Emergency Distance Teaching during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic Health Science, Degree Project, 30 credits (5HÄ01E)

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Emergency Distance Teaching

during the first year of the

Covid-19 pandemic

Narratives from upper secondary school teachers

in Sweden

credits (5HÄ01E)

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Abstract

Background: In March 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, suddenly and completely unexpected, governments worldwide replaced face-to-face education with emergency distance teaching. Studies showed that students and teachers, in general, had been negatively affected by the strategy. Upper secondary school teachers and students in Sweden were affected and have now worked and studied from home for more than one year.

Problem: Teachers were now asked to do extraordinary things regarding course delivery and learning. However, school curricula have not changed, and it has been up to the teachers to adapt their teaching to fulfil the

curricula. Few studies provided teachers’ perspectives on this extraordinary situation and why it was essential to enter the teacher’s world and determine how this affected them and their work.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the Swedish upper secondary school teachers' experiences of Emergency Distance Teaching during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Three research questions were considered sufficient to answer this aim.

Method: A qualitative narrative design captured the lived experiences of Swedish upper secondary school teachers. Stories from two teachers that worked in two different school contexts were collected.

Result: The stories were personal, emotional, and revealing and answered the research questions. The Qualitative content analysis identified three themes: (1) Distant and Remote Communication, (2) Key are to be Present, Kind, and Innovative, and (3) Trials. Both teachers' most decisive change and challenges were the difficulties they experienced with maintaining

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best teaching during school closure, even if it were not the teaching that they would prefer.

Conclusion: Remote and distance teaching will become increasingly

important in the future, considering Anthropogenic Climate Change. There is a strong call for a holistic transdisciplinary approach to identify and manage the organizational and psychological impacts of EDT on Swedish upper secondary school teachers. Strategies specifically targeting teachers working with vocational programs and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are needed to avoid exacerbating existing disparities. Teachers required close contact with their students to have job satisfaction and they needed to be included and receive clear support, trust, and guidelines from school management.

Key words

Emergency Distance Teaching, Distance Education, Covid-19 pandemic, Teacher-Student relationship, Connectedness, School management, Transdisciplinary.

Acknowledgments

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Chiara Lenza for her continuous support. Chiara was always open whenever I wanted to ask something, or I was facing a problem. I would like to thank her for her insightful comments. Her guidance was valuable for leading me in the right direction. Moreover, her continuous encouragement gave me the strength to overcome obstacles, and even when everyday personal challenges sometimes were difficult, she showed empathy and gave me support to keep going on. Furthermore, I would like to sincerely thank our program manager Kristina Tryselius for arranging digital support sessions, encouraging, and managing to make me feel calm and normal in my thesis writing bubble. Moreover, I would like to thank the two teachers that participated in my study and gave me valuable, intimate, personal, and fantastic stories about their experiences which helped me and inspired me when I conducted my research.

Additionally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Catharina

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Appendices

Appendix number 1 Letter to Principles 1

Appendix number 2 Letter to Participants 2

Appendix number 3 Written consent form in Swedish 5 Appendix number 4 Systematic literature review 6

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1 Introduction

In March 2020, many countries closed all schools. Suddenly and completely unexpectedly, online learning and teaching entered the mainstream of education worldwide, forcing traditional teaching to move in the digital world without being well prepared for it. Governments replaced face-to-face education with distance education as a defensive tool against the coronavirus Covid-19 declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2020). According to WHO (2020) and the research from Leal-Filho, Nagy & Yayeh Ayal (2020), human activity is the cause of both the pandemic and the current climate crisis. The connection is significant because those most affected by the adverse effects of climate change and the negative

consequences of covid-19 contribute the least to the root changes and causes (UNDP, 2020).

During the pandemic, the Swedish government’s overarching goal has been to safeguard people’s lives and health and secure health care capacity (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2021a). In Sweden, the Public Health Agency maintained authority over recommendations and restrictions placed on citizens during a pandemic and chose an approach to minimizing contagion spread that differs from most other countries in the European Union and worldwide to battle the virus (Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2021a). Instead of enforcing strict general lockdowns or quarantines, the Public Health Agency in Sweden provided all Swedish citizens with recommendations to control and minimize the contagion, such as proper handwashing procedures, social distancing, walking, or bicycling to work instead of using public

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Unlike many other parts of the world, Swedish teachers and students can still move relatively freely in society and attend schools regularly. However, Sweden decided to close only higher education and upper secondary schools, nationwide, (Skolverket, 2020). Swedish upper secondary school teachers and students have worked from home for one year now. The Swedish government assessed those students of those ages were mature enough to take responsibility for their education even when conducted from home (Skolverket, 2020; Folkhälsomyndigheten, 2021b). However, the Swedish child’s rights organization BRIS shows reports that many students have difficulties studying at home (BRIS, 2020). The school closure causes specific attention because, together with the Covid-19 pandemic, they cause a unique new reality for Swedish upper secondary school teachers and their students. Removing teachers from their usual work environments and asking them to work in new ways inevitably raises the question of what it means to be a teacher during this time. Covid-19 constitutes a unique opportunity to gain new insights into teachers’ identity and professional roles. This study will contribute to the ongoing discussions about what it means to be a teacher and their importance for developing young people by examining teachers’ experiences of school closure and the implementation of Emergency Distance Teaching.

2 Background

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2.1 Distance Education during Covid-19 pandemic – Literature review

When searching for knowledge about the impacts that distance education has had on students and teachers worldwide, the findings show different

challenges but a clear consensus that students and teachers, in general, have been negatively affected by the distance education strategy. Findings showed that there had been a dramatic increase in students with anxiety and

depression (Karasmanaki et al., 2021; Hasan & Bao, 2020; Baloran, 2020; Besser et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020; Tang et al., 2020; Fish et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2021)

The findings also showed how students expressed lost abilities because of lost support and technical difficulties (Mælan et al., 2021). Students experienced an inability to ask questions and described that it had become difficult to contact different channels for social support and perceived little support and understanding from teachers and school (Díaz-Jíménez et al; laslo-Roth et al., 2020).

