Impact of COVID-19 on Physical and Health Education Teacher Education

Previously published in Volume 87, Issue 2

Abstract
The impact of COVID-19 is wide reaching including learning and teaching in Physical and Health Education Teacher Education (PHETE). Whereas there are many benefits to learning online, students and instructors within PHETE programs may struggle to learn remotely when tasked with a future of teaching students face-to-face. This article explores to what extent pre-service teachers in PHETE can be adequately prepared to teach face-to-face via a remote teacher education degree program.

Introduction

The effects of the global pandemic brought on by COVID-19 have sent shockwaves through the education sector. The transition from face-to-face to various online learning platforms has provided significant challenges to instructors and students’ ability to adapt to these circumstances (Rapanta et al., 2020). The pandemic has impacted teacher education programs with disruptions in student learning, inadequate preparation for pre-service education teaching, and learning assessments (O’Brien et al., 2020). While many degree programs are adjusting to this “new normal”, teacher education degree programs and in particular, physical and health education (PHE) programs, are at a distinct disadvantage because these programs rely heavily on face-to-face experiential learning.

Recently, studies have identified potential challenges and solutions to teaching university courses online (Lu et al., 2020) as well as the impact of remote learning on PHE classes at the high school level (Gibbons et al., 2021); but there is little evidence about how instructors and students within physical and health education teacher education (PHETE) are coping with this change. Recently, Lu and colleagues (2020) provided solutions to some of the challenges that instructors may face while teaching remotely. These solutions, not limited to networking, self-care, technology development, visual aids, and personal experiences, fulfill some of the gaps in transitioning from face-to-face teaching and learning to a remote environment. However, these techniques do not fully address the challenges of delivering the experiential learning component that is crucial to these pre-service teachers.

The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent pre-service teachers can be adequately prepared to teach in person via a remote PHETE degree program. The following is a summary of experiences and perspectives shared by instructors and students in the field of PHETE. 

Method

This study was exploratory and composed of instructor and student surveys. The surveys were designed to collect responses from current PHETE program instructors and PHETE students in Canada. The instructor survey consisted of three open-ended questions related to ability to teach, outcomes from remote learning, and preparedness of PHETE students (see Table 1). The instructor survey was distributed by e-mail via a Microsoft Word document. Participants were informed that their answers may be displayed in our research report. Once the survey was completed, the document was returned via e-mail. The responses were then collected and formatted into a Google Docs table and organized for each question. Pre-service teachers were given a link and asked 10 questions anonymously via Google Forms that addressed areas not limited to the ability to learn, course comprehension, and feelings of preparedness for PHE teaching (see Table 2).

Table 1

Table 2

Participants

PHETE instructors and students at post-secondary institutions in Canada participated in this study. Convenience sampling was used in recruitment of instructors for this study. Using a network email list provided by a nationally recognized PHE expert and academic, potential participants were contacted via e-mail by a research assistant. Of the list of contacted instructors, 10 different institutions were noted. An invitation to participate was offered to 13 instructors at the institutions identified. However, of the 10 institutions asked to participate in this study, one instructor reported that they were not an active instructor, and seven instructors failed to respond. Therefore, of the 10 institutions, six instructors from institutions within PHETE degree programs responded to the survey (a 46% response rate). Pre-service teachers enrolled in the participating instructors’ courses were given the opportunity to complete the survey and were provided a link to participate from their instructors. A total of 20 pre-service teachers completed the survey, and of those 20, two reported being in their first year, four in their third year, five in their fifth year, and nine reported “Other” for their academic year of study. It should be noted that no additional information about the participants was collected in order to protect their anonymity.

Data Analysis

Data were analyzed in accordance with Yin's (2016) five steps for qualitative data analysis, which included: compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and concluding. Answers from each survey were initially compiled, then disassembled and coded to establish meaningful groupings. Data were coded manually due to the length of the survey and number of responses from participants, and verbatim phrases were used to provide insight and context to the study (Saldana, 2016). Pseudonyms were used for all direct quotations and no detailed descriptions were used in order to maintain confidentiality among participants. Confirmability was established through the use of direct quotations to detail experiences and authenticate interpretations. Given the exploratory nature of this research, the study relied heavily on the written words of participants, the description of the phenomenon under scrutiny, examination of previous research findings, and explanation of the boundaries of the study (Shenton, 2004), which helped to establish trustworthiness.

Codes were reassembled and used to create themes, with all relevant data sorted into each potential theme. Data were not manipulated or arranged in any way to support the research question (Anderson, 2010), and it was a priority to appropriately tell the experiences of participants in this study. Interpretation and conclusions from our study are presented in the following sections.

