Has the pandemic changed the cultural profile of the youngest sports teachers?

doi:10.35189/dpeskj.2021.60.4.13

Abstract

Restrictive measures, protection measures such as wearing masks, remote work, all meant to limit the explosive growth in the incidence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have changed people’s habits, lifestyles and professional activities. These unexpected and turbulent times have also affected several sectors, such as culture and education, which had to adapt and adjust in order to continue to provide services, but within some limits. Having as background the results of a previous case study developed between 2017 and 2019, this paper aims to analyse whether the cultural features of the newest teachers in the field of sport and physical education science have changed under the impact of the pandemic. Using four of the cultural dimensions of Hofstede’s model, an instrument validated at national level in Romania, as well as data collected in the 2020-2021 school year from a group of 32 people (included in a master’s programme in the field of sport and physical education science), this paper compares the cultural profile of sport specialists before and during the pandemic. The results show that there are some differences only for two cultural dimensions, namely Masculinity versus Femininity and Power Distance. However, as the spread of coronavirus disease at community level has not yet been stopped, it is very likely that these differences will deepen, greatly affecting pedagogical and managerial practices in schools.

Highlights

The year 2020 could be a landmark in the history of mankind
Behavioural changes - due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infection, some behavioural norms changed in urban areas from a lifestyle based on regular economic cycles within weekdays and holidays to a lifestyle based on infection status and climatic condition (Morita et al, 2020); because of social isolation, personal and collective vulnerabilities were exacerbated, leading to an increase in domestic violence (Bradbury-Jones & Isham, 2020; Usher et al, 2020);
Changes in work-related attitudes - increased job insecurity and organizational changes caused by the pandemic were found to be strong predictors of turnover intentions for employees in hospitality industry; job insecurity, risk-taking behaviour and organizational changes were found to be significantly correlated with job satisfaction (Bajrami et al, 2021);

Summary

Introduction

The year 2020 could be a landmark in the history of mankind. At this point, it appears as a moment of rupture between before and after the rapid and dramatic spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). If until recently people were talking about the changes due to new technologies, globalisation or global warming, a new perspective has emerged, namely that of changes induced by the pandemic These changes could be felt immediately or are to be seen within a certain period of time. Some recent research highlights that the effects can be seen in: diet changes - during quarantine, the diet quality improved due to the increase in homemade meals; diet changes were found to be associated with factors such as time, skills, habits, feelings and beliefs (Artigiani Lima Tribst et al, 2021); behavioural changes - due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 infection, some behavioural norms changed in urban areas from a lifestyle based on regular economic cycles within weekdays and holidays to a lifestyle based on infection status and climatic condition (Morita et al, 2020); because of social isolation, personal and collective vulnerabilities were exacerbated, leading to an increase in domestic violence (Bradbury-Jones & Isham, 2020; Usher et al, 2020); changes in work-related attitudes (job motivation and job satisfaction) - increased job insecurity and organizational changes caused by the pandemic were found to be strong predictors of turnover intentions for employees in hospitality industry (even if they were among the survivors, they were afraid of losing their jobs); job insecurity, risk-taking behaviour and organizational changes were found to be significantly correlated (in a negative way) with job satisfaction (Bajrami et al, 2021); changes in human resource management - in order for companies to adapt and survive during the pandemic, human resource management introduced online processes; in addition, employees benefited from new training programmes aimed at developing both the skills required to perform current jobs and those necessary for the future, in the event that the circumstances change (Gigauri, 2020); changes in purchasing frequency - between the pre-COVID period and June 2020, the frequency of purchasing certain food products decreased due to the changed shopping habits of the population (from face-to-face shopping to e-commerce using online door-to-door delivery platforms); commitments to local food procurement (from local farmers/merchants) increased during the COVID period (Carolan, 2021)

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