Furthermore, the findings also showed that students expressed lost human interaction because of isolation and confinement (Smoyer et al., 2020; Besser et al., 2020; Meulenbroeks, 2020). The students express feeling lonely and losing the sense of belonging and fellowship (Shim, et al., 2020). The students and teachers do not see each other face-to-face which have led to low levels of relatedness, poor coping skills, and low self-esteem (Besser et al., 2020; Sundrasen et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020)

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also highlighted that distance education is discriminatory to needy students and rural students because of limited access to the internet and technology (Qazi et al., 2020). Findings also showed increased tensions, conflicts, and domestic violence now than before the pandemic (Branquinho et al., 2020). Students and teachers share their working environment and are dependent on each other to feel positive, hopeful, skilled, and resilient (Zhang et al, 2020; Laslo-Roth et al, 2020). In these times of a Covid-19 pandemic, teachers are asked to do extraordinary things regarding course delivery and learning. However, very few studies exist that addressed how teachers experience the distance education strategy. Most studies on teachers’ experiences were quantitative and showed that teachers across the globe were mainly

unprepared to support continuity of learning and adaptation to new teaching methodologies (Mailizar et al., 2020; Bergdahl et al., 2020; 2020; Stachteas et al., 2020). The findings showed that face-to-face interaction was a huge driver in the passion of being a teacher (Primdahl et al., 2020; Ramlo., 2021; Chen et al, 2020). Teachers expressed decreased job satisfaction because of the loss of student-teacher relationships (Kim et al., 2020). It now was an increased challenge to identify pupils with special needs and those who needed support (Bergdahl et al., 2020; Primdahl et al., 2020). Teachers expressed dissatisfaction in the minimum time for interaction and lack of bodily co-presence, expressed was also interrupted relationships and how some students had vanished (Kim et al, 2020; Bergdahl et al, 2020; Primdahl et al, 2020). In addition, some findings showed that teachers experienced isolation and psychological stress, and teachers expressed being

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2.2 Distance Education and Emergency Distance Teaching

"Distance Education" and "Emergency Distance Teaching" are two similar concepts but with different perspectives. Clarifying this concept is essential when trying to understand the challenges teachers face due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Distance Education" means remote education where the student is not physically present for the lesson (Viewsonic, 2020). Distance education is not new and has become more common thanks to digital tools that are now available. Distance education is carefully designed and planned to be remote and designed to be long-term (Viewsonic, 2020). This is relevant and

important to keep in mind as universities usually offer such education courses. Upper secondary schools are not customarily planned to function in this way. Distance education courses place higher demands on students to be more disciplined and organized, and it is voluntary to enlist in such education or course (Viewsonic, 2020).

When a crisis occurs, schools must shut down; Emergency Distance Education is instead a solution (Hodges, Moore, Lockee, Trust & Bond, 2020). There are many different explanations and definitions to these phenomena when searching for information about Emergency Distance Education. One can see that many definitions are depending on the perspective one takes when studying the concept. "Emergency Distance Education" has a student perspective. The distinction is essential between the everyday type of effective online instruction and that which teachers today during the Covid-19 pandemic are doing, implemented in a hurry with bare minimum resources and spare time.

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expect to adapt their teaching methods and curricula to suit the temporarily new situation without significant preparation (UoPeople, 2021; Hodges et al., 2020). These situations require creative problem-solving. Teachers need to think outside standard boxes to generate various possible solutions that help meet the new needs and develop new solutions to intractable problems (Hodges et al., 2020).

2.3 The Swedish school system and teachers’ responsibilities

Everyone in Sweden is obliged to attend primary school for nine years. After compulsory basic school, most pupils continue to the voluntary three-year upper secondary school to choose between seventeen national programs. The program intends to prepare students for working life and prepare students for further studies. The main tasks of the upper secondary schools in Sweden are to impart knowledge and create the preconditions for students to acquire and develop their understanding (Skolverket, 2000).

The Education Act, introduced by the Swedish parliament, provides frameworks for the educational activity. It underlines, in particular, the teachers following responsibilities that are relevant for this study (Skolverket, 2013):

• Highlighted norms and values are that all students, irrespective of gender, social or ethnic background, have the right to achieve the learning objectives of the school system and those students who experience difficulties for various reasons have a right to receive the help and support they need (Skolverket, 2013).

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approaches' content and working forms to students' varying needs and circumstances (Skolverket, 2013).

• The teachers must cooperate with other teachers to achieve the goals of education (Skolverket, 2013).

Significant is that the Education Act's objectives say that teachers and other staff must receive opportunities to develop the competence necessary to carry out their tasks professionally (Skolverket, 2013). The national objectives and guidelines do not specify how teaching carries out in practice or what

learning aids are needed (Skolverket, 2013), which means that it is up to the teachers to decide precisely how they should fulfil the objectives.

2.3.1 Preunderstanding

When thinking back on school and talking to friends and family, most people think of school and education as vital and maybe the most crucial thing in life. It seems as if everyone who has attended school has memories from the school environment and often from many of the teachers encountered

growing up. Sometimes strong memories from teachers or days at school that were not good, scary, or sad can be described very clearly. Not so seldom are these more negative memories often described as having to do with bad relationships, feelings of exclusion, or not being safe. Often teachers are illustrated with clear memories of why and how they were so appreciated and considered extraordinary. Teachers are essential, and the stories from friends and family show this. The threat of Covid-19 has presented unique

challenges for the teachers involved, and this study's preunderstanding was that this would have consequences for the teachers.

3 Problem statement

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were unprepared to support continuity of learning and adaptation to new teaching methodologies. School closure reveals which students live in vulnerable situations and the existing inequalities in society. The few current qualitative studies on teachers' experiences describe the concern that teachers feel for their students. These studies show how this concern affects teachers' job satisfaction. However, do they not show what strategies the teachers use to handle or solve the concerning matters, neither do they show what

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4 Aim

The purpose of this study is to explore the Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ experiences of Emergency Distance Teaching during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic

4.1 Research Questions

• What have been the decisive positive and negative changes and challenges in the teachers’ professional roles and teacher-student relationship?

