Abstract:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, K-5 teachers and students worldwide rapidly transitioned to an online learning modality. Both the swift conversion and lack of preexisting research left educators and families underprepared for fostering virtual interaction and learning. However, it also provided a platform for emerging research and exploration of the online learning environment and fostering engagement for K-5 learners. This population of students had rarely engaged in a completely online modality and it allowed teachers around the globe to utilize a variety of instructional practices and analyze whether an online modality either helped support or hinder engagement, investigate the impact of culture, and explore potential sustainable strategies for the future. This research examined the nature of K-5 online learning and engagement based on perceptions of teachers working in international schools across the globe. In this study student engagement was defined for participants as the extent of students’ emotional and intellectual response, level of effort, and overall input into the teaching and learning process. The study found students’ abilities to engage were varying in nature and demonstrated how engagement is affected by the physical environment. During the COVID-19 pandemic engagement levels fluctuated, families had differing opinions about the responsibility for student engagement, and people and the learning environment impacted student engagement in the global online K-5 environment. This study also outlined teaching strategies that were used to foster student engagement and summarized how teachers integrated social-emotional learning into the online environment or how the circumstances created barriers. The study describes how cultural views and customs affected both student attendance and learning in multiple countries. One cultural factor that impacted students was the online learning environment. The amount of interpersonal interaction was reduced, which had a ranging impact due to cultural norms. Additionally, the cultural standard or nature of communication influenced how students engaged in online learning. The study also examines the cultural experience related to online learning and the ability of students to think outside the box or be wrong. This study presents information regarding varying views on the educational process made and how that made an impact during online learning and how certain cultural characteristics influence the teaching and learning process. This study allowed participants to share recommendations for the field which would inform online teaching for K-5 students across the globe. These suggestions focused on professional development and skills for teachers, connecting with families and providing them with tools to support their children, and empathy for the experience. This study also describes the nature of professional development that educators believe will benefit teachers and students in the future. The home-to-school connection was a recurring theme throughout the study as well as how to leverage these relationships to benefit student learning. Finally, this study explores how empathy could play a role in supporting all stakeholders in an educational network.

Keywords:

Online learning, engagement, culture, K-5 education, international schools.