Socio-Emotional Characteristics of Emergency Distance Teaching: A Mixed-Method Investigation in Greece
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| Title: | Socio-Emotional Characteristics of Emergency Distance Teaching: A Mixed-Method Investigation in Greece |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Tzafilkou, Katerina, Perifanou, Maria, Economides, Anastasios A. |
| Source: | Journal of Information Technology Education: Research. 2022 21:53-73. |
| Availability: | Informing Science Institute. 131 Brookhill Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. Tel: 707-531-4925; Fax: 480-247-5724; e-mail: contactus@informingscience.org; Web site: http://www.informingscience.org/Journals/JITEResearch/Overview |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Teacher Attitudes, Distance Education, COVID-19, Pandemics, School Closing, Elementary Secondary Education, Psychological Patterns, Stress Variables, Fatigue (Biology), Social Isolation, Inclusion, Cooperation, Interaction, Mental Disorders, Barriers, Online Courses, Teacher Student Relationship, Intellectual Disciplines, Foreign Countries, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Teacher Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | Greece |
| DOI: | 10.28945/4918 |
| ISSN: | 1547-9714 |
| Abstract: | Aim/Purpose: The study examines the teachers' perceptions towards a set of socio-emotional characteristics of distance education (DE) in primary and secondary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The examined characteristics include perceived joy, stress, effort/fatigue, isolation, inclusiveness, and collaboration/interaction. Background: The transition to emergency distance education had a large socio-emotional impact on teachers. Recent evidence certifies an increase in mental health issues like stress and load. Studies also recognized online teaching barriers including difficulties in communication and interaction with students. This study focuses on the examination of the socio-emotional characteristics of distance education as perceived by primary and secondary education teachers in Greece. The study also investigates differences between primary and secondary education, teaching disciplines, and the role of individual factors like gender, age, and experience. Methodology: The study used a mixed-method research design with closed-ended and open-ended questions on a sample of 845 teachers of primary and secondary education in Greece. The closed-ended questionnaire consisted of 19 items of socio-emotional DE characteristics, measured in a 5-point bipolar format. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on 16 items, indicating three components: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, and (c) collaboration/interactivity. A single-item scale was considered for joy, fatigue, stress, and isolation. The finalized measurement model was evaluated in terms of item loadings, reliability of measures, convergent, and discriminant validity, with the help of the SmartPLS software. Descriptive statistics and percentages were calculated with the help of SPSS software. Because of the non-normal distribution of the data, non-parametric methods of Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were performed to examine significant differences in teacher groups. The qualitative part of the analysis was conducted on text data received from two open-ended questions, on a sample of 602 cases. The identified qualitative constructs were investigated through content thematic analysis focusing on the identification of the socio-emotional codes and references, excluding non-relevant themes and cases. Contribution: The findings of the study contribute towards the deeper understanding of the teachers' psychological or emotional state during the early stage of the COVID-19 emergency DE, as well as on the role of individual and other factors like gender, age, teaching stage, and teaching subject. The results can be leveraged during or after the pandemic, to design pedagogical or psychological practices and strategies to encourage and facilitate the teachers' transition to DE. Findings: A measurement model of the teachers' perceived socio-emotional characteristics towards emergency distance education was developed and validated. The model includes the components of: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, (c) collaboration/interactivity, (d) isolation, (e) joy, and (f) stress. The quantitative results indicated that teachers experienced increased levels of fatigue, and perceived DE as difficult and time-consuming. Teachers of primary education reported significantly lower levels of perceived collaboration/interaction than secondary teachers. Female teachers reported significantly higher scores of both joy and stress, while the youngest age groups expressed the highest scores of joy. The teaching subject also revealed differences in fatigue. Through qualitative analysis, this study also identified several socio-emotional thematic codes revealing the teachers' difficulties in interaction and communication with students as well as a set of emotional attributes like fatigue, joy, and stress. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers should modify their face-to-face teaching material and adjust it to online teaching principles, avoiding future load and frustration. Different approaches should be implemented in primary and secondary education and indifferent teaching disciplines. Also, teachers should be trained on DE-oriented digital skills, ICT competencies, and socio-emotional skills, e.g., by receiving psychological and socio-emotional support from experts. Strategies to decrease fatigue and stress, especially in synchronous teaching should be traced by schools and educators. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings provide theoretical evidence on the teachers' socio-emotional attitude towards DE and their experiences in the first stages of the emergency remote education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact on Society: This research highlights the perceived DE characteristics and the barriers to online teaching during COVID-19. Schools, educators, and society should collaborate to provide awareness and opportunities for successful distance education practices. Future Research: The survey is based on individual self-reported measures, and this restricts the deeper understanding of the findings. Hence, future research should extend this work by using different methods of data collection like for instance observations, course recordings, interviews, or focus groups. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1342314 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwGIYezFgE-BJ9kMH3QrkOz6AAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDMC1AhFvvOMc4s3zngIBEICBm3keppA1GRUo6i9YbsBze1gMBPNpC1oTYyflh2SrTIn05yDbcIpKNgkobBBaBt87X8xTEqowYvL9MP3O-k6hx_hIkmrgwqdQug8iVxtHenIxEpQ0P3nVS83dlFcSyEQmZFp7XJ66N1-RVeyIjV-EaGpTx0QDgsJ05Syw6kPrDuF8SomuPU0Twfuu4h2pI3-f3EIin969kZhuSZB0 Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Socio-Emotional Characteristics of Emergency Distance Teaching: A Mixed-Method Investigation in Greece – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tzafilkou%2C+Katerina%22">Tzafilkou, Katerina</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Perifanou%2C+Maria%22">Perifanou, Maria</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Economides%2C+Anastasios+A%2E%22">Economides, Anastasios A.</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Information+Technology+Education%3A+Research%22"><i>Journal of Information Technology Education: Research</i></searchLink>. 2022 21:53-73. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Informing Science Institute. 131 Brookhill Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. Tel: 707-531-4925; Fax: 480-247-5724; e-mail: contactus@informingscience.org; Web site: http://www.informingscience.org/Journals/JITEResearch/Overview – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 21 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Attitudes%22">Teacher Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Distance+Education%22">Distance Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Closing%22">School Closing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+Secondary+Education%22">Elementary Secondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+Patterns%22">Psychological Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stress+Variables%22">Stress Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fatigue+%28Biology%29%22">Fatigue (Biology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Isolation%22">Social Isolation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inclusion%22">Inclusion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperation%22">Cooperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interaction%22">Interaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+Disorders%22">Mental Disorders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Online+Courses%22">Online Courses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Student+Relationship%22">Teacher Student Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intellectual+Disciplines%22">Intellectual Disciplines</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Technology%22">Educational Technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technology+Uses+in+Education%22">Technology Uses in Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Characteristics%22">Teacher Characteristics</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Greece%22">Greece</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.28945/4918 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 1547-9714 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Aim/Purpose: The study examines the teachers' perceptions towards a set of socio-emotional characteristics of distance education (DE) in primary and secondary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The examined characteristics include perceived joy, stress, effort/fatigue, isolation, inclusiveness, and collaboration/interaction. Background: The transition to emergency distance education had a large socio-emotional impact on teachers. Recent evidence certifies an increase in mental health issues like stress and load. Studies also recognized online teaching barriers including difficulties in communication and interaction with students. This study focuses on the examination of the socio-emotional characteristics of distance education as perceived by primary and secondary education teachers in Greece. The study also investigates differences between primary and secondary education, teaching disciplines, and the role of individual factors like gender, age, and experience. Methodology: The study used a mixed-method research design with closed-ended and open-ended questions on a sample of 845 teachers of primary and secondary education in Greece. The closed-ended questionnaire consisted of 19 items of socio-emotional DE characteristics, measured in a 5-point bipolar format. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted on 16 items, indicating three components: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, and (c) collaboration/interactivity. A single-item scale was considered for joy, fatigue, stress, and isolation. The finalized measurement model was evaluated in terms of item loadings, reliability of measures, convergent, and discriminant validity, with the help of the SmartPLS software. Descriptive statistics and percentages were calculated with the help of SPSS software. Because of the non-normal distribution of the data, non-parametric methods of Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis were performed to examine significant differences in teacher groups. The qualitative part of the analysis was conducted on text data received from two open-ended questions, on a sample of 602 cases. The identified qualitative constructs were investigated through content thematic analysis focusing on the identification of the socio-emotional codes and references, excluding non-relevant themes and cases. Contribution: The findings of the study contribute towards the deeper understanding of the teachers' psychological or emotional state during the early stage of the COVID-19 emergency DE, as well as on the role of individual and other factors like gender, age, teaching stage, and teaching subject. The results can be leveraged during or after the pandemic, to design pedagogical or psychological practices and strategies to encourage and facilitate the teachers' transition to DE. Findings: A measurement model of the teachers' perceived socio-emotional characteristics towards emergency distance education was developed and validated. The model includes the components of: (a) effort/fatigue, (b) inclusiveness, (c) collaboration/interactivity, (d) isolation, (e) joy, and (f) stress. The quantitative results indicated that teachers experienced increased levels of fatigue, and perceived DE as difficult and time-consuming. Teachers of primary education reported significantly lower levels of perceived collaboration/interaction than secondary teachers. Female teachers reported significantly higher scores of both joy and stress, while the youngest age groups expressed the highest scores of joy. The teaching subject also revealed differences in fatigue. Through qualitative analysis, this study also identified several socio-emotional thematic codes revealing the teachers' difficulties in interaction and communication with students as well as a set of emotional attributes like fatigue, joy, and stress. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers should modify their face-to-face teaching material and adjust it to online teaching principles, avoiding future load and frustration. Different approaches should be implemented in primary and secondary education and indifferent teaching disciplines. Also, teachers should be trained on DE-oriented digital skills, ICT competencies, and socio-emotional skills, e.g., by receiving psychological and socio-emotional support from experts. Strategies to decrease fatigue and stress, especially in synchronous teaching should be traced by schools and educators. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings provide theoretical evidence on the teachers' socio-emotional attitude towards DE and their experiences in the first stages of the emergency remote education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Impact on Society: This research highlights the perceived DE characteristics and the barriers to online teaching during COVID-19. Schools, educators, and society should collaborate to provide awareness and opportunities for successful distance education practices. Future Research: The survey is based on individual self-reported measures, and this restricts the deeper understanding of the findings. Hence, future research should extend this work by using different methods of data collection like for instance observations, course recordings, interviews, or focus groups. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2022 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1342314 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1342314 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.28945/4918 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 21 StartPage: 53 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Distance Education Type: general – SubjectFull: COVID-19 Type: general – SubjectFull: Pandemics Type: general – SubjectFull: School Closing Type: general – SubjectFull: Elementary Secondary Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological Patterns Type: general – SubjectFull: Stress Variables Type: general – SubjectFull: Fatigue (Biology) Type: general – SubjectFull: Social Isolation Type: general – SubjectFull: Inclusion Type: general – SubjectFull: Cooperation Type: general – SubjectFull: Interaction Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental Disorders Type: general – SubjectFull: Barriers Type: general – SubjectFull: Online Courses Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Student Relationship Type: general – SubjectFull: Intellectual Disciplines Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Technology Type: general – SubjectFull: Technology Uses in Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Teacher Characteristics Type: general – SubjectFull: Greece Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Socio-Emotional Characteristics of Emergency Distance Teaching: A Mixed-Method Investigation in Greece Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tzafilkou, Katerina – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Perifanou, Maria – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Economides, Anastasios A. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2022 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1547-9714 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 21 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Information Technology Education: Research Type: main |
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