Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching
Volume 13 (2022) Issue 2
Teaching and Learning English in Times of the Pandemic –
A Case Study in a North-Macedonian Primary School
Rashit Emini (Skopje, North Macedonia) & Sharon C. Lee (Dallas (TX), USA)
Abstract
The worldwide spread of the coronavirus has caused a huge turmoil in people’s lives, significantly impacting the functioning of educational institutions which imposed a shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to online education. The situation has caused far-reaching changes in teaching and learning practices in all educational institutions worldwide. The current study investigates the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning English as a foreign language online during the pandemic in a primary school in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. Qualitative and quantitative research methods utilising questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data to reveal the viewpoints and attitudes of school authorities, teachers, and pupils concerning the teaching and learning of English on a virtual basis. Seventy-three 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th-grade pupils, four teachers, and the headmistress of a primary school in Skopje voluntarily participated in this study. The research findings revealed that the pandemic caused a hugely negative impact on the teaching and learning process and it hindered the achievement of the expected learning outcome. Moreover, the school was unprepared for the pandemic; yet, the school managed to shift the mode of teaching and learning from an on-site to an online scenario very quickly, as neither teachers nor pupils had any previous experience with online teaching and learning, and both parties preferred the on-site to the online mode.
Keywords: New teaching and learning policy, primary education, coronavirus COVID-19, online teaching ,learning modes
1 Introduction
Effective education is very important for all pupils. One aim of education has always been to assist pupils in preparing for life-long learning. During the educational process, pupils acquire knowledge and skills, beliefs, values, and moral habits. Moreover, education is considered by some to be the most important part of a society’s growth and progress. Therefore, the process of education must be continuous and uninterrupted (Data.Europa.EU 2020).
Until two years ago, most educational facilities were running smoothly and schools were functioning normally. Teaching and learning processes were conducted normally and on-site. However, due to the sudden and unexpected spread of a virus, SARS Co-V-2 (COVID-19), worldwide education stopped for a moment and then very quickly changed its mode of delivery from on-site to online teaching to create a safer learning environment both for teachers and learners. Teaching and learning processes shifted from an on-site mode at the school premises to distance learning from home (Data.Europa.EU 2020).
Education was disrupted on a global scale, and this phenomenon marked an unprecedented event in the past one hundred years. According to UNESCO (2021) more than 1.6 billion pupils in over 190 countries were locked out of school premises, as most governments closed all educational institutions. UNESCO also reported that, due to the closure of all educational institutions around the globe, 100 million teachers were no longer teaching in a classroom. The chaos caused by the pandemic would surely have had an even greater impact on every sphere of life if governments had not reacted quickly to face this global challenge. In this respect, it would be worth mentioning that in October 2020, UNESCO convened a Global Education Meeting in which world leaders and partners expressed their commitments to protect the financing of education and safeguard learning from the devastating impact of the pandemic. From the onset of the crisis, UNESCO and its more than 160 partners through the Global Education Coalition were mobilised around three central themes: connectivity, gender, and teachers. These measures were to ensure that learning would never stop during the crisis.
2 Literature Review
The challenges, trials and struggles as well as benefits of the rapid transition from on-site or face-to-face teaching and learning to distance or remote teaching and learning have been analysed in numerous studies (e.g. Bryan & Cox 2021, Collen 2021 Jelińska, & Paradowski, 2021, Zou, Li, Li Jin 2021, König, Johannes, Jäger-Biela, Daniela J. Glutsch, Nina 2020). Most of these studies showed that this unexpected change of the mode of teaching and learning has significantly affected pupils’ learning outcomes.
Bryan & Cox (2021), for example, emphasise the problems associated with a lack of materials and infrastructure as main delays in continuing with the online teaching and learning process in schools. Barron et al. (2021) list two vital issues that have shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, teaching and learning adaptations and adjustments have proven to be essential. Regardless of the media used (e.g. radio, TV, mobile, online platforms) teachers adjusted their practices and were more creative to keep pupils engaged (Cheng 2020, Rasmitadila et al. 2020). Second, the pandemic recalibrated how teachers divided their time between teaching, engaging with pupils, and administrative tasks. In Brazil, a survey was conducted by the Instituto Peninsula (Barron et al 2021), whose results showed that 83% of the teachers did not believe they were prepared to teach remotely, 67% were anxious, 38% felt tired, and only less than 10% were happy or satisfied. Thus, the pandemic has highlighted the need for flexibility on both sides and more time for student-teacher interactions. For example, in Estonia, teachers were given autonomy to adjust the curriculum, lesson plans, and their allocation of time.
