COVID-19 induced adoption of online teaching by school teachers in India

This paper investigates the adoption of online teaching by school teachers in India, and the factors facilitating such adoption in the context of Covid-19 pandemic. The sample consisted of 18 schools teachers teaching in different schools in Panchkula (Haryana), India. The study adopts a qualitative approach; one-hour in-depth interviews were carried out with the surveyed respondents. Results indicated the important structural changes that are taking place in India regarding the roles and responsibilities of teachers across every teaching levels. Important insights were obtained about factors responsible, challenges faced, and the benefits achieved as a result of adoption of online-teaching. Respondents also reported the support of their spouses, institution, and children which helped them in this transition from actual classroom teaching to virtual class room teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic whereby successive lockdowns were imposed by the governments across countries to mitigate its impact. Respondents perceived the crisis created by Covid-19 pandemic as the most significant reason to adopt online-teaching. A better understanding of issues pertaining to the adoption of online teaching will contribute to the development of new futuristic educational programs and policies.