Sensemaking in crisis: Unpacking how teachers interpret and respond to online education as street-level bureaucrats

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges for Street-Level Bureaucrats (SLBs). This paper adopts the sensemaking framework to examine the teaching experiences of high school teachers in the online environment, specifically focusing on their interpretation and implementation of COVID-19-related policies. Sixteen teachers from different high schools in Vietnam were selected purposely as participants in this study by considering the geographical influence and school rankings. The study reveals that decision-makers tend to grant higher levels of discretion to SLBs during crises compared to normal circumstances in the Vietnamese context, emphasizing the role of socio-cultural and political contexts in shaping policy implementation within centralized education systems. Also, recognizing the significance of policy signals and adopting a bottom-up approach that acknowledges the impact of SLBs on policy outcomes is paramount. By providing valuable insights to policymakers and school officials, this study provides an implication for reevaluating how better-established policy signals are received during times of crisis to prevent unintended consequences that may arise from local-level policy implementation.

Keywords:

• online education
• sensemaking framework
• street-level bureaucrats
• high school teacher
• COVID-19

Disclosure statement

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

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2290214.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation Scholarship Program.

Notes on contributors

Nguyen Van Bao

Nguyen Van Bao is a social data scientist and development professional whose research focuses on using statistical and data science methods to study education policies in data-scarce contexts. He is pursuing a PhD at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management. With seven years of experience in the development sector, working with numerous organizations, including NGOs, UN agencies, and research institutes, Bao has developed an interdisciplinary approach to education studies. He aspires to become a leading expert in the education sector, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the advancement of education development in low- and middle-income settings.