Perspectives of Teachers about Online Classes and Their Psychosocial Well-Being During School Reopening Phase: A Cross-sectional Study from North India

Background: During COVID-19 pandemic, education of children was continued in online mode for an extended period of time. Research from India in the beginning of pandemic indicated that teachers faced numerous challenges while adapting to this new mode of teaching. However, no prior study from India evaluated perspective of teachers regarding online classes and their psychosocial well-being during school reopening phase, which started in Feb 2022. During this period both online and offline classes were being conducted and thus presented the opportunity for better comparison of effects of both systems. Schools still revert to online mode of teaching periodically, but it remains to be seen if it benefits the teachers and students. Methods: It was a cross-sectional online survey-based study. Self-designed questionnaires assessing perspectives of teachers regarding online classes and psychosocial impact were administered. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 was used to measure psychological distress. Results: N = 708 school teachers participated in this survey. A total of 96% of them preferred offline mode of teaching. Several disadvantages of online classes were listed such as connectivity issues, poor interaction with students, poor concentration, and knowledge transfer. Due to online classes, most of them reported increase in working hours, and decrease in leisure time and quality of life. The teachers who conducted online classes (either alone or combined with offline classes), who were employed in private schools and those with lesser family income, had significantly higher psychological distress. Conclusion: According to school teachers, online classes carried many disadvantages. Online classes also decreased the psychosocial well-being of teachers.