Secondary School Teachers’ Experiences on Online Teaching and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Inquiry. [Unpublished MPhil Dissertation]

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions closed physical classes and embraced different means of distance learning. This study explored the perception of secondary school STEM teachers about the change in mode of teaching and experiences with online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 crisis. Grounded on resilience theory, I also explored whether teachers became resilient or suffered from burnout, focusing on how they overcame challenges using an Asset-Based Approach. I subscribed to an interpretive paradigm; my ontological stance in this study was relativist; the epistemological assumption was narrative interpretation, and axiological consideration was value-laden. I believe teachers' experiences during such crises need to be heard so that they can be useful in making decisions during educational emergencies. Methodologically, I used narrative inquiry; I collected six participants' lived experiences expressed through their stories during interviews in multiple rounds. I examined the narratives to explore the initial perception of teachers on change, as it is necessary to know how they coped with the situation. I then explored how teachers searched for alternatives to continue education during the crisis. From the narratives, I derived six sub-themes under the challenges faced by the teachers, namely, Adopting Emergency Remote Teaching, Difficulties in Professional Development Training for Emergency Remote Teaching, Designing Digital Instructional Strategies, and Students Disengagement in Online Classes, Assessing Students Learning Online, and Teaching from Home: Classroom beyond Four Walls. The five broader themes named Adaptation as a key Asset to Resilience, Support as a Protective Factor to Withstand Challenge, Free-flexible Open Access to Digital Resources as a Promotive Factor, Self-efficacy as a Teacher Asset, and Maintaining Wellness as a Protective Factor were derived as coping strategies to overcome the challenges. Respondents’ narratives were analyzed thematically, and the meaning was derived. All these findings indicate that Teachers' resilience during the COVID-19 crisis was supported by their openness to adopting new technologies, effective collaboration, optimizing the available resources, strong psychological resilience, supportive community, and strong administrative support. Through their commitment to lifelong learning and self-efficacy, reprioritization of self-care, adaptation to technological pedagogy, and a true sense of community, these incredible educators persevered through adversity to ensure that learning never stopped. I emphasized the importance of professional development, emotional support, and holistic approaches in fostering teacher resilience and shaping a more responsive educational framework for future crises. This study is focused on teacher-based resilience in the shift to online teaching, but not on issues of wider concern like affordability, accessibility, and policy intervention. It also opens further research on effective online pedagogy and systemic educational resilience in post-crisis contexts.