Bergdahl & Nouri (2020) explored the experiences of teachers in Sweden who had converted their mode of teaching from on-site to online and found that the latter were in lack of a school-wide strategy to transition from the on-site to the online mode. They also identified several challenges regarding pupils’ engagement in learning online. For instance, a significant number of pupils needed technical support with online learning technologies. They also had problems understanding written instructions or had parents who were not able to support them. On the other hand, teachers reported that the online teaching mode made it difficult to monitor pupils’ learning or to identify those who needed additional support. Eventually, teachers recounted that the online teaching mode had increased the number of pupils who showed distress from isolation and a lack of motivation. (Bergdahl & Nouri, 2020).
Many countries around the world started closing schools and reducing teaching hours. According to UNESCO’s monitoring of national distance-learning solutions, 44 out of 53 countries in the WHO European Region closed their schools at the national level at the height of the pandemic in April 2020 (WHO / Europe (2021). According to the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe 2021), across the WHO European Region, the pandemic had a dreadful impact on schooling during the school year 2020-2021.
According to Education Week (2021), the pandemic forced a near-total shutdown of school buildings in the spring of 2020 – a historic disruption of K-12 schooling in the United States. This upheaval affected at least 55.1 million pupils in 124,000 U.S. public and private schools. Nearly every state either ordered or recommended that schools remain closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
In the Republic of North Macedonia, schools began closing on March 10, 2020 (Hawke 2020). This situation seriously affected the educational process in North Macedonia and created unexpected challenges in every segment of education. In this respect, the state authorities in North Macedonia, in coordination with the WHO, took preventive measures by introducing border and travel restrictions and other economic and fiscal measures (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2021). In terms of education, the state authorities endorsed a set of emergency measures to provide for the smooth functioning of the educational system during the pandemic, including online completion of the school year and for graduating pupils to be exempted from taking the graduation exam. Furthermore, the government intervened with some systemic laws in education in order to regulate the way of organizing the educational process in extraordinary circumstances.
The changes and amendments to the laws pertaining to primary and secondary education in North Macedonia provided many new allowances for educating pupils. The school year could start and end at a time other than the one specified in the laws; the number of teaching days in the school year could be less than 180, yet not less than 100 teaching days; primary / secondary school classes could be organized online using electronic communication. Under these laws, several regulations were enacted:
The academic year 2020/2021 started on October 1, 2020, and ended on August 31, 2021;
For in-class learning, the maximum number of pupils in a class was 20;
For distance learning, lessons lasted 30 minutes in primary schools and 35 minutes in secondary schools;
During the month of September 2020, the Bureau for the Development of Education supplied schools with abbreviated curricula for all subjects in primary and secondary education and organized training for all teachers (Предизвици 2020).
Besides these changes in teaching and learning, systemic changes included the enrolment of first graders to begin in July, 2020, instead of in May, 2020, the extension of contracts concerning the school management and administration as well as the validity of the directors’ licenses.
In 2020, the national authorities endorsed introducing online educational classes through the national broadcaster and other means. More than 30,000 children stemming from socially disadvantaged families were granted free Internet to follow online education (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2021). All schools were mobilised (This is not quite clear), and teaching shifted from on-site to online on March 24, 2020. The Ministry of Education introduced a new digital learning platform to support distance learning for those children who temporarily did not go to school due to COVID-19. This project was done in collaboration with UNICEF North Macedonia. They started to offer the imposed workable solution labelled TV-Classroom and E-Classroom. According to Hawke (2020), the project labelled TV-Classroom was a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Science, the Bureau for the Development of Education, UNICEF, the children’s television producer OXO, and the national broadcaster Macedonian Radio and Television. According to Hawke (2020), on March 16, 2020, less than one week after schools in all cycles had closed, TV classroom platform engaged volunteer teachers to demonstrate a whole range of activities that parents and teachers could use to ease their stress, including exercise routines, with classes running in all the five languages of instruction used in North Macedonia: Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish, Serbian, and Bosnian. This measure intended to keep pupils engaged in the teaching and learning process and kept children relatively relaxed during a stressful time for all families. However, these measures put the burden on parents, as they were their children’s only control mechanism for watching those TV programs and therefore played an important role in the education system (Milosievski et al. 2021).
