 501–1000 students, and more than 1000 students) as well as whether the teachers had any prior experience in distance education. Overall, 680 upper secondary school teachers answered the questionnaire (37% males, 57% were in the age bracket 40–59). The sample adequately reflects school population demographic characteristics, and the response rate was 42% of the overall number of upper secondary school teachers registered in The Association of Teachers in Upper Secondary Schools. The results showed that most teachers worked from home and said that they made changes to their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses were rarely suspended and therefore teachers generally continued their teaching load, but in most cases under drastically changed circumstances. Overall, pedagogical support seems to have been insufficient, particularly in larger schools. About a third of teachers maintained the weekly class schedule, but half could decide whether to do so or not, indicating a lack of coordination within schools in how best to organize classes. Teachers in larger upper secondary schools thought their duties were less clear and said they had received fewer directives from the school leadership in comparison to teachers in smaller schools. The results also show significant influence on teaching practices, especially in larger schools. The challenges included using varied teaching methods, continuing teaching practical or workshop classes, and encouraging student collaboration. Most teachers seem to have dealt with the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing more flexibility and adapting their teaching to student needs, and the fact that the majority of them seem to have changed their assessment practices provides evidence of this adaptation. Having experience of distance education seemed to have mitigated negative effects, and teachers with such experience were more likely to say the effects on their teaching were minimal. Finally, the results show that the teachers adjusted their demands on students during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Teachers said student attendance and participation had decreased, and this negative effect was more pronounced at larger schools, whereas teachers at smaller schools were more likely to report no change in student participation. Again, having experience of distance education seems to have mitigated the negative effects reported. Taken together, these results highlight the challenges facing upper secondary teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, but also demonstrate that teachers worked hard in overcoming these challenges and adapted to new circumstances. The results show that most teachers would have liked more pedagogical support in changing their teaching practices and that there can be a fine line between professional independence and lack of support. During the past decade or so, teaching and assessment in upper secondary schools has gradually become more diverse, in line with new curriculum guidelines. However, the results here show that teachers struggled with using diverse teaching and assessment methods during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a relapse in this development. This gives cause for concern, especially if the situation is prolonged. These results highlight the need to include courses in teacher education on distance education and using information technology in teaching, especially since distance education experience was found to mitigate negative effects. Distance education pedagogy is also important to increase student attendance and participation, particularly to counteract the impact on vulnerable students and students in danger of dropping out.