• What tools and strategies have the teachers used to overcome difficulties and strengthen their ability to cope?

• How has EDT affected teachers’ health and well-being?

4.2 Disposition

After the first introductory chapter, the second chapter presents the contextual background. It underlines the difference between Distance Education and Emergency Distance Teaching (EDT) which is now being implemented worldwide. Afterward, it presents the state-of-the-art

worldwide knowledge about the consequences of transforming face-to-face education to EDT. Moreover, as this thesis' context is Sweden and it focuses on the Swedish upper secondary school teachers, an explanation of the Swedish school system follows. The third chapter presents the Problem statement that follows with the fourth chapter that describes the aim, the research questions, and this study's relevance in Health Science and in times of Climate Change. The fifth chapter defines the theoretical framework that supports this study, whereby the sixth chapter explains this thesis's

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chapter ten discusses the results from a theoretical, Health Science, and Transdisciplinary perspective and provides practical reflections and recommendations for further research. Finally, chapter eleven presents the conclusions of the study and recommendations for future actions.

4.3 The relevance in Health Science and in times of Climate Change This thesis will contribute to the growing knowledge base of Health Science by showing the connections between education and health. Schools and education are critical determinants of health (WHO, 2015), and education is considered a human right (UN, 2015). Since teachers have a fundamental role in education the researcher considers that this study could explore the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on these important actors, the teachers, and the consequences on their health and their relationship with the students.

Increasing access to education makes communities more equitable, which improves the overall health of a population and its society (UN, 2015). Many reports from the UN (2015) show that education and poverty interlink

because education promotes economic growth and provides skills that increase employment opportunities and income. Without education, children are more likely to suffer adverse health outcomes and less likely to

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A transdisciplinary approach is recommendable when conducting studies in health science (Harris, Brown & Russell, 2010). This means that one must illustrate how the research affects or has been affected by different

perspectives and how it affects human health and non-human health. Given the importance of the sustainability goals in Health Sciences, the researcher will reflect on this study’s relevance concerning Climate Change during this time known as the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene is the geological epoch that describe the most recent period in Earth's history when the human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet's climate and ecosystems (National Geographic, 2021).

The Covid-19 pandemic and climate change are both seen as the price for interfering with Nature itself, by means of, for instance, environmental degradation, intensification of agricultural production, and the destruction of biodiversity (O'Callaghan-Gordo & Antó, 2020; Leal-Filho, Nagy & Yayeh Ayal, 2020). Agriculture is the most significant cause of habitat loss

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Teachers can best adapt the functions of society and our ways of living and working to create sustainable development by adding environmental perspectives in their teaching (Skolverket, 2013). Adopting such a perspective will provide students with insights that will prevent harmful environmental effects and develop a personal approach to overarching, global environmental issues (Skolverket, 2013).

5 Theoretical framework

In this section the researcher describes the theoretical framework that support the study. This framework will later be linked and discussed in relation to the result.

5.1 Humanistic Learning Theory

Education aims to build a solid foundation for children to build upon for the rest of their lives (Skolverket, 2013). The teachers' tasks are to shoulder demands and expectations on school from society, a demanding job that requires support, trust, and commitment from governments (School Education Gateway, SEG, 2017). To help, the teacher can use proven learning theories to help teachers connect with students, and student-centred teaching strategies are considered successful. This study will use a

Humanistic learning theory as a framework.

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When adopting the humanistic learning theory, a teacher adopts a holistic approach to education and learning and looks at the complete physical, emotional, social, and intellectual qualities of an individual and their impact on learning (Zou & Brown, 2015; Johnson, 2014). Adopting a holistic student perspective means considering the "whole" person and student-centred teaching (Johnson, 2014). This humanistic approach pays attention to students' affective dimensions such as self-concept, values, and emotions. The theory describes how students will learn more deeply if they manage to make personal connections with their lives, feelings, and experiences with the knowledge they receive from the lessons designed by their teachers (Johnson (2014). Before the teacher meets the student's cognitive needs, they must first fulfil their basic physiological needs. For example, a tired and hungry student will find it difficult to focus on learning. More importantly, students need to feel emotionally and physically safe and accepted within the classroom to progress and reach their full potential (Johnson, 2014). Caring for students will help create this foundation (Dweck, Walton & Cohen, 2014; SEG, 2017). The teacher must show that each student is valued and respected in the classroom, and the teacher must create a supportive and trustful

environment.

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What makes the humanistic approach so effective is when students feel engaged and self-motivated, so they want to learn (WGU, 2021). Teachers need to help students find things they are passionate about because that makes them excited about learning and will support their academic achievement (WGU, 2021; Nordström-Lytz, 2013; UoPeople, 2020). One of the crucial concepts often described in the Humanistic Learning Theory is being connected and connectedness. Teachers are vital people, and students and teachers share their working environment, are dependent on, and connected. Connected means being joined or linked together (Merriam Webster, 2021). The noun Connectedness is the fact of being socially, emotionally, or spiritually connected with another or the robustness of such relationships (Cambridge dictionary, 2021). Students who perceive that adults and peers in their school care about them feel connected (Tech.com, 2020). Teachers need to be present and relationship-oriented to build such joined, care and trusting relationships with their students. Above all, they need to be committed to helping and wanting their students to succeed and achieve their goals, and (SEG, 2021).

To enhance motivation and connectedness, teachers must show empathy, be socially and emotionally competent, be emotionally knowledgeable and resilient (Zou & Brown, 2015; SEG, 2021). Teachers need to be patient and compassionate, have good communication and listening skills, and give the students positive appreciation, such as praise and recognition (Johnson, 2014; Teach.com, 2020; SEG, 2021).

6 The study’s transdisciplinary position

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explain this complex and dynamic interaction of causal factors (Albrecht, Freeman & Higginbotham, 1998; Harris, Brown & Russell, 2010), a 'holistic' explanation is needed to gain knowledge and understanding of this health problems' cause and effect.

