Abstract:

Difficulties in maintaining relationships and proposing collaborative teaching have been some of the major critical issues in distance learning (Izzo & Ciurnelli, 2020; Vandini & Scipione, 2021), where teaching practices in use in the classroom have often been transposed to the digital domain (INDIRE, 2020; Batini et al, 2021;). However, the authors of this paper believe that digital environments can support collaborative teaching (Ranieri, 2020) and sharing (Mori & Baldi, 2021). The aim of the research is, in fact, to identify successful online collaboration practices in order to focus on their transferability for the post-pandemic school.

This paper compares the evaluation of Principals, teachers and parents with respect to the quality of the educational relationship in distance education, with an opinion given one year later of what happened. Triangulation makes it possible to highlight how confrontation allows for different perspectives and different ways of observing a shared phenomenon (Denzin, 1978; 2009). Moreover, the possibility of reflecting on phenomena by observing them in the light of their evolution allows one to grasp nuances that were not immediately described.

Three questionnaires were created consisting of open and closed questions addressed to Principals, teachers, and parents and disseminated online via the universities' media. The questionnaires include a biographical part and then an analysis of dimensions such as one's role, attitude towards new technologies, the methodologies used in the classroom during the pandemic period, the tools used daily in teaching, and an overall, concise assessment of how relations between students, parents and teachers have changed as a result of distance education.

282 parents, 122 teachers and 20 Principals responded to the survey. Of these 232 (82.3%) are females and 50 (17.7) are males. The average age of teachers is 49,4 (SD=9,15); Principals is 53,95 (SD= 5,9) while, as for parents, the average is 47,19 (SD= 5,43).

There is a significant correlation between all three with respect to an improvement in teachers' and students' digital skills. Overall, the most negative impact seems to have been on students' social-relational skills. The most critical are the parents who see great negative consequences on the relational level with teachers and families, but less strong with respect to students' relationships with each other. From the Principals the most positive voice with respect to the potential of using technology also to promote collaboration and educational relations.

References:
[1] Denzin N. K. (2009).Qualitative inquiry under fire: Toward a new paradigm dialogue. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press
[2] Indire, (2020). Indagine tra i docenti italiani. Pratiche didattiche durante il lockdown. Report integrativo. Accessibile alla url: https://www.indire.it/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Report-integrativo-Novembre-2020_con-grafici-1.pdf
[3] Izzo D., Ciurnelli, B (2020), L’impatto della pandemia sulla didattica: percezioni, azioni e reazioni dal mondo della scuola, Lifewide, Lifelong Learning, 36(17), 26-43
[4] Mori, S., & Baldi, G. (2021). L’apprendimento collaborativo nei percorsi universitari online: dalla conoscenza alla competenza nello sviluppo della professionalità.IUL Research, 2(3), 81-110. https://doi.org/10.57568/iulres.v2i3.127
[5] Ranieri, M. (2020). La Scuola dopo la DaD. Riflessioni intorno alle sfide del digitale in educazione. Studi sulla Formazione/Open Journal of Education,23(2), 69-76.

Keywords:

Educational relationship, distance learning, triangulation, ex post evaluation, collaboration, digital competences.