Online learning in all of its formats was a novelty for many schools and their staff so school leaders, in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Science, began in-service staff training to prepare their instructors to teach online as efficiently as possible. In addition, the state had to provide stable Internet and digital tools. A lack of access to the Internet and to digital tools was reported by many teachers. However, in the face of the global pandemic, technology provided a workable solution to continue the school year of 2020. Without these digital tools, the entire school year would have been a loss of learning far beyond what was actually experienced.
Parents made an extraordinary contribution to their children’s learning process, especially in the period when teaching was interrupted and continued in an asynchronous way. They became their children’s teachers until online lessons started. It was a difficult time for all families with school age children.
On August 26, 2020, the state authorities endorsed an on-campus protocol for pupils returning to the classroom. The government instructed the Ministry of Education and Science to change the calendar for the school year 2020 / 2021 so that it would begin on October 1, 2020, instead of on September 1, 2020 (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2021).
Regarding the measures taken by the Ministry of Education to tackle educational issues amid the pandemic, Apostolov (2020) argued that the pandemic surprised North Macedonia’s educational system as much as an icy road would surprise a bus that was not regularly serviced. He added:
3 Methodology
3.1 Research Questions
The study sought to answer the following research questions:
What is the headmistress' perception of the effect of the pandemic on the teaching process and how did the school deal with the respective challenges?
What are the teachers' perceptions of the effect of the pandemic on the teaching process and how did they deal with it?
How did the teachers handle the sudden shift to online teaching?
What are the pupils' perceptions of the effect of the pandemic on the teaching process and how did they deal with it?
3.2 Data Collection
3.2.1 General Aspects
The present study was undertaken to explore the perspectives of both teachers and pupils on the pandemic’s effects on learning in North Macedonia. This study was conducted in a primary school in Skopje, North Macedonia, in which English is taught as a foreign language, and focused on the challenges and obstacles EFL teachers and learners faced during the pandemic. Additionally, it explored the efforts that the respective educational leaders made to face the various challenges of the teaching and learning process.
Understanding the processes used to overcome obstacles and create a safe and vibrant learning environment, will provide data for educational leaders to consider as they continue to navigate extreme challenges in the educational setting. A secondary purpose was to explore how the four teachers who took part in this study adapted their teaching to the new situation, and to reveal the viewpoints of the various school stakeholders, such as the headmistress, the teachers and their pupils, with regards to switching their teaching from the on-site to an online mode, and the implications that arose from such a sudden and unexpected change.
In general, this study has the objective to analyse:
the headmistress’ perceptions regarding the switch from teaching on-site to teaching online,
the teachers’ perceptions regarding the switch from teaching on-site to teaching online,
the pupils’ perceptions towards the online teaching and learning process, and
the challenges faced by teachers and pupils in online classes during the pandemic.
A sequential mixed method design, utilising both a quantitative and a qualitative approach, was employed. The quantitative approach included two questionnaires that contained structured questions. The qualitative approach included interviews which were conducted to provide more opportunities for the exploration of the research participants’ perceptions.
Our survey incorporated two structured online questionnaires, using Google Docs, and a Likert-type scale. The questionnaires were completed online by the English teachers and their pupils. The purpose of the questionnaires was to reveal the English teachers and their pupils' views about online teaching and learning during the pandemic, and the necessary adjustments that needed to be made due to the shift from the on-site to the online mode.
Four instructors of English as a foreign language, three of them female and one male, voluntarily participated in this study. All of them had several years of experience at primary-school level. All the four English instructors took part in the online interviews and completed the online teacher questionnaire.
Seventy-three pupils participated in the research. They were aged 10-11 (6th graders; 22 pupils), 11-12 (7th graders; 2 pupils), 12-13 (8th graders; 30 pupils) and 13-14 (9th graders; 19 pupils). 35 of them were girls, and 38 were boys.
Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The teacher questionnaire consisted of 22 questions, whereas the pupil questionnaire consisted of 20 questions. Most of the questions were similar so that the teachers and the pupils' answers could be compared. The answers were measured on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree.’
