Abstract
In March 2020, schools in England were closed to all but vulnerable children and the children of key workers, as part of a national effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Many teachers were required to work from home as remote learning was implemented. Teaching is primarily a relational profession, and previous literature acknowledges that supportive relationships with peers help to maintain teachers' resilience and commitment during challenging periods. This paper reports on findings from a small-scale study conducted in England during the first national lockdown beginning in March 2020, which explored the impact of the requirement to teach remotely on teachers' identity and peer relationships. A discourse analysis, informed by the aims and practices of discursive psychology, was conducted in order to explore the association between constructions of peer support and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings indicate that teachers who presented their professional self-identity as collective rather than personal appeared to have a more positive perspective on the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. These findings, which have implications for policymakers and school leaders, contribute to the growing field of research on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education by showing the strong association between teachers' constructions of identity and their capacity to respond positively to the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Highlights
Covid-19 and Education in EnglandThe pandemic spread of the Covid-19 virus in 2020 created unprecedented disruption to education on a global scale
Discursive psychology differs from what Edwards (2012) classifies as “scientific psychology” and is “completely different from the factors and outcomes approach that is characteristic of much mainstream social psychology” (Wiggins and Hepburn, 2007, p. 281), in that it is focused on the linguistic and interactional strategies used by individuals to construct psychological issues when involved in discursive communication—that is, through text and talk
In line with much research which indicates the protective effects of social support and collective identity both in school settings and elsewhere (Kinman et al, 2011; Drury, 2012; Jetten et al, 2017), our research suggests that teachers who presented themselves as being supported by other teachers within their school may have felt more able to cope with the challenges presented by the Covid-19 lockdown
Summary
The pandemic spread of the Covid-19 virus in 2020 created unprecedented disruption to education on a global scale. School buildings were reported to have closed in 188 countries by April 2020 (UNICEF, 2020). In England, schools closed in March 2020 except for those children considered vulnerable and children of key workers (BBC, 2020). Restrictions were imposed quickly leaving little time for teachers and schools to prepare; on the 13th March, Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education, spoke to school leaders at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Conference, saying that “[i]n the overwhelming majority of situations, there is absolutely no need to close a school” (Williamson, 2020, n.p.). Research is beginning to detail the negative effect that this initial lockdown and subsequent disruption has had on the well-being and attainment of many pupils (Young Minds, 2020; Rose et al, 2021)
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