ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to an influx of research studies focusing on the new norm of online teaching–learning in higher education. However, much less is known about how this profound shift in pedagogy has impacted school education especially among rural children of India. The present study is an attempt to understand the barriers and challenges that teachers of Public-funded (PF) elementary schools face while teaching online. We developed a semi-structured questionnaire and administered it to teachers of PF elementary schools in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh, India, using the online survey method. Thematic analysis of the responses we received (N = 203) reveals five broad themes, namely physical environmental constraints, socio-environmental limitations, parental support, issues of effective learning and health and well-being hazards. These findings have several implications for developing appropriate online teaching methods and making policy interventions to enhance learners’ as well as educators’ experiences.

摘要

COVID-19 的爆发导致大量研究关注高等教育在线教学的新常态。然而，人们对这种教育学的深刻转变如何影响学校教育，尤其是印度农村儿童的教育知之甚少。本研究试图了解公费 (PF) 小学教师在网上教学时面临的障碍和挑战。我们开发了半结构化问卷，并使用在线调查方法对印度北方邦农村地区的 PF 小学教师进行了问卷调查。对我们收到的回复进行主题分析（N = 203) 揭示了五个广泛的主题，即物理环境限制、社会环境限制、父母支持、有效学习问题以及健康和福祉危害。这些发现对于开发适当的在线教学方法和制定政策干预措施以增强学习者和教育者的体验具有多种意义。