The interviews with the director and the four English teachers followed a semi-structured format. They focused on the research questions addressed and some specific questions that were provided in writing. A set of ten interview questions was prepared for the four English teachers. The aim was to obtain more detailed information about their views and attitudes about the impact of the pandemic on the EFL teaching and learning and the actions undertaken by the school management to face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 on the education process in general and on English teaching and learning in particular. The interviews especially targeted the teaching adjustments needed to face the challenges presented by online learning caused by responses to the COVID-19 crisis in North Macedonia.
3.2.2 Teacher Questionnaire
In the Teacher Questionnaire, the responses show that two out of the four teachers involved had gained previous experience and computer competencies in teaching online and used the digital platform without any problems. Moreover, they said the school provided the necessary training for them to be able to teach online.
Regarding digital competencies, three teachers stated that their pupils were indeed digitally competent. As for pupils’ attendance in their online classes, the responses were dispersed. Three teachers indicated that students did not attend their online classes regularly. Three teachers also stated that they did not like online teaching. Two teachers’ answered the question concerning online interaction with pupils and providing activities that enabled interaction among them, in the affirmative, one teacher was neutral, and one answered negatively.
As for the efficiency of online teaching, the teachers’ responses showed that three out of four disagreed, that is they thought that on-site classes were irreplaceable. An interesting theme that emerged from the teacher survey was that all teachers agreed that the pupils’ grades were better during the online classes than during the on-site classes before the pandemic. Unfortunately, they believed the better grades were due to pupils who were cheating (source: teacher interview). However, the statement which reflected the learning outcome, provided contradictory information. The teachers thought that online teaching in fact had a negative impact on pupils’ learning outcomes despite the better grades the latter achieved.
Regarding their preference for teaching online or on-site at school or at home, three out of four teachers thought that online teaching was more comfortable than on-site teaching, especially keeping in mind the comfort and safety that their home offered during the pandemic. With regard to teachers’ autonomy and motivation during the phase of online teaching, two teachers agreed whereas two were neutral. And as regards the access to technology (e.g. computers, stable Internet) one of them agreed, two were neutral, and one strongly disagreed.
The teachers’ responses showed that they did not face any particular challenge regarding the use of technology during their online teaching. All of them gave their pupils regular homework and feedback. Similar responses could be documented with respect to videos posted for pupils to watch and (sometimes) to describe. And the teachers also gave quizzes on a regular basis.
Regarding the statement ‘English is taught better online than on-site’, one teacher agreed, two were neutral, and one disagreed. One teacher agreed and three teachers disagreed with the statement ‘Pupils were more active online than on-site’. This shows that even those teachers who knew how to use online activities did not prefer the online teaching mode and strongly supported on-site teaching. Based upon our interview data, it can be assumed that these answers were given because teachers missed the classrooms and their pupils’ physical presence.
In conclusion, the results from the teacher questionnaire revealed that all the four teachers enjoyed teaching online although they had had no previous experience with it. Yet, they did not prefer to continue teaching online and were ready to get back to the classroom as soon as possible. The teachers had no problems using digital platforms such as Microsoft Teams, but they thought that the lack of physical contact had a negative impact on the learning outcomes. The teachers used various methods and techniques to motivate their pupils and regularly posted videos, assignments, and other related materials. Even though they were able to navigate the new learning platforms, they believed that English is generally taught better on-site than online. They missed classroom interaction with their pupils, and they also missed their classrooms.
3.2.3 Pupil Questionnaire
The pupil questionnaire mirrored the teacher questionnaire, with a focus on the student perspective. The pupils’ responses showed that 61.7% had gained previous experience and computer competencies as well as the knowledge to use the digital platform without any problems. They reported that the school provided the necessary training for them to be able to attend online classes:
Figure 1: I have enough experience, knowledge and computer skills to learn online without any problems
Figure 2 below shows the results concerning the training provided by the school:
Figure 2: The school provided us with training or webinars to use the technological platform for online classes
20.5% of the pupils strongly agreed and 30.1% somewhat agreed to this statement, 11% strongly disagreed and 26% disagreed, which implies that a group of pupils (37.0%) either did not attend any prior training or webinars that the school had organised or had not gained any knowledge from the training and webinars.
