Starfsumhverfi framhaldsskólakennara á fyrsta ári COVID-19 heimsfaraldurs

Abstract

Framhaldsskólastigið fór ekki varhluta af breyttu starfsumhverfi vegna COVID-19-faraldursins. Þegar samkomubann var sett á í mars 2020 fluttist öll staðkennsla yfir í fjarkennslu og hélst það fyrirkomulag fram eftir vorönn 2020. Um haustið tók við tímabil síbreytilegra samkomutakmarkana. Kennt var ýmist á staðnum eða í eins konar blöndu af fjar- og staðnámi en í lok annar fluttist kennsla aftur alfarið yfir í fjarkennslu. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að varpa ljósi á starfsumhverfi íslenskra framhaldsskólakennara við síbreytilegar aðstæður árið 2020. Sérstök áhersla er lögð á starfsaðstæður framhaldsskólakennara, starfsskyldur, stuðning og álag en einnig á samskipti kennara við nemendur, foreldra og samstarfsfólk. Auk þess verður kannað hvort kyn og stærð skóla hafi áhrif á fyrrgreinda þætti. Unnið er með gögn úr tveimur könnunum Menntavísindastofnunar Háskóla Íslands sem lagðar voru fyrir starfsfólk framhaldsskóla. Fyrri spurningalistinn var lagður fyrir í lok vorannar 2020 og sá seinni í lok haustannar 2020. Niðurstöður sýna að kennarastarfið tók miklum breytingum á fyrsta ári heimsfaraldurs. Framhaldsskólakennarar fundu fyrir auknu álagi og þeim fannst starf sitt flóknara en áður. Streita jókst frá vormisseri til haustmisseris, þrátt fyrir þá tilfinningu kennara að þeir hefðu betri tök á starfi sínu. Konur vörðu meiri tíma í umönnun barna og þær fundu fyrir meiri streitu en karlar. Samstarf kennara var meira og fundir voru tíðari en kennurunum fannst samstarfið gagnlegt. Samskipti við nemendur og foreldra jukust í heildina, einkum að mati kvenkyns kennara. Kennarar töldu að skólarnir hefðu lagað starfshætti sína að breyttri stöðu nemenda á þessum krefjandi tímum. Niðurstöðurnar vekja áleitnar spurningar um starfsumhverfi kennara og starfsþróun þeirra á tímum heimsfaraldurs og síbreytilegra starfsaðstæðna. Þær eru jafnframt innlegg í samtal um hvernig megi bregðast við komandi kreppum og varpa ljósi á ýmsa veikleika í kerfinu.

The working environment in upper secondary schools changed drastically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A ban on social gatherings was established in Iceland in March 2020 and all schoolwork shifted to on-line learning almost overnight; this lasted throughout the spring semester and continued with various restrictions in the fall of 2020. Upper secondary school teachers answered a questionnaire in May 2020, aimed at mapping the changes to working conditions during the spring semester and the shift into emergency remote teaching (Barbour et al., 2020). At the end of the fall semester, a follow-up questionnaire was sent. The data used in the current paper derive from these questionnaires. The aim is to investigate how teachers at the upper secondary level performed their duties under the new circumstances in 2020, especially during the first COVID lockdown in spring but also as the pandemic continued. Special emphasis is laid on how they experienced their working conditions, e.g., in terms of their definition of duties, stress, collaboration and administrative obligations, as well as their interaction with students and their parents. The support provided to teachers during the first stages of the pandemic, both technological, pedagogical and social is analyzed. The aim is to add to the gradually emerging knowledge base by shedding light on the work of upper secondary teachers during the first waves of the pandemic. The first results show that the teaching profession underwent radical changes during the first period of the pandemic (Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir et al., 2020). Upper secondary teachers felt an increased pressure and stress at work and perceived their work as more complicated than before. The experience of stress increased during the fall semester, even though the teachers reported they had a better handle on the work. The data show an important gender difference, as female teachers seem to have been primary caregivers in the homes and consequently found it more strenuous to attend to their teaching duties as well. More collaboration with colleagues during the pandemic was reported and administrative meetings were more frequent. The collaboration with colleagues proved a crucial factor when coping with the recurring changes of working conditions. This was generally viewed as beneficial to their work by a large majority of teachers. Communication with students and parents increased overall and over time, especially according to female teachers, which may have added to the increased pressure at work. Moreover, most participants believed students experienced more psychological stress during the pandemic, a perception that only heightened over time. However, they also believed that schools had adjusted their work practices to accommodate students during these challenging times. The results evoke important questions concerning teachers’ working conditions. The rapid professional development undertaken by teachers led to the majority of them adopting more varied teaching approaches than before the pandemic. Nevertheless, this was accompanied by a higher level of stress and insecurity. This may carry several implications. Teacher education needs to take these changed circumstances into account and prepare future teachers for the possibilities of hybrid teaching and increased flexibility and differentiation. Both experienced and newly qualified teachers need to have access to professional development that supports them. The time and opportunities that teachers need for collaboration and peer support must be included in their work. Reflecting on the situation in Iceland during the first stages of the pandemic can serve as a basis for comparison with teachers’ working conditions in other countries.