Differential Impact of COVID-19 on the Learning Environments of Preservice Teachers by Gender and Ethnicity

• In Event: Quantitative Research in School and College Learning Environments

Abstract

The Spring of 2020 posed an unprecedented challenge to the education community. In the case of universities, students and faculty were forced to switch rapidly from traditional face-to-face learning to remote learning. This change to remote learning has been shown to have detrimental effects to the perceived learning environments of preservice teachers and other students. In this study, we investigated the differential impact of course disruption on 230 preservice teachers of different genders and ethnicities using the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire. Although all subgroups of participants perceived small deteriorations in perceived learning environment during the change to remote learning, larger deteriorations were perceived by males than females and by White participants than non-White participants.

Authors

• Christopher Sean Long, University of North Texas

• Becky Barton Sinclair, Texas A&M University - Commerce

• Barry J. Fraser, Curtin University

• Karthigeyan Subramaniam, University of North Texas