PROBLEMS AND NEEDS OF TEACHERS IN THE ORGANIZATION OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN UKRAINE DURING QUARANTINE CAUSED BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC: 2021 RESEARCH RESULTS

Abstract

The article deals with the results of the online survey on the problems and needs of Ukrainian educators toward the use of the digital tools for distance teaching and learning conducted by the Comparative Studies Department for Information and Education Innovations of the Institute of Information technologies and Learning Tools of the National Academy of Educational Science (NAES) of Ukraine in 2021. Ukrainian teachers and schools are in a situation where distance learning has become a necessity. These circumstances are closely related to the introduction of quarantine measures in all countries of the world in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why the digital competencies of teachers and school administrators are on the agenda in the education system. What matters today is how teachers and schools develop digital learning environments, what tools they use, what digital skills they can apply for these purposes. 1463 respondents – teachers, school administrators, methodologists, social pedagogues from all regions of Ukraine – took part in the survey. The questions covered the following topics: problems and needs that arise during the implementation of distance and blended learning during quarantine; determining the attitude and readiness of teachers to the use of online tools and online resources during distance and blended learning in quarantine; comparison of the results of the 2021 survey on the use of online tools and online resources with the results of the first survey in the spring of 2020; determining the level of digital competence of teachers through self-assessment based on the "The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens". The answers of the respondents allowed providing proposals to different stakeholders and pointed to further steps in supporting teachers and educational institutions in the organization of distance and blended learning, which is important in the pandemic period. The purpose of the article was to present the survey results and provide proposals to the interested parties (governmental bodies, educational institutions, local authorities) on the concrete steps in the organization of distance learning in secondary schools.