Online Teaching: A Pleasure or Pressure for Higher Secondary School Teachers: A Case Study

Abstract

The shutting down of educational institutions not only in India, but all over the world has forced them to adapt to a new normal of online teaching through digital platforms. The sudden transition has caused a chaos in the education sector in India. Many studies have been conducted on the issues faced by the students in online classes but not teachers. The higher secondary school teachers are a group who has to adapt immediately to the digital classrooms and resources since their students are at a stage of their prospective career choosing. The present study analyses the issues of teachers during online teaching who are suddenly pushed in to the digital environment. The case study method was adopted for the study with the support of a structured interview schedule. The sample of the study consisted of 50 higher secondary teachers in different disciplines and different schools across Kerala, India. Due to the pandemic restrictions the sample size has to be kept a minimum number. The study mainly focused on the problems faced by the higher secondary teachers during the online teaching. The findings of the study showed that the online teaching is a pressure for them rather than a pleasure experience. Major issues faced by the teachers are the lack of computer competency, technical issues such as lack of internet connectivity, students’ access to the digital devices and the occupational stress due to the disruption of work- life balance. Based on the findings, practical and social implications are analyzed and discussed.