A CASE STUDY OF KOSOVAN TEACHERS' TRANSITION TO DISTANCE EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education globally; however, different contexts around the world have responded to the challenges distinctively depending on the available resources. Developed countries, like the United States, Canada, and Qatar, transitioned to online education within a few days after the spread of the pandemic, while developing countries such as Pakistan and India kept their schools closed for several months. However, the selected context of this study is Kosova, where distance education received attention only after the closure of schools following the spread of the virus. This shift marked innovations in distance education, but the experiences of the teachers in their transition to online education remain unexplored. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify the challenges that middle school teachers in Kosova faced in relation to the implementation of online education and to investigate teachers' attitudes toward integrating the online component into traditional education systems. This article involves multiple case research studies on the pedagogical crises resulting from the pandemic. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 teachers (n = 12) and data were thematically analyzed through cross-case analysis. The findings showed that teachers' challenges varied between the setting, planning, and implementation of online classes. Teachers' main concerns were their lack of professional development for online teaching and the lack of technological equipment for both students and teachers. Despite the difficulties, teachers considered that online education served not only the purpose for the emergent situation with the closure of schools, but also that their online teaching experience positively influenced their attitudes about integrating the online component into their traditional teaching system. The study highlights the need for policy intervention in distance education, specifically in relation to directives in online learning implementation. Implications suggest that the Kosovan Ministry of Education should offer resources for teachers' professional development, provide the necessary technological equipment, and encourage technology integration and use in traditional classroom settings.