Previous studies about EDT caused by Covid were published in many different discipline journals. The journals were ranging from Health Science to Natural Science and the Social Sciences and Humanities. This variety of journals shows that this study's health problem interconnects with many disciplines, and when studying the connections, one can see how they are all intertwined.

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interactions between the engaged disciplines with the many non-academic stakeholders, the driving forces. As well as they interact with each other, and interact across one another, and these interactions affect the teachers' position in different ways. Adding or excluding a driving force can produce

consequences for the teachers.

EDT's consequences are not constant and the same for all but prone to change depending on the circumstances in which the teacher works. One example that changes the interaction between the causal factors is when students are from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Another change will be if the school programs are vocational or theoretical or rural or urban. Alternatively, if any of the teachers would contract the virus and not teach at all, or if all teachers and students would receive protective equipment to go back to school, it would also change the interaction of causal factors. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic shows that Nature has backfired on humans, and now humans must adapt and change their determinants to survive. However, EDT’s consequences for teachers can risk setbacks for students' health, public health, global health, and finally, because of this for the environment’s health, which illustrates a vicious circle.

This study will produce a result that will help understand the complexity of EDT through different perspectives. These different perspectives might shed light on the solutions needed to the problems arising from a health strategy for public health.

7 Method

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These experiences include how they engage with school management, colleagues, students, and their pedagogical approach. Moreover, examining these lived experiences through self-stories in a narrative approach (Leavy, 2014) allows the researcher to understand the teacher's perceptions.

7.1 Qualitative Design

In order to capture the lived experiences of Swedish upper secondary school teachers working during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic a qualitative narrative design was used as explained by Leavy (2014). Stories based on personal experience may raise the reader’s consciousness and awaken empathy and may therefore promote social justice or encourage taking a stand (Leavy, 2014). The desire is for the reader to enter the teacher's story by entering “the teacher's shoes”. This design beliefs to broaden people's social capacity, deepen their commitment to social justice and create a more tender relationship with other people (Leavy, 2014).

With a written narrative story, the teachers can express the aspects of their experience that they want to highlight directly with their own words and language (Leavy, 2014). A narrator who gives a personal account of the particular condition of working with EDT will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of EDT during a pandemic.

7.2 Purposeful sampling process

The idea behind qualitative research is purposefully selecting participants that will best help the researcher understanding the problem and the research questions (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Leavy (2014) suggests having one or two participating individuals in a narrative study (Leavy, 2014).

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decision to reach a comprehensive and deeper understanding of EDT. Also, to explore how teachers from two different school contexts have experienced EDT and to understand if there have been any similarities and differences. Each principal informed their staff about the study, and teachers who showed interest in participating in the study were asked to contact the researcher by email. In this stage, the researcher contacted the participants and sent an email with information about consent and the study’s purpose and method. (Appendixes number 1, 2, and 3)

7.2.1 Inclusion criteria

The first teacher from each school, who met the inclusion criteria, was

selected to participate. Two teachers, one from each of these upper secondary schools in Kalmar County, who have been working with EDT during the entire pandemic year and willing to tell their stories were included. They will be named John and Louisa.

The selected schools are the following ones:

• One school is a culturally diverse rural school with vocational programs with the focus to prepare students for working life. The school attracts students from low- and middle-class areas. Many of the students are immigrants from different cultural backgrounds, and the classes are of mixed socioeconomic backgrounds.

• The other school is a traditional city centre school with mostly theoretical focus has the purpose of preparing students for further studies. The school attracts students from middle- and upper-class areas, and students are a homogeneous group with similar

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7.3 Data Collection

Leavy (2014) recommends having active collaboration with the participants. Therefore, the researcher planned and developed a series of online meetings (through the Zoom platform) to complement the written stories, and guide and support the participants. Moreover, during these meetings, the researcher had the chance to collect beneficial and complementary information that enriched the results of her research. The participants had three weeks to submit their written stories.

7.3.1 Narrative

Narrative stories often contain turning points or specific transitions (Leavy, 2014). The researcher suggested the participants be honest and personal and feel free to express themselves but still follow specific guidelines.

• The participants told their stories chronologically from the early stages of EDT up until today, present time. The researcher asked the teachers to highlight the transitions and turning points in their accounts.

• The researcher asked them to think in blocks of time. The first months of the pandemic last year before the summer, the start of the autumn semester after the summer break, the end of the autumn semester, and the current three months into the spring semester.

• Moreover, the participants shared reflections and thoughts with all the students or any student in mind.

• They imagined telling the story to explain the situation to the reader.

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Attached as Appendix number 2 is the information letter that the researcher sent to the participant teachers to provide them written instructions for designing their story.

7.3.2 Field notes

The researcher took three Zoom meetings, took notes during the conversations, and then transcribed and translated them into English.

• The first meeting aimed to get to know each other and discuss the research and the purpose. The participants had to describe and explain why they wished to contribute to the study. The purpose of this question was to demonstrate that participating is voluntary and for the researcher to ensure that the suitable participant had agreed to participate. The wish to share a personal story, tell and share personal experiences can be a sensitive matter, and therefore the researcher believes it is essential that there is a strong desire to do so. The researcher wished to find “that teacher” who can see an added value with exposing and sharing such a personal story. We discussed each participant’s background and present working situation and their general feelings about the EDT strategy. We also discussed the method so that the participant understood the format and purpose of the design.

• The second meeting represented a follow-up after one week’s story writing to ensure motivation and support the participants in their storytelling. During the meeting, the researcher let the teachers speak freely and openly about different aspects of their experiences. Finally, comments and reflections were transcribed and collected as data.

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7.4 Narrative Analysis and Qualitative Content Analysis

The researcher took guidance about how to analyse narratives from Kohler Riessman (1993), and a Qualitative Content Analysis with advice from Graneheim & Lundman, 2003) was done with the ambition to give a “voice” to the teachers.