Figure 3 below displays the percentages of pupils’ answers to the sufficiency of this training:
Figure 3: Training and attending webinars were sufficient to attend online classes effectively
16.4% of the pupils strongly agreed to this statement. 30.1% somewhat agreed, whereas 24.7% – the biggest percentage of the pupils – were neutral. The smallest percentage (11.0%) disagreed, while 26.0% somewhat disagreed. This shows that 46.5% of the pupils thought that the training and webinars that the school provided was sufficient for them to attend classes without any problems, whereas 37.0% answered that the training and webinars did not equip them with the necessary digital skills to effectively attend online classes.
Figure 4 shows the pupils’ answers which referred to the their potential problems using the digital platform Microsoft Teams:
Figure 4: We had no problems using the digital platform employed
It becomes evident that a very small number of pupils (13.7%) strongly agreed, and that 38.4% somewhat agreed that they faced no problems using the online digital platform. 12.3% strongly disagreed and 16.4% somewhat disagreed, which makes 28.7% of the pupils who faced problems using the platform. 19.2% of them took a neutral position. Here the percentages of the pupils who had had no problems exceed 51%. Which, however, is not satisfactory.
Regarding the teachers’ digital competencies, Figure 5 below shows that 28.8% of the pupils strongly agreed and 42.5% of the pupils somewhat agreed that their teachers possessed digital competencies:
Figure 5: Our Teachers have digital competencies
Whereas, there were no pupils who strongly disagreed, which is an indicator that their teachers had had no problems using the digital platform to teach online classes. However, there was a small percentage of pupils (9.6%) who somewhat disagreed. 19% were neutral to this statement. We can say that, among the pupils, there was a general perception that their teachers were equipped with digital competencies.
Up to here, the pupils’ responses were comparable with the teachers’ responses.
Figure 6 below shows that 79.4% of the pupils stated that they attended their online classes regularly (57.5% strongly agreed, whereas 21.9% agreed):
Figure 6: I attended the online classes regularly
No student strongly disagreed and only 8.2% disagreed. We can conclude that, according to their own confirmation, most of the students attended the online classes. Moreover, pupils’ responses are comparable to teachers’ responses concerning this point.
Figure 7 on the other hand shows the answers to the question of whether students preferred online to on-site teaching:
Figure 7: I liked online teaching more than on-site teaching
Over 90% of the pupils did not like the online classes, that is 64.4% strongly disagreed, whereas 26% somewhat disagreed. Zero percent of the pupils strongly agreed and 9.6% somewhat agreed.
The online pupil-pupil and teacher-pupil interactions and collaboration during online classes in displayed in the figure below:
Figure 8: During the online classes, the teacher encouraged interaction between us students and him or herself, and encouraged us to collaborate with other students
15.1% of the pupils strongly agreed to this statement, whereas 39.7% agreed that the teacher had encouraged interaction and collaboration. 13.7% somewhat disagreed, and only 8.2% strongly disagreed. Overall, 55% of the pupils considered that their teacher had encouraged interaction and collaboration. In view of the fact that this was the first time ever that the teachers in question had faced this kind of situation, the results may be considered reasonable and supportive of their work.
The figure below displays the pupils’ perspective and views concerning the efficiency of the online classes:
Figure 9: The online classes were more efficient than the previous on-site classes
What is interesting to note is that the vast majority of the pupils (95%) claimed that the online classes were not efficient. The teachers’ responses were similar.
Figure 10 below shows the pupils’ answers that are related to the grades they obtained during the online classes:
Figure 10: My grades during the online classes were better than those I obtained in on-site classes
There was a notable difference between teachers’ and pupils’ responses: a very small number of pupils agreed that their grades were better during online classes (9.6% strongly agreed, and 13.7% agreed), whereas 27.4% strongly disagreed, and 27.4% disagreed. This shows that pupils considered that online classes had been detrimental to their performance.
The figure below shows the pupils’ answers concerning a potential lack of direct contact with their teacher and the effect it had on their learning outcome:
Figure 11: The lack of direct contact with my teacher in the classroom had a negative effect on my learning outcome
More than 60% of the pupils either agreed or strongly agreed, around 27% were neutral, and only 8.2% disagreed and no one strongly disagreed. These results show that a lack of direct, i.e. face-to-face contact with the teacher had a negative impact on pupils’ overall performance.
