The crisis situation, the pandemic, with the closure of the educational space, has stimulated the integration of the virtual environment and digital technology into the educational space and has brought new leadership challenges. We investigated the experience of employees in the educational space (schools with adapted programmes, primary schools and secondary schools) during the pandemic. We found that employees experienced the negative aspect of facing the pandemic requirements for a virtual work environment. They were faced with the challenge of seeking help during the work process. They also had problems with remote work effectiveness, motivation and satisfaction. We were interested in the school leaders’ response to work, the role of the leadership in the process of employee adaptation, and how to identify, understand and use the development tool of coaching when working in a virtual environment. A development tool is an aid to the work process, which enhances work performance. The study confirmed that a development-oriented work process depends on a higher utility value of coaching, from a positive employee response to the use of digital technologies in the work process and leaders’ support in this. To the extent that employees were more open to using the Internet in the work process, they also reacted more positively to the new working conditions which required shifting online during the pandemic. A more positive response was also present in those where the leader’s support was higher. We also detected a more positive response to the work process among employees who expressed an opinion about the higher useful value of coaching during the work process. We found that employees’ response to online technologies was quite positive. Employees’ response to the virtual work process was positive. Employees were open to the use of online technologies if the role of the employer was supportive. This leads to a better development-oriented work process.
Keyword(s) : pandemic
Challenges, Prospects, and Strategies of Emergency Online Education at Secondary Level in the Assam State of India during COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced educational institutions globally to resort to the online mode of teaching and learning. In this paper, we examined how the emergency online education was carried out in the Assam state of India. An explanatory mixed methods study methodology was adopted. Perspectives of 92 students and 30 teachers from 30 secondary level institutions of Assam were examined. Students’ acceptability of the emergency online education as well as the effects on the mental and physical health of the students were studied. Moreover, the teachers’ perspectives on the emerging online threats were also examined. Data were collected using two separate questionnaires administered to the students and the teachers. It was followed with telephonic interviews with the teachers to gain in-depth knowledge on the studied issues. This study examines both the positive and negative effects of the adoption of online education. The results indicated that all the students could not avail the benefits of this mode. Social messaging apps and online tools like WhatsApp, schools’ own mobile apps, Google Classroom LMS and Google Meet, ZOOM, recorded videos and audio tutorials were used to provide online support to the students. Impact on the physical and mental health of the students was observed. The online teaching process led to the generation of a large repository of e-resources. The results also indicated the ignorance of teachers regarding the online threats which could severely affect their students. The study recommended awareness programmes and training sessions for teachers and students on educational technology tools, technologies and approaches for the post-COVID-19 period.
Zoom, Skype or Photos of Paper Sheets: Adolescents about the Transition to Distance Learning During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic led to a massive transition to distance learning at schools. All participants in the educational process adapt their lifestyle, workplace, communication methods and leisure forms to the new circumstances. Nowadays the consequences of this phenomenon begin to be studied. This article is devoted to the study of the experience of learning, communication and leisure of teenagers in conditions of social isolation and school closure and approbation of the risk and protective factors model in the context of adaptation to the distance learning. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with adolescents aged 13-17 from Moscow, Ryazan, Tomsk, Moscow and Sverdlovsk regions allows us to characterize five thematic categories in terms of the main factors that make it more difficult or easier for schoolchildren to adapt to the distance learning. The categories include: school and teacher relations; supplementary education and hobbies; relationships with peers; family context; individual and personal characteristics of schoolchildren. The pilot nature of this study and a small sample limit the possibilities of extrapolating the conclusions to all groups of Russian schoolchildren, but allow us to problematize the complex nature of the difficulties faced by adolescents and demonstrate a wide range of resources that allow them to cope with them. Based on the results, we developed short recommendations that can be used by the management of educational organizations, teachers, and parents to reduce stress and simplify the adaptation of students during distance learning.
Characteristics of Social Sector Managers with Different Attitudes towards the Pandemic and Its Consequences
This article explores the attitude of managers towards the COVID-19 pandemic, providing an
overview of their opinions on its consequences and potential impact on the country’s future socioeconomic
development. The study is important since it provides insight into how management styles
may be effective in times of uncertainty and crisis. The research involved 661 managers, including
383 from the social sphere. The study utilized the management potential assessment questionnaire
(PMO, version 5.0, Sinyagin, 2018), as well as a specially developed questionnaire. The participants
were differentiated on two grounds: their attitude towards the pandemic either as a mobilizing
challenge or as a serious not always surmountable difficulty in actual management. The findings
reflect that the managers’ attitudes about the prospects for the country’s development after the end
of the pandemic, commonly referred to as “optimism-pessimism”, have profound effect on their
management strategies and performance indicators. It is revealed that readiness for learning and
social mobility are key characteristics associated with optimistic future expectations. Internality,
personality strength, a clear strategic life idea, and managerial experience are most associated with
overcoming current circumstances. The paper concludes that developing and enhancing these
qualities is a significant task that managers have in today’s uncertain world.