The participants wrote the stories in Swedish, and the meetings were held in Swedish because this is the participants’ mother tongue. Storytelling is a communicative activity emphasizing how humans use language to provide experience with meaning (Kohler Riessman, 1993). The researcher’s mother tongue is also Swedish, which made it easier to understand the expressed experiences, thoughts, and feelings when reading the stories in Swedish. Therefore, the stories were analysed in Swedish before translated into English.

The qualitative researcher worked inductively by building patterns and categories from the bottom up by organizing the data into more abstract information units (Graneheim & Lundman, 2003). This inductive process illustrated working back and forth between the codes and the categories until a set of themes were established (Graneheim & Lundman, 2003). Then the researcher translated the text into English. Afterward, the researcher deductively checked the categories to determine if more evidence could support each category or whether the researcher had to gather additional information through the follow-up Zoom conversations.

Below is an extract from the analysis table used during the Qualitative

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John Meaning Unit Code Category Theme

RQ 1

I have lost the senses that I normally use, all the expressions that I …see…. body language

Lost senses

Lost

communication

Distant and Remote Communication

RQ 2

There must be something good out of this

Good lessons

Positive mindset The key is to be present, kind, and innovative

RQ 3

Often, I feel empty, I feel like a broken record….

Feel empty

emptiness Trials

(Graneheim & Lundman, 2003)

Louisa Meaning Unit Code Category Theme

RQ 1 They, like me, lack someone to reflect with and have lost points of reference

Lack reflection

Lost reference

Distant and Remote Communication

RQ 2 choose to trust them instead of trying to control them

Trust them Show trust The key is to be present, kind, and innovative

RQ 3 I feel useless and inadequate and none of what I do will be good enough

Not good enough

Stress Trials

(Graneheim & Lundman, 2003)

8 Ethical considerations

The researcher received Ethical advice from the Southeast Ethical board at Linnaeus University (Dnr: EPK 707-2021), and took guidance from The Swedish Research Council (2017).

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that no unauthorized person could access it. When the degree project is approved, the researcher will destroy the data.

The researcher knows that it is vital to protect the participant's privacy considering that Kalmar is a small county. The participants' identity or the name of the participating schools had no significance for the result of the study. The researcher was the only one to contact them and was therefore cautious of not revealing their names, reporting any specific details about the schools of the participants. After the analysis, the participant shared the result to ensure that the researcher had understood the teachers' stories correctly.

The researcher secured permission and approval from the principles at each upper secondary school and stated the purpose of the study in the written information letter. A mutual friend recommended one included participant before start-up, but the researcher had no relationship with the participant. The researcher asked for approval and permission from the school principal to approach this participant before contacting the participant.

The researcher did the data collection outside teachers' working hours, and the researcher collected informed consent from each participant. The participants received information that participating was voluntary and the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

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9 Result

The purpose of this study is to explore the Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ experiences of Emergency Distance Teaching during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Each narrative has been a self-representation about how each teacher wishes to be known by the readers (Kohler

Riessman, 1993). Each story illustrated what working as a teacher during a Covid-19 pandemic means. Moreover, during the writing process, each teacher contextualized this experience in the larger context of his or her own lives (Kohler Riessman, 1993). The Qualitative content analysis identified three themes: (1) Distant and Remote Communication, (2) Key is to be Present, Kind, and Innovative, and (3) Trials. The stories were personal, emotional, and revealing and answered the research questions.

To facilitate understanding the results, the teachers are first introduced by using their own written words and the plot that sets the overall scene as described by Kohler Riessman (1993). After that, the researcher presents the answers to the research questions.

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John

My name is John, and I work as a vocational teacher at the Crafts Program – Fine carpentry. We educate those who will become furniture carpenters and "Decorate Sweden". Furniture carpenters are practical and manage carpentry machines so that the right results with all the details are achieved, that it is thoughtful and performed in a safe matter. All this requires repeated practical practice. One must practice the different steps over and over and become familiar with them. Some pupils get to practice more than others, and others practice and learn more. Learning to perform the practical techniques takes time. It is about transferring intellectual knowledge to touch, timing, and feeling so that you can see the consequences of these in their different contexts. I am responsible for the introductory classes. The introductory classes are for newly arrived students with poor language skills in the Swedish language. These students do "their" education, which is four years, of which the first year includes a mix of professional Swedish and internships in our carpentry workshop. Most of my introductory students come from Afghanistan and Somalia and have usually come to Sweden without their other family and have only been here for a few years. My students have different attitudes towards education and school and perhaps also different in their ambition to struggle for long-term educational goals. My pupils were very split up from the start of the autumn term, and I could not unite and shape them into a functioning dynamic and positive group. Groups had been created that lacked a leader figure. These students were the ones who would now be taught remotely.

The Plot

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At the time, my pupils participated at the Young Enterprise Fair. We built stands and fixed and prepared. The fair was open to the local business community, the public, and many invited visitors to see the students' companies. But... Corona appeared for the first time to me and us at the fair... The fair was not allowed to receive any visitors... Now came the first consequence...

But I still did not get it. Maybe I did not want to understand. I was overexcited about the fair that had gone well for me, the school, and my students. We had received many prizes, and we would get to go to the Swedish Championships in Stockholm later in the spring. Everything continued well.

On Thursday, there was distance learning...

9.1 Louisa

I am Louisa, and I work as a subject teacher in Swedish, Sociology, and Communication. I teach pupils from a wide range, from those who do not pass upper secondary school exams to those who have an A in all courses. It is a challenge, but it is also the only thing I want to do, to teach. I work hard and purposefully and have good relationships with my pupils. I love words, literature, social analysis, and teenagers. My wish is that my pupils leave my lectures with a feeling of my faith in them as individuals, and I hope that they know that I see them there, where they sit, with all their thoughts and

knowledge, I think they know.

School life is very ritual, and as a teacher, you live in both one-year and three-year cycles. The relationship between a teacher and a class is unique. It is fundamental, intense, and essential and ends on graduation day. The group may never come together as a whole ever again, making their last time together memorable. I love the classroom and the magic that happens there every day. My teaching is structured and spontaneous and demanding and permissive. For me, it is crucial to provide emotional support while being clear about demands and expectations. I have high educational ideals and spend an enormous amount of time in the pupils' life world to keep up to date. In the classroom, I am the one who controls and engages, and there on the classroom floor, I am at my best. But, out of this, there is almost nothing left. I am not a distance teacher, but I am forced to be one. The pandemic is redrawing the map completely or the terrain that has been replaced.

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March 2020, there is a whiz going through the school. We read in the paper shortly afterward that the school is shutting down. Everything is so strange. Everything goes so fast. Our whole day of work is turned upside down, and those who are our bosses, our leaders, let us read about what is going on in the paper. We feel insignificant and left out. Rumours are spreading, and I must calm them down and set things straight. I must play cool even though I am also starting to feel some anxiety. The students are concerned. I try to reassure the students and take their concerns seriously. For some, it was heading for hysteria, even though some did not care at all. The last three months of a three-year relationship are now on Google Meet, where I cannot read the students' facial expressions. Something that is otherwise completely necessary for my teaching. Students are directly sent home and given one more day to pick up all the school supplies they need. The school is closed. Google Meet will be my classroom for a long time to come, but I do not know that there and then.

9.2 Theme presentation

9.3 Research question number 1

Research question number one explores the decisive positive and negative changes and challenges in the teachers’ professional role and their teacher-student relationships during the period of the EDT.

The overarching Theme for this question is “Distant and Remote Communication.” Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a standard system of symbols, signs, or behaviour with the help of techniques and technology (MerriamWebster, 2021). The categories that describe this Theme and answers the research question are “Challenged Teaching and Pedagogy”, “Changed Relationships and Challenged Connectedness”, “Absence and Loss,” and “Lack of

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9.3.1 Distant and Remote Communication

Compared to the teaching work before the Covid-19 pandemic, the

challenges and changes described were related to communicating differently. The teachers’ narratives illuminated the fundamentally social nature of teaching. The teachers' professional roles and relationships are dependent on functioning communication, which was now challenged in various ways because of distance. The Theme described and explained how it is not only the students to have physically become distant and remote, but the teacher-student relationship has additionally become distant and remote. The connection between them was challenging to maintain and therefore challenged the teaching and the learning. Both John and Louisa described how they worked hard on creating connectedness and how that has now changed and become challenging to achieve. Another aspect to underline is the relationship between the teachers and the school management. In the first time of the pandemic, teachers highlighted a lack of communication with the school management, and they underlined not being involved in the decisions that affected them. This situation created confusion and a sense of "us and them,": a feeling of deep distance between the teachers and the school management.

1. Challenged Teaching and Pedagogy

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distance teaching. This fact was the biggest struggle for John and his most significant worries for his students.

"it is a craft that they must learn and learn when listening, watching, and then trying/doing.…. Now that is difficult to manage online" - John

"I am afraid that this past year and the experiences from it will lead to that vocational training is impoverished, that the education will become too theoretical, and what will then happen? I try to speak with my superiors about educational debt. What have we lost, what have our students lost? How shall we ever be able to fix this?" - John

Both John's and Louisa's knowledge and skills about best working with EDT have improved over the past pandemic year. Louisa often wrote "wise from experience……" and concluded with a lesson she had learned that now facilitates the work.

"wise from experience, I have both structure and pedagogical arrangements ready for me" - Louisa

Still, they both described that it was difficult to convey a message and get the students to understand the depth of what they wanted the students to learn.

"Lecturing works but not getting good dynamics and participation from the whole group" - John.

and

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if you may have got a little sense about what was cooked" - John

Louisa also described how she had learned a lot about what works, and new technologies that recently had been implemented made interactivity much easier. Still, she also described the remaining challenges.

"It's insignificant, boring, and my usual didactic tools are taken away from me" - Louisa

"I have to be incredibly clear about everything, but everything takes a very long time, incredibly time-consuming" - Louisa.

An upside noted by Louisa was the emergence of students who normally had lots of absenteeism, who had not shone in the classroom before but stood out while working from home. Louisa describes this.

“...At the same time, there are some who skip school from the physical classroom who now have a 100% digital presence, which fascinates me. Some patterns baffle me…” -Louisa

The most significant positive change explained by Louisa was when she had parent-teacher meetings. They had now been held online and had worked much better than before, and it was a positive change and improvement that Louisa hoped to have come to stay.

2. Changed Relationship and Challenged Connectedness

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"reference point", as a guide, and as support for students' personal

development, which was considered a big part of the teacher's role. Louisa described this changed relationship and challenged connectedness when her students invited her to a park after graduation.

"I receive a so-called "Class" around my neck, a cardboard plate with a blue-and-yellow ribbon, a medal. It says, "Class bonus mom," and they have rhymed a long rhyme about me as a teacher, and I cry when I get to hang it myself around my neck, and I think this is not what our farewell was supposed to be like. When I go to my bike, it strikes me that this is the last time I will ever see them again. I hang my "class" on my bulletin board at work and read it often, with warmth. Among the words I read, "You are the one who understands every pupil, even the one who the lesson did not attend. If one at some point is in a bad mood, you are the one who makes the sadness stop. If you need help, you are the one whose advice in life you want to get is why it is tough to say goodbye to you. The end for us was not as we intended, but you have still through Google Meet many smiles given". This is the class that I forced to read Selma Lagerlöf's novel "The Emperor of Portugallien" the very first week of school and a class that I challenged more than I thought any could. This is the class I will never forget" - Louisa

Louisa was dependent on that close relationship to ensure that the students understood that she is there and care for them.

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"How do I support and "read" a student who finds it difficult to express himself in speech and writing? Where did body

language go?" – John

"I log in early and meet students in need of talking.... I find myself talking for a long time with students after class... who needs an adult to reflect with" - Louisa

".... loneliness during the pandemic becomes even more clear and stressful. I'll leave my planning and let them talk in small groups" - Louisa

This was a significant change for John, who placed great value in the intimate conversation with the individual student, which he relies on upon and is a large part of his work.

