Massive shift of schools towards distance learning in the estimates of a local pedagogical community
Authors: Chernyshov S. A. 
Published: March 2021

Introduction. In spring 2020, Russia, as all other countries around the world, faced the challenge of massive shift of schools to online learning. This shift revealed the lack of existing empirical data on technological and instructional readiness of the local teaching communities to such learning format. Having regulatory and platform capacities for distance education at the national level, there was a widening gap between local teaching communities regarding their facilities and readiness to transform traditional learning process.

Aim. This research is aimed at defining the attitude of teachers to the shift to distance learning, as well as their estimates of its potential for the learning process.

Methodology and research methods. The current research is based on the ideas of innovation and technology acceptance, as well as planed behaviour that have been suggested by F. Davis, T. Guskey, M. Fishbein and I. Ajzen, and R. Puentedura. The research materials were collected via a survey completed by 239 learners of the online upskilling programme “Digitization of the educational process”. The survey was conducted in March-April 2020. Texts collected for the open-ended questions in the survey were subjected to the content analysis.

Results. Judging from the survey results, local teaching communities multiplied their usage of online platforms and other e-learning technologies (messaging services, videoconferencing, etc.). Teachers highly evaluated their technological and instructional competencies for distance learning as early as in April 2020, while they perceived their pupils' readiness to such learning as moderate. At the same time, teachers moderately valued the state's contribution into the support of schools when they shift into massive distance learning, and showed significant interest in the non-state educational platforms. The majority of teachers believe that digital educational technologies are sufficient for high-quality teaching of their disciplines and achieving their learning objectives. The survey results demonstrated significant internal potential of the regional education system for a change, technological and instructional development.

Scientific novelty consists of a deep analysis of a specific local pedagogical community, based on the collection of material about the reflection of school staff on technological and methodological changes in education specifically in the period of active transformational changes. A high internal potential of the local pedagogical community for transformation on the basis of operational empirical measurements has been recorded.

Practical significance. The present research shows that respondents, who perform remote teaching during the Covid-19 quarantine, perceive digital technologies as approachable, helpful and already date-to-date tools; the regional teachers proved to be self-reflexing and flexible. The deficits and growing points that the teachers defined, should be used to navigate the actions of the decision makers responsible for distance learning at school during and after the quarantine.