Emotional Impact of COVID-19 on Teacher Training

Abstract

Today’s globalized society calls for university students able to meet the new demands of the labor market. This shift in pedagogical paradigms was accelerated by the unexpected closure of universities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study explores the emotional impact of pandemic-induced changes in students’ education. A qualitative (biographical-narrative) approach was used to examine 55 autobiographical accounts by students from the School of Education and Sport of the University of the Basque Country (Spain). The results underscore the role played by ICT in closing the distance in relationships and enabling collaboration and cooperation between teachers and students. However, university students are still dependent on lectures, and the long-awaited return to in-person teaching also resulted in some emotional instability. In conclusion, although global crises of the kind recently experienced can provide opportunities to rethink teaching-learning models, no substantial methodological changes are observed in social and emotional relationships in the new normal.