"When I meet the students in the school workshop, I slip in questions about them, about how they are doing, how they are feeling. I always notice if someone is having a bad day or a bad time. I always try to light a bright spark, say some wisdom. I always ask about their future and prospects, try to help them with feeling hope for the future and find meaning that what is done now has consequences in the future - this is now so difficult" – John

3. Absence and loss

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confirmed them as teachers. This lost connectedness with the students was something that Louisa described very emotionally, with sadness and grief.

"I kind of can't "feel" if they learn because I don't see anything" - Louisa

"I feel like I'm shouting out into thin air and the response is minimal" - Louisa

"I can't reach them no matter how I try. And the corridor no longer exists" - Louisa

John described this loss similarly.

"This meeting, between the student and me, is something that I have not experienced at all during...and I realize I miss this... to see each student" - John.

"It is difficult, often I feel empty, I feel like a broken record" – John

4. Lack of directives

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reschedule, and constantly re-plan, which made the situation unclear and complicated to keep track of.

"We did not have a lot of time to prepare. We had half a day of info and practice about skype" – John

John's story was about constant change and new directives.

"We had to reschedule again. Now the directives were:

distance learning on theoretical elements and on-site teaching with practical elements" - John

"I had to prepare the students for whatever might come, whatever might happen the day after or after the weekend" - John

Like John, Louisa described how work was under constant change and underlined the little time to prepare for the change. But also, she expressed her feelings of exclusion when she was not included in decisions involving her and her students and neglected when wanting to help planning and developing strategies for handling the situation in a better way.

"We do not understand the decisions that are made.... we are not listened to or confided in" - Louisa.

9.4 Research Question number 2

This research question explores which tools and strategies teachers have used to overcome difficulties and strengthen their ability to cope.

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9.4.1

The key is to be Present, Kind, and Innovative

This Theme describes and explains what John and Louisa have been struggling with and how they have found new ways of dealing with difficulties connected to the classroom activities. Both had lowered their expectations and demands and had to rely more on their abilities and perspectives. This Theme describes how John and Louisa have learned to take care of themselves, think kinder thoughts about their achievements and the student's accomplishments, and adopt a positive mindset in general.

1. New Pedagogical strategies

This category is about finding new solutions and being creative. John and Louisa had both found new ways of teaching and learning. The category also describes how John and Louisa had adapted to the students and had shown them more patience and understanding.

“I just invent something and hope that the idea works, that it “saves me”- John.

“cut class short, do just parts and short tasks with many breaks and feedback sessions” -John.

John described how he always needs to find new pedagogical ways to help his students connect with life outside school and see the purpose of preparing themselves for their future.

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self-esteem? The other day I had them writing a personal letter for a curriculum. They had to visit the employment agency, learn how they seek a job, and apply for a driver’s license. I want them to think of “who am I? what are my interests? And how can my qualities and interest be of value for a company/ employer”. “I wish for them to find what drives them. “I try to tell them often that I care about them, I care what happens to them, that I will try to help them to succeed.” - John

Louisa described in many ways how she misses the classroom discussions. She described a situation where she wished to connect her students to reality by creating interactivity with an important outsider who could provide valuable feedback.

We read Silvia Avallone’s text “I am a witness to something we will never forget” written to young people. The texts my students write are fantastic, and they choose significant Avallone quotes that make life right now feel extra clear and present. I want to share the students’ thoughts with everyone, show how wise young people are, show what they can and can do. After we read Silvia Avallone’s text, I make an Instagram post that I hashtag with #silviaavallone and judge my surprise when she leaves a comment to the students” – Louisa.

John always used the strategy of adapting differently to each student because of his class’s variety of cultural backgrounds. This new situation reinforces this need to adapt to each student.

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Louisa described the same but in a different way.

“I ignore small Petti things…. Choose to trust them instead of trying to control them” -Louisa

“More than ever, I try to adopt the student’s perspective and adapt my teaching accordingly” – Louisa.

Both described how they had learned a lot along the way, and now they feel more prepared while making plans.

“I feel more prepared now. I can even see now what lessons suit best for online, and then we can plan the theory days and the practical days better” – John.

“I try to look ahead.... I make scenarios in my head” – Louisa. 2. Physical and Mental strategies to cope and recover

This category describes how John and Louisa had noticed how the new situation had affected their well-being and, therefore, acted more consciously about using particular strategies to stay strong and maintain health over time.

"I took out all my built-in hours and saved vacation days from before…. was now just at home instead, talking to the family, with close friends" – John

"…trained breathing and walking – just trying to find peace and quiet – tools to move on" – John

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"On the days I am home, I take lunch walks…. I try to move and change my workplace and working position so that my body experiences variety"- Louisa.

She described how she logged out and reduced her screen time and turned off her cell phone.

"I sometimes lie down in bed or on the couch during recess if I am at home" - Louisa.

Both described how the situation had taught them to take care of themselves better because the pandemic might not be over for a long time. Developing a positive mindset is something that both adopted to be able to keep going on.

"There must be something good out of this…something that I can use to create a lesson, a life lesson" - John.

"I'm going to develop and grow as a teacher" - John

"The past year has taught me to take care of my resources. I also need to listen to my gut feeling…I know that it is often right" – Louisa

"It is not this everyday life that I want, far from it, but it works now, and I have learned to live with it. This is not the best teaching, not at all, but it is good enough" – Louisa

John and Louisa are two skilled and experienced teachers who, therefore, had faith in managing the situation and stayed resilient.

3. Support

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"….my partner also helps, reminds me to limit myself" - John. "…asked my colleagues to put down their foot and tell me if I again do too much, take on too much again and get carried away and stressed" - John.

Louisa explained the importance of being supportive to colleagues and how that support was also good for herself.

"The loneliness of many is now becoming apparent, and we need to vent with each other. Mirror us in each other. Hear from others that we experience the same things, the same frustration, and the same emotions" - Louisa.