Findings and Discussion

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of remote teaching on both instructors and individuals in PHETE programs across Canada. Specifically, we explored the initial thoughts and responses from instructors and individuals engaged in remote PHETE programs. Of the 20 pre-service teachers, 55% had no previous experience with face-to-face PHE or physical activity course instruction. Furthermore, 60% of individuals did not feel adequately prepared for face-to-face teaching from strictly remote learning and 45% of PHETE students suffered negative comprehension of course material due to remote learning environments caused by COVID-19. Also reported was a trend in increased course workload with 90% of students reporting remote learning as more work than face-to-face. Finally, 65% of pre-service teachers found themselves asking more questions during remote learning versus face-to-face instruction. 

For instructors, all six participants reported that COVID-19 has impacted their ability to teach. Instructors reported the ability to adapt their teaching style to effectively reach their students, despite the many challenges associated with remote learning. Two instructors stated they felt pre-service teachers cannot be adequately prepared for in-class teaching from strictly remote learning. The negative impact highlighted by instructors was related to the difficulty in demonstrating concepts, fostering relationships with students, decreased social interactions, and lack of opportunity for experiential teaching. Positive findings from instructors included reports of a deeper understanding of concepts by students. In addition, two instructors noted reducing regular course loads and being more flexible, and considerate with pre-service teachers during this semester.

After analyzing the data received from the instructors and pre-service teachers, common themes emerged. Five broad themes are reported here: (a) disconnectedness, (b) sedentary periods, (c) negative comprehension of course material, (d) loss of experiential experiences, and (e) the benefits of remote learning/teaching. Within each theme, illustrative quotes are presented.

Disconnectedness 
Almost all participants (both instructors and students) reported strong feelings of disconnectedness as a result of remote learning. For instructors, phrases not limited to; “developing rapport” (Alex), “informal interactions” (Parker), “fostering relationships” (Riley), and “connectedness” (Morgan), were all used to describe the struggle to connect with students virtually as they normally would with face-to-face learning. Notably, instructors also recognized how this is impacting the class dynamic, with students missing key opportunities to connect with each other and their instructor in more informal settings, (e.g. on and around campus), and lower levels of motivation cited both by students and instructors. Furthermore, it was reported that the students have a difficult time paying attention in a remote setting. One of the students, Sam, cited a reason being related to the lack of a face-to-face connection “…because of physical presence and the course instructor’s ability to interpret students’ nonverbal communication and real-time interactions”. As a result, students are forced to rely on e-mail communication with their instructors and/or peers. This poses an issue for instructors as well; having to create a remote learning environment that is interesting for students is an extra layer of added stress, which can be difficult to balance. 

The social connections have drastically decreased, and this is a problem because it can lead to disconnected students and instructors. In a recent study of PHE students in online classes, Domokos and colleagues (2020) reported a reduction in student motivation to participate actively during class. Additionally, they stressed the importance of face-to-face learning as it relates to educational performance and as well, the psychological and social implications associated with remote learning (Domokos et al., 2020). Although it appears that remote learning is having a substantial impact on student wellbeing and connectedness, it is possible to enhance a sense of community through online video calls and mentoring (O’Brien et al., 2020) and by implementing relatedness-supportive learning environments (Gibbons et al., 2021).

Sedentary periods
Frequently reported was the amount of time students were sitting in front of screens throughout the day. Some mentioned symptoms of migraines, while others wrote that remote learning is “very mentally and physically difficult” (Avery). Students expressed frustration with having to spend extensive hours on their computer for lecture content, study resources, and supplemental readings. This can equate to 10 hours a day of screen-time for some students in PHETE (Avery). This is a problem from a mental health perspective as large amounts of screen time can lead to stress and adverse learning effect on students (O’Brien et al., 2020). The impact of extended sedentary periods is creating frustration and unhappy learners. Therefore, ensuring scheduled class times, activity breaks, and interactive discussions can help mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-19 remote learning and better simulate the classroom feeling. 

Negative comprehension of materials
Frequently reported was the difficulty to focus while learning remotely; a lack of focus, headaches, and increased stress levels were reported by student participants. One of the students, Charlie reported “…it is so much easier to zone out of lectures when staring at a computer screen”. While Addison spoke about difficulties with learning on screen: “It is always easier to grasp information from the source instead of attempting to understand it through the computer”. Further complications cited by participants included, unnecessary amounts of “busy work”, lengthy lectures with little breaks, and a level of standardization in how remote learning is operated. Bailey notes: “Less weekly assignments and readings (discussion posts take a lot of time when every course you are involved in has them. Not only are you responsible for reading assigned articles, textbook chapters, and course slides, but you are also responsible for writing discussion posts, reading all your classmates’, responding to them, and then keeping up with scholarly discussions)”. In regards to the length of lectures, some researchers have recommended that by reducing the length of tasks or breaking them up into smaller components, students will be able to maintain optimal levels of focus and it will also be less time consuming on them (Bao, 2020; Pather et al., 2020). 

