Köymen, D. N. (2023). Pedagogical takeaways of middle school mathematics teachers after emergency remote teaching experiences due to COVID-19 (Publication No. 107752) [Master’s thesis, Middle Eastern Technical University]. OpenMETU. https://hdl.handle.net/11511/107752
Abstract:
“This study investigated the pedagogical takeaways of middle school mathematics teachers after their experiences in the emergency remote teaching process they were exposed to due to COVID-19. In the study, 18 middle school mathematics teachers with at least four years of working experience who worked before, during and after the pandemic were selected as participants. Data were collected online with semi- structured interview questions. With the content analysis, codes were extracted. As a result of the study, it was revealed that middle school mathematics teachers had takeaways in two primary categories: utilizing technology for mathematics teaching and utilizing technology for communication with parents and students. Under the domain of utilizing technology for mathematics teaching, takeaways of teachers were further classified into aspects related to the quality of instruction, adoption of new technologies, utilization of resources and applications, and improvements in time management during instruction. Several factors were identified as supportive elements for teachers to sustain their insights post-pandemic. These factors include the student interest, the availability of diverse teaching materials, alignment of certain mathematics topics with technological tools, and the overarching reality that the current generation is immersed in the age of technology. Furthermore, obstacles that hindered teachers in adopting and sustaining pandemic takeaways encompassed challenges associated with the school environment, language barriers, struggles in adapting to the digitalization process, and a predominant focus on exam preparation for 8th-graders. These findings indicate that crisis situations may be turned into opportunities within the education system by teachers and lead to sustainable takeaways.”