It is interesting to note that in spite of this result, 71,3% of the pupils believed that their teachers had worked hard so as to motivate them in the online environment:
Figure 12: Our teacher motivated us to actively pursue online classes
With regards to pupils' comfort with online learning, 83.4% provided negative answers. None of them thought online learning was more comfortable than on-site learning, and 65.5% disagreed that their home environment was suitable for online learning:
Figure 13: Online learning was more comfortable and convenient than on-site learning
Figure 14: My home environment is suitable for online classes
Similarly, the vast majority of pupils disagreed with a potential improvement of their own autonomy and motivation during the online classes:
Figure 15: During the online classes, we enjoyed more autonomy, motivation and self-regulation
46 pupils (63.0%) disagreed, 18 (24.7%) were neutral, and nine pupils (12.3%) agreed that during the online classes they had more autonomy, motivation, and self-regulation.
More than half of the pupils (57.6%) stated that the biggest challenge for them was access to technology, including both stable Internet and working computers:
Figure 16: The biggest challenge was access to technology (e.g. stable Internet and computers)
The four teachers did not share the same perspective, as most of them had easy access to the Internet. Yet, Internet access continues to be an issue in many locations in North Macedonia as well as in other Eastern European countries.
In their answers which referred to the teaching methodology, techniques and activities that English teachers used while teaching online, most of the pupils evaluated their teachers’ performance positively. Forty-eight pupils (65.8%) indicated that their teachers checked their assignments and gave feedback regularly. Fifteen pupils (20.5%) were neutral, whereas only ten pupils (13.7%) strongly disagreed:
Figure 17: My teachers checked my assignments and gave me feedback regularly
The pupils’ answers to whether their teachers posted videos and asked them to describe their content are presented in Figure 18:
Figure 18: Our teacher regularly posted videos for us to describe them and answer questions
The vast majority of the pupils (80.8%) agreed and interestingly, none of the pupils disagreed (0%).
Pupils answers concerning the assignment of homework as presented below:
Figure 19: Our teacher assigned homework regularly
87.7% of the pupils indicated that their teachers assigned homework regularly and 0% disagreed:
Figure 20: Our teacher provided regular feedback
Fifty-seven pupils (78%) agreed that their teachers provided feedback regularly, whereas 0% disagreed (Figure 20 above).
Overall, a significant number of pupils were of the opinion that their teachers used a variety of methods, techniques and activities to provide effective online teaching, although they were anxious to get back to the classrooms. Thus, both teachers and pupils had similar views regarding online classes, and both groups looked forward to returning back to the school premises as soon as possible. Both groups thought that the classroom environment provided the best conditions to maximise the pupils’ potential and improve their learning outcomes.
In conclusion, more than half of the total number pupils thought they possessed digital competence and believed their teachers did as well. They received training to use Microsoft Teams but that was not enough for a considerable number of pupils. Access and resources were an issue for many of them. Most of the pupils attended online classes regularly even though they did not prefer the online format. They confirmed that their teachers had done a good job during the pandemic.
3.3 Interviews
3.3.1 Interview with the Headmistress
When the pandemic emerged, the primary school in Skopje was not prepared to face the challenges the pandemic brought because the school did not provide Internet access nor enough computers for all pupils and teachers. In quick response, the headmistress of the school managed to mobilise teachers and do the necessary preparations. The school shifted on-site classes to online ones with a lot of dedicated teamwork. The headmistress, in collaboration with the national authorities and the school staff, organised professional training sessions in the course of which each innovation was explained thoroughly. The administration and the teachers set up a group on Viber, in which they managed to keep communication running. The school provided direct assistance to the pupils as well. According to the headmistress, around 90% of the pupils participated in the online classes. She believed that the reduction of teaching hours affected the pupils’ learning outcome. The school management, teachers, pupils, and parents held frequent meetings in Microsoft Teams. The headmistress worked hard to make a smooth transition, and even though they did everything they could as a school to respond to the needs of teachers and pupils, the headmistress felt that the pandemic had a negative impact on the learning process because, according to the headmistress, on-site learning is irreplaceable in every aspect.
3.3.2 Interview with Teachers
The shift from on-site to online teaching was hard for the four teachers of English involved. According to the data revealed in the one-on-one interviews, online teaching required a much greater time commitment, including finding new resources, working on different programs, preparing online quizzes, utilising online student files, and using several different programs simultaneously. It was something new to the teachers. The biggest challenge for them was motivating pupils to join classes online, as well as the Internet connection. The teachers reported that pupils adapted to the new situation well and quickly. Attendance in the online classes was lower, but for those who attended, the desire for work and interest were maintained. Cooperation between teachers and parents started out well, but then faded, due to the pupils’ lack of interest in attending the online classes. Communication was an important part of this transition. The teachers had training sessions continuously, and they learned to use various resources from Google worksheets, YouTube videos, online books, quizzes, whiteboards, and online presentations. They enjoyed these new teaching strategies even though they took them extra time and preparation. The teachers reported that pupils’ participation in online classes was between 70% and 90%. The teachers generally preferred on-site instruction to online teaching. They reported that student motivation was higher, communication with pupils was better, and overall learning was enhanced in on-site classroom settings.
4 Conclusions
In general, the aims of this study were to explore and investigate the effects that the pandemic had on teaching and learning processes in a primary school in Skopje, North Macedonia. The research undertaken at the time of the pandemic revealed that mandated school closures and the move to online formats had a negative effect on teaching and learning processes in primary education in Europe and most of the countries around the world. However, the advanced technology and the commitment of parents in those countries saved the education systems from a disaster (Apostolov 2020, Cheng 2020 in Rasmitadila et al. 2020, ECLAC-UNESCO 2020, Hawke 2020, WHO/Europe 2020 and Zancajo 2021).
With regards to the primary school under study, our findings show that, due to a lack of technology, and limited knowledge and skills of both teachers and pupils to use the new technology, the school management first was not prepared to shift to online teaching. However, the school administration managed to quickly adapt to the newly created situation. The headmistress, in collaboration with the national authorities managed to quickly supply the school with the necessary technology and provided training for teachers and pupils on how to use Microsoft Teams. Yet, the pandemic caused a negative effect on teaching and learning processes and learning outcomes.
The teachers of English involved had not had any previous experience with online teaching. However, in general, they adapted quickly to the new situation. Three out of four teachers preferred on-site teaching and they were anxious to get back to school and teach real classes full of pupils. They claimed that the online teaching process had negatively impacted the pupils’ attendance. According to them, several pupils either did not at all or not regularly attend the online classes. However, the teachers maintained good and regular communication with pupils and parents, using Microsoft Teams, as they considered the parents’ involvement crucial for the smooth functioning of the online teaching and learning mode. On top of that, the teachers worked hard to vary their methods and techniques and used materials from the Internet. They also used video lessons, pictures, quizzes, and digital presentations. They assigned homework regularly to keep their pupils engaged, and provided continuous feedback. Overall, in view of the circumstances and the challenges pupils were facing, the teachers were satisfied with their pupils’ work.
The pupils had had no previous experience with online classes. However, more than half of them were either digitally competent enough to attend online classes without any major problems or they got trained in the meantime and had no problems attending online classes. Again, more than 70% of the pupils attended classes regularly, but they did not consider the online classes as efficient; they all preferred on-site classes. Almost all of them missed school and socialising with their classmates and friends in the school premises.
The pupils stated that their teachers had done a good job. They felt that their teachers used various teaching approaches and strategies and provided them with varied and interesting materials. Overall, the pupils were satisfied with their teachers’ work.
Even though due to COVID-19, every country around the world had to manage the transition from on-site to online teaching during school closures, it is important to note how this transition was managed in the small country of North Macedonia. While challenges were similar to other counties in the region, hearing the teachers’ and pupils’ voices in this country is important and adds to the research done on the impact of this worldwide phenomenon.
Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Teuta Idrizi, the Director of the Primary School ‘Liria’ in Skopje, for her cooperation and help with this study as well as the four teachers of English involved and their pupils who voluntarily participated in this research project.
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Authors:
Dr. Rashit Emini
Adjunct assistant professor
Educational Management and Leadership and Foreign Language Learning
South East European University
Skopje
Republic of North Macedonia
Email: r.emini@seeu.edu.mk
Dr. Sharon C. Lee
Professor of Education
Director of Educational Research in K-12 Education
Dallas Baptist University
USA
Email: sharon@dbu.edu