Poster #147 - A Convergent Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Simultaneous Online and Face-to-Face K-12 Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

Abstract (491 words)
Purpose: This paper explores K-12 public school teachers’ perspectives on the delivery of simultaneous online and face-to-face, or Hyflex, instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research questions are as follows:

(1) What challenges did K-12 public teachers, as key actors in adopting and integrating technology into instructional practice, encounter in practicing Hyflex teaching?
(2) How did K-12 public teachers perceive students’ learning in online and face-to-face instruction?

Methods: Data were extracted from a larger convergent mixed methods project to contextualize real-time experiences of families, students, and educators during 2020–2021. A multidisciplinary team collaborated with four school districts to gather electronic surveys and qualitative interviews. The current study focused on teachers who engaged in simultaneous online and face-to-face, or Hyflex, teaching (n=410 survey respondents, n=4 interviewees). Three survey items were analyzed: (1) challenges teachers encountered in providing high-quality instruction, (2) teachers’ perceptions of students’ ability to engage in the majority of class activities and/or assignments and (3) teachers’ perceptions of students’ ability to submit satisfactory assignments. Across survey items, Hyflex teachers were asked to respond twice, once when considering teaching online and again when considering teaching face-to-face.

Qualitative data included two components: (1) interviews with teachers who taught Hyflex during 2020–2021 from participating school districts and (2) survey respondents’ answers to open-ended questions. All interviews were conducted on Zoom, recorded, and verbatim transcribed for analysis.

Quantitative and qualitative data were first analyzed separately. Survey items were ranked and then analyzed using the McNemar test (Lu, 2010) or Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test (Park, 2019), examining the likelihood that teachers’ perceptions about online versus face-to-face teaching varied by mode. Findings from analyses were then integrated and corroborated by qualitative data to explore higher-level inferences. Subsequent analyses will link quantitative and qualitative findings to explore the rationale and contexts behind patterns of interpreted results.

Results: Findings from our first research question included teachers’ responses about challenges they faced when Hyflex teaching during 2020–2021 (see Table 1). Teachers indicated more challenges when teaching online with providing accommodations for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), followed closely by assessing student learning, creating an engaging learning environment, and encouraging or maintaining student attendance. All but two responses indicated statistically significantly differences in perceptions about online versus face-to-face teaching, with the largest χ2 differences emerging for the four items listed above (p<.001). Findings from our second research question included teachers’ perceptions of student engagement and submission of assignments (see Figure 1). Teachers were more likely to indicate that face-to-face students versus online students were engaged the majority of the time and submitted satisfactory assignments (p<.001).

The qualitative data confirmed quantitative findings. Specifically, Hyflex teachers had to navigate two sets of distinct challenges for online versus face-to-face instruction. Teachers also expressed equity-related concerns that Hyflex instruction disadvantaged online students.

Conclusions: This paper contributes to the ongoing reflection of educational changes brought about during COVID-19 and expands our understanding of the relationship between multimodal learning environments and educational equity.

Authors

• Jinxiu Serena Liu, University of Florida
  Presenting Author

• Mary Bratsch-Hines, University of Florida

• Pengfei Zhao