Examination of Teacher Experiences Regarding to the Emergency Remote Teaching Process during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Today, countries force all participants in the educational process to optimize their work through the Internet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These unexpected online learning applications conducted in extraordinary conditions were discussed differently from routine online learning and named emergency remote teaching. In this context, the educational process continued online in Turkey as well as in the rest of the world. It is thought that the experiences of the stakeholders are significant in these unique online learning practices in terms of creating a consensus. The current study focused on examining the essence of the experiences of the teachers who were assigned to the emergency remote teaching process in Turkey. For this purpose, in the current study, the qualitative research method was employed, and phenomenology was utilized. The study group consisted of 25 teachers who were working in a province center in the Central Black Sea Region of Turkey, in the 2019-2020 academic year. In-depth interviews were held to reveal teachers' experiences, through a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher. The data were analyzed with the three steps analysis method suggested by Moustakas (1994), which is frequently used in phenomenology studies. The results of the study revealed that, according to the teachers' experiences, the emergency remote teaching process was partially successful. The most common problems that teachers experienced during the synchronous lessons were internet connection problems, teaching management system problems, and low student engagement. Although the majority of the teachers faced many technical, professional ve emotional problems, the synchronous lessons have been a unique and unforgettable professional experience for them.