Loss of experiential experiences
The most frequently reported issue among instructors is the loss of experiential learning. Without being able to demonstrate, explain, and participate through face-to-face interaction, has hindered the student and teacher experience. While most instructors felt that PHETE students can be adequately prepared through remote learning alone, they spoke about the loss of “experience” in doing so. Specifically, Alex stated, “you just cannot replicate getting in front of a group and being in a leadership role. We are doing a lot of online lesson plan presentations, and group block plan development but it just isn't the same. There isn't the same echo as in the gym, so the instruction and lesson delivery are very different”. Another instructor, Taylor added, “I don’t think pre-service teachers can have a strong teacher education experience through only remote learning, and certainly not in [PHE]. I believe that if pre-service teachers are to learn about new and innovative approaches to teaching [PHE], they should experience what it feels like to be a learner experiencing those approaches”. Finally, both Parker and Ezra reflected on the use of modeling in their teaching to enhance learning; “I try my best to model what I think is good practice” (Parker).

Learning occurs through a variety of techniques, many of which involve the use of our senses, and therefore, remote learning may pose a problem for some learners. The face-to-face classroom environment offers far greater opportunities to reach students through various teaching mediums in comparison to remote teaching (Doreleyers & Knighton, 2020). 

The benefits of remote learning/teaching
Despite the multitude of challenges, instructors reported some positive experiences with their students in regards to problem solving and critical thinking. According to one instructor (Parker), “the students have more opportunity to analyze concepts covered in class times where we would usually be participating. This allows students to take deeper dives into the theoretical grounding behind why we include what we do in quality [PHE]”. The ability to develop stronger critical thinking skills may be due to the remote setting and may allow for opportunities in the future to foster deeper levels of creative thinking. Student participants in this study also highlighted that flexibility with due dates and using a blend of synchronous and asynchronous teaching styles was helpful in reducing some of the negative impacts reported by others. Bailey reported, “I love the flexibility of online learning. It works so well for me so long as the courses are well structured and the professors are easy to reach”. Shaun commented on the use of asynchronous learning stating, “Some teachers have decreased the amount of Zoom time. Which is great. They have added other asynchronous activities to do instead…” Additionally, Kieran wrote, “…timely email replies, understanding when their course expectations were too extreme and slightly changing due dates or requirements, and also giving us a couple options to reach them”. Much of these accommodations are supported by O’Brien and colleagues (2020) who suggest that using a mix of the two teaching methods could produce improved PHETE teacher experiences in remote settings and that pre-service teachers were positively influenced by this method versus non-interactive classes. Additional supports noted by Vegas (2020) involve creating a network of shared resources that can help other instructors with remote learning. This also allows for instructors to compare and contrast to better the delivery of content (Vegas, 2020). 

Recommendations and Conclusions

While COVID-19 has unwillingly impacted and changed the way that instructors deliver course materials to pre-service teachers and the way pre-service teachers are learning, this article may shed light on some of the current experiences and assist future instruction. Perhaps most importantly, while most instructors in this study believe pre-service teachers can be adequately prepared to teach in person via a remote teacher education degree program, student participants are not as optimistic. Specifically, the lack of experiential learning and feelings of disconnect seem to be at the forefront for students and instructors. If remote learning is to continue, strategic planning must be implemented to utilize the technology more efficiently (Kim, 2020). Furthermore, future research examining new innovative ways to allow experiential learning opportunities for pre-service teachers and instructors is needed. In the meantime, instructors should continue to use a variety of platforms to deliver content not limited to live lectures, activity breaks, and virtual discussion rooms to try and reconnect PHETE students to the content and their peers. For students, the use of activity breaks will not only assist in breaking up sedentary time but may also aid in helping students connect through relatedness-supportive learning environments (Gibbons et al., 2021). Also, having an effective plan of communication with students via email responses will help alleviate unnecessary amounts of stress that would typically be avoided in face-to-face learning. Additionally, as remote learning opportunities continue to grow, it is important for students to find ways to improve their own personal learning experiences, not limited to; creating an effective work environment, dedicated work periods in the day, and connecting with peers to increase the overall virtual class experience. Worth noting, as a result of the small sample size, these findings ought to be taken with caution and it should be noted that COVID-19 is likely one of various factors contributing to pre-service teachers’ feelings toward teaching preparedness. However, the findings do shed light on some of the challenges associated with remote teaching and learning. With so many unanswered questions about what the future holds in the realm of education and its delivery, it is important to continue to monitor how instructors will provide equitable and equal opportunity for students to properly prepare them to teach using both in person and online platforms. While COVID-19 has impacted both the teaching and learning environments, there is a critical need to invest in strategies to maintain effective teaching courses in PHETE programs.

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