The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on teaching practices and teacher-learner professional relationships in a rural school context.

Abstract

This study explores the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on teaching practices and teacher-learner professional relationships in a rural school context, examining the lived experiences of teachers. The teaching practices that rural context teachers used prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and those they employed during the lockdown begun in March 2020 when schools shut down are examined. Framed by the Hargreaves (2001) conceptual framework of emotional geographies, this study illuminates the subjective experiences of teachers in rural geographical contexts. The study adopted a qualitative approach, grounded within interpretive paradigm and using case study research design. Semi-structured interviews and collages were used as data generation method. A total of eight teachers (four from each school) were sampled to participate in the study. The deductive approach was best suited to analyse the data. The findings of study suggest that teachers in rural context schools adopted various teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily embracing online teaching methods and using social platforms to distribute learning materials. However, these adopted practices encountered significant challenges including limited internet connectivity, teachers' insufficient ICT skills, and the overarching digital divide posed formidable obstacles, impeding the sustained effectiveness of these methods. These challenges worsened the existing disparities in access to education between rural and urban areas. The findings also indicate that the impact of teaching practices amidst the COVID-19 pandemic on the professional relationship between teachers and learners in rural context schools revealed predominantly negative outcomes. It came out from the findings that the lack of communication due to contextual factors strained professional relationships significantly. Furthermore, the introduction of a rotation timetable created emotional voids for teachers, hindering their ability to deliver academic content and maintain previous interaction levels with learners. COVID-19 restrictions prevented teachers from offering pastoral care or engaging in non-curricular discussions, diminishing the overall teacher-learner relationship. Disruptions caused by the pandemic hindered teachers' multifaceted roles, impeding their capacity to identify and address individual learner needs. The physical distance enforced by the pandemic limited teachers' ability to detect struggling learners, eroding the efficacy of a prior learner-centered and interactive teaching approach. This led to emotional strain on teachers, underscoring the importance of a deeper connection beyond curriculum delivery. Contrary to assumptions, emotional bonds couldn't compensate for physical distance, impacting the professional relationships between teachers and learners adversely and leaving teachers questioning their teaching purpose amidst this perplexing period.