Remote teaching in times of COVID-19: teachers’ adaptation and pupil level of participation

ABSTRACT

This article draws on data from a broader research study focusing on Portuguese teachers’ perceptions and experiences of remote teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 2638 teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through an online survey which included both closed- and open-ended questions. Findings suggest that, overall, teachers experienced a positive adaptation process and were able to teach according to what they had planned. However, difficulties were also found. These relate to reconciling work with family life and extra workload in the context of remote teaching. In addition, findings show that pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds presented a lower level of participation in learning tasks. Differences as a function of gender and age were identified. Implications of the findings are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Teachers
• teaching
• COVID-19
• remote teaching
• adaptation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) within the framework of the CIEC (Research Centre on Child Studies of the University of Minho) projects under the references UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020.

Notes on contributors

Maria Assunção Flores

Maria Assunção Flores works at the Institute of Education of the University of Minho and is director of the Research Centre on Child Studies at the same university. She received her PhD at the University of Nottingham, UK. Her research interests include teacher professionalism and identity, teacher education and professional development, curriculum, assessment, leadership and higher education. She has published extensively on these topics both nationally and internationally.

Alexandra Barros

Alexandra Barros is a Professor and Researcher at the Faculty of Psychology, Department of Education, University of Lisbon. She has published chapters and articles in national and international books and journals and participates in research projects in the area of teaching and learning.

Ana Margarida Veiga Simão

Ana Margarida Veiga Simão is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Lisbon and coordinator of the Interuniversity Doctoral Program in Educational Psychology and of the research group Adaptation Processes in Context. Her research interests include self-regulation of learning, professional development of teachers, teacher training and violence in educational contexts.

Diana Pereira

Diana Pereira is currently Doctoral Researcher at the Research Centre on Child Studies – University of Minho. She completed her PhD in Educational Sciences – Curricular Development in 2016 at the University of Minho. She has published her work in national and international journals with impact factors, is a member of national and international projects and has organised more than 20 national and international conferences. Her research interests include assessment, learning and teaching process, curriculum development, educational leadership and educational policies.

Marília Gago

Marília Gago is a lecturer in history education at the University of Minho and an integrated researcher in the Transdisciplinary Research Centre ‘Culture, Space and Memory’ (CITCEM), University of Porto. Her main research interest is in teacher education, professionalism development and identity, developing historical thinking and historical consciousness.

Eva Lopes Fernandes

Eva Lopes Fernandes is a junior researcher at the Research Centre on Child Studies at the University of Minho. Her research interests include assessment, educational leadership, teaching and learning, teaching work and teacher professional development and teacher training.

Paula da Costa Ferreira

Paula da Costa Ferreira is a researcher at CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia da Universidade de Lisboa, specifically in the research group Adaptation Processes in Context. She is the coordinator of the Study Program on Cyberbullying. Her main research interests are learning technologies, cyberbullying, the regulation of learning, emotions and behaviour, as well as artificial intelligence and serious games to promote prosociality and foster learning.

Luís Costa

Luís Costa is a PhD student at the Research Centre on Child Studies at the University of Minho. His research interests include assessment, learning and teaching process, curriculum development, educational leadership, educational policies and Covid-19.