She described how she sometimes got dragged down in other's worrying but how she strengthened herself by putting her foot down. Louisa also described the difficulty of receiving understanding and support from the immediate family emotionally.

"I bear a sadness that no other outsider can understand this spring. My husband does not understand how it is to carry a class in one's heart and see how everything that we have built up just slowly drains away. For him, these people do not exist" – Louisa

Louisa described how she lately had received necessary, longed for, and welcomed support and encouragement from her boss.

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9.5 Research Question number 3

This third research question explores how EDT has affected the teachers’ health and well-being.

The overarching Theme for this question is "Trials." The categories that explain and describe this Theme and answer the research question are "Increased Stress and Loneliness," "Increased Demands," and "Lost Confidence."

9.5.1 Trials

This Theme describes how John's and Louisa's performances, qualities, suitability, and well-being has been constantly tested, not consciously but has now been long-lasting.

1. Increased Stress and Loneliness

This category is about emotions and feelings. John describes how he experienced stress, frustration, anger, and worry. How he also experienced difficulties sleeping and remembering important things.

"I was stressing myself out to the point where I was about to crash. My memory failed me, and I forgot a lot of things I had promised. I had a brusque awakening when my osteopath said, "you will have a heart attack before the summer" – John

This information scared John and made him take leave to recover and find the strength to continue the work that he puts much value to. Louisa experienced the situation with sadness, and she felt inadequate, neglected, and disappointed. These were feelings and emotions that affected her well-being and sense of energy.

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"I am nagging, but what good does that do? I am sad, disappointed, and tired" Louisa

Louisa, in particular, had noticed students affected by the isolation and loneliness of studying from home and not feeling well because of the lost connection with both teachers and friends. Worry for the vulnerable students creates anxiety and is often described by Louisa.

"…and my heart is hurting for those who feel alone and left out" – Louisa

It is significant how they both described how this new situation had created feelings of loneliness and emptiness. These feelings were about the lost connection with their students, which now had lasted for over a year.

"I feel empty" – John

"My memories of this time are that I feel very lonely and that I am cold. The school is big, empty, and cold" – Louisa

"I sit alone in a classroom and teach students through the computer…. I feel like I'm shouting out into thin air, and the response is minimal" – Louisa

2. Increased Demands

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"We teachers are not feeling well due to the workload" – Louisa

"more exhausting job now... Now I will teach in all different forms, but with a schedule that does not make this possible, I am running back and forth" – Louisa

John and Louisa have high expectations and high demands on their ability as teachers, and they feel responsible for their students' personal development and study results. Not being able to secure the teaching and the close relationship with their students that they are used to contributes to emotions such as dissatisfaction, stress, and anxiety. John explained this.

"But it is my responsibility, always I feel. …. does not help me"- John.

Louisa also explained how the increased workload and the constant new directives caused conflicts.

"Everyone is under pressure in this current situation, so there are more conflicts now than otherwise" – Louisa

3. Lost confidence

Finally, also their professional confidence was on trial, and their professional identity had been affected. John and Louisa often questioned themselves and how they would succeed with reaching the curricula with the new directives, decisions, and regulations.

"I often wonder how what I am saying during lessons is received by the pupils" - John

"I often become eager, too eager. Now when I meet my students face-to-face, I talk too much. I am so happy…. they probably think that I talk too much…. get irritated with me… that I ask too much from them probably. It is difficult" - John.

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"I don't exist in the same way. Now I'm just a face of a digital reality" – Louisa

"I feel useless and inadequate, and none of what I do will be good enough" - Louisa.

9.6 John’s final quote

This quote described so well the essence of who he is as a teacher. It

explained what motivates him and how he works. John believes that his role is crucial in building young people with self-confidence and who will cope in life with all that entails. This quote also illustrated how significant the

students' physical presence is for John to teach. John described a situation before the pandemic.

"The students, as their first task, are often to build a chair. There are many different important steps to take and learn when building such a piece of furniture. After a long time, the students are finished with a fine piece of furniture it is the best. The students fly across the room with pride. They have accomplished something, by themselves, that they can use, and it also looks great. That is wonderful. Such things trigger me and make me happy "it is priceless," a true motivator…. But now that is lost".

9.7 Louisa’s final quote

This quote described the core of who she is as a teacher and symbolized how vital her role is in creating a close relationship with her students. The section illustrated the work she values and how she is rewarded with a good

relationship with her students, and the creation of confident young individuals in contact with their feelings and values.

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wrong. It is totally against all of what I stand for, both as a teacher and a human being. Denying a student who asks for a hug, I have never done before, and hope never to have to ever again” - Louisa

10 Discussion

This study reported Swedish upper secondary school teachers' experiences of Emergency Distance Teaching when there were substantial disruptions to the Swedish education sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The researcher developed three research questions that were considered suitable and significant to reach the aim. The researcher used a Qualitative Narrative approach to collect written stories from two teachers from two contextually different upper secondary schools in Kalmar County in Sweden. By asking teachers to share stories, they had the chance to express the aspects of their experiences that they wished to highlight directly with their own words and language.

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10.1 Interrupted connectedness and relationship

The teachers participating in this study had two different stories. Even if they described the challenges differently, the researcher could notice that they still contained the same message. The primary and most significant finding was the change they experienced with maintaining connectedness and the vital teacher-student relationship. According to the Humanistic Learning Theory (Johnson, 2014), teachers need to be present and relationship-oriented to build caring and trusting relationships with their students (SEG, 2021). The new situation with EDT challenged this theory and, thus, the teachers' professional roles. The vital relationship had become distant, and because of lacked, lost, and missed communication caused difficulties with both

teaching and learning.

This finding is consistent with a British study by Kim et al. (2020). They also found that teachers lost this close relationship with their students because of EDT and consequently experienced decreased job satisfaction. This finding is also consistent with Ramlo (2021), who studied American university faculty's views about EDT during the pandemic. Ramlo (2021) showed the same loss of connection and relationship as this study's participating teachers.

Emergency Distance Teaching during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic Health Science, Degree Project, 30 credits (5HÄ01E)