THE ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING SET-UP PRE-SERVICE DURING PANDEMIC BOON OR BANE?

CHAPTER I
                         INTRODUCTION

Teaching practicums have traditionally been an important part of teacher training

programs. According to Buckworth (2017), during teaching practicum, the pre-service teacher
would acquire a triad of experiences: the immediacy of classroom practice, the needs of educational
organizations, and the expectations of the classroom teacher.  Teaching practicum contributes
opportunities for the pre-service teachers to improve their skills, including flexibility in interacting
with pupils (Caires, Almeida, and Viera, 2012). In addition, this component also provides an
opportunity for student teachers to present the real world of education in real situations (Fajardo &
Miranda, 2015). To simplify, it enables the pre-service teachers to execute their skills of teaching
and learning, which they gain previously during the coursework.

Furthermore, during the teaching practicum the pre-service teachers will act responsible
for the decisions on how to deal with different classroom situations (Mena, Hennissen, & Loughran,
2017). On the other hand, Gan (2013) discussed that pre-service teachers would gain more
experience when they faced difficulties in implementing the theories acquired in the actual
classroom into practice. As a result, the teaching practicum is anticipated to bridge the gap between
what students have learned and the teaching in the real context

According to WHO; Gonzalez et al.; Pelmin (2020), On the 11th of March 2020, The World
Health Organization announced a state of pandemic in line with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19),
advising countries around the world to implement lockdown, and start social distancing, to ban to
international flights and to put a temporary stop to all face-to-face teaching and learning in order to
slow down the high spike of cases of the highly contagious virus. The dramatic changes brought on
by the Covid-19 epidemic have had a significant impact on students and instructors in higher
education institutions, as all teaching and learning activities must now be conducted digitally. Many
of the world's most prestigious universities have fully embraced online learning as a means of
ensuring educational continuity (Sim, Sim & Quah, 2021; Chung, Noor & Mathew, 2020).

Online distant learning includes online learning, computer-mediated learning, blended

learning, and mobile learning. Online Distant Learning is characterized as learning interactions
using various devices (e.g., mobile phones, tablets, etc.) with internet access in synchronous or
asynchronous schedules (Singh & Thurman, 2019).  In addition, Sim and Quah (2019) stated that
flexibility, time saving , ease of use, and better environmental control are all advantages of this new
learning mode. But despite  all of the benefits, the majority of students  and teachers  are still having
difficulty with e-learning due to a lack of equipment and a hostile environment, making home-based
e-learning even more difficult to adopt. 

Despite the fact that many research have been conducted on virtual teaching and learning
practice, virtual teaching practicum and the experience it provides have been disregarded until the
pandemic. Teaching practicum has been transformed into a virtual environment as a result of the
pandemic, The new dimensions brought a new experience of teaching practicum for pre-service
teachers (Sepú lveda-Escobar et al., 2020).  Because teaching practicum has been virtualized,
pre-service teachers' experiences with the transition from traditional teaching practicum to online
teaching practicum include both positive and negative effects. Moreover, according to (Evagorou
and Nisiforou 2020) not all pre-service teachers projected a high level of readiness for online
teaching. 

According to Sepulveda-Escobar et al.  (2020), One of the challenges of online teaching

practicum was the lack of ‘live’ communication between pre-service teachers and students.
Sepulveda-Escobar stated that the lack of connection between pre-service teachers and students
during the online teaching placement may have an impact on pre-service teachers' professional
development, particularly their social and personal development. Furthermore, on the students’
development part, pre-service teachers teaching kindergarten students were not able to conduct
enough hand-on activities online which is considered a crucial part of learning for young children.
Furthermore, preservice teachers found it difficult to recognize and alter content to meet students' 
particular requirements due to a lack of interaction (Nel and Marias, 2020; Kim, 2020).
Materials play a significant role in the success of online education. In accordance with
(Ersin, Atay & Mede, 2020), Pre-service teachers also had difficulty integrating technology and
preparing materials because they lacked experience and skills in using technology and digital
resources. Due to lack of knowledge, some pre-service teachers were not able to engage their
audience with the materials they prepared where the activities were not transformed in such a way
that they would be suitable for online teaching and learning (Evagorou and Nisiforou, 2020). Pre-
service teachers reported a lack of support and contact from their cooperating teacher, who also
served as their mentor at the school's online placement, which led to a negative factor to their
growth. Unfortunately, based on research done by Sepulveda-Escobar et al. (2020), they found that
some pre-service teachers were given administrative work instead of assigned for teaching by their
cooperative teachers during their online teaching practicum.

In accordance with the disadvantages and challenges of pre-service teachers to teach

practicum virtually, they are being exhausted and It's crucial to understand how student teachers
deal with stress as a result of the issues they face in their classrooms. This knowledge is important
because it will give lecturers and administrators in teacher education programs a better sense of
how to support student teachers in the most efficient way possible (Murray-Harvey, 1999). 

Various investigators have also uncovered specific coping mechanisms utilized by the pre-
service teachers. Elkerton (1984) and Morton et al. (1997) found forming of support networks and
developing of interpersonal skills to be effective while MacDonald (1993) and Murray-Harvey
(1999) found talking to a cooperating teacher/supervisor about stressful situations as the most
important coping resource. Exercising, eating, relaxing, and drinking were some of the other coping
strategies. Drinking, on the other hand, may not be an inappropriate technique because it might
lead to professional maladaptive behaviors like absenteeism.

To contribute to the growing literature on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on

educators, this study focused on the analysis of the Online Distant Learning Teaching Practicum and
the pre-service teachers' challenges and coping methods. In particular, the goal of this study was to
determine the level of psychological distress and perceived satisfaction among pre-service teachers
in line with the pandemic. It also aimed to pinpoint the exact acts and behaviors that teachers say
they use as coping strategies to maintain their emotional and mental health. Comparing these
variables to data from previous studies in pre-pandemic situations may also be beneficial. As a
result, we anticipate that this study will add valuable information to help develop future
interventions that can help restore and maintain educators’ well-being and mental health. 

Research Questions
The researchers aim is to determine the advantages and disadvantages of distant practice
teaching and how it was overcome by means of coping mechanisms. 

Specifically, the researchers seek to answer the following questions:

1. What are the advantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service teachers?
2. What are the disadvantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service teachers?
3. What are the coping strategies done by the pre-service teachers in dealing with the
disadvantages of D.P.T?

Significance of the study

This research will benefit the following:
Pre-service teachers. The result of this study will enable Pre-service teachers’ to better
understand and cope with the disadvantages of distant practice teaching.
Teachers. The result of this study will provide them with more knowledge and strategies on how to
deal with the online distance learning, which will help diminish pre-service teachers’ stress.
Future Researchers. The result of this study can serve as a basis for the future researchers and can
be their guide for their related study.

Scope and Delimitation

This study is delimited only to the pre-service teachers of Adelle Grace Montessori School
Incorporated. The main focus of this study is to determine the advantage and disadvantages of
distant practice teaching and how they deal with it.

CHAPTER II
 METHODOLOGY

Research Design
   
The study, titled "The Online Distance Learning Set-up Pre-Service Teacher during
Pandemic Boom or Bane?" is a qualitative type of research that focuses on determining the why’s
and how’s of an event in a situation. The researchers used qualitative research methods to collect,
analyze, and interpret non-numerical data. In order to collect data and information for this study,
According to Crossman (2020), qualitative research is a type of social science research that gathers
and tends to work with non-