Challenges Presented to Paraguayan Teachers by the Measures Adopted Due to Covid-19

Abstract

Due to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, educational systems around the world have been disrupted as they were forced to stop face-to-face classes in at least 70% of institutions. Paraguay was not the exception, interrupting classes early and abruptly forcing teachers to quickly adapt to this new reality. This mixed quan-qual study presents an analysis of teachers' views on the challenges posed by access to technology, teacher training, student and parent limitations in Paraguay. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of open and close-ended questions administered during the first weeks of the quarantine. The sample included 1030 teachers from public and private institutions at all levels. Qualitative data were organized according to teacher’s access to technology, teacher training before and after the quarantine, student and parent communication and difficulties. The quantitative analysis involved univariate descriptive statistics as well as chi square statistics associating level of difficulty with teacher characteristics such as location, internet connection, experience, ICT use, and ICT competence. Results show that the main difficulties are associated with internet access, the frequency of ICT use and the scarce training in the use of educational ICTs as well the change in the structure of the classes. Opportunities noted by teachers include the creation of a new “collective conscience,” and “restructuring the current systems.” As ensuring the continuity and quality of education constitute the main challenges in this new context, it is imperative that educational institutions focus on teacher training and support.



Author Information
Valentina Canese, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay
Jessica Amarilla, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay

Paper Information
Conference: IICEHawaii2021
Stream: Teaching Experiences

This paper is part of the IICEHawaii2021 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Canese V., & Amarilla J. (2021) Challenges Presented to Paraguayan Teachers by the Measures Adopted Due to Covid-19 ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2021 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2021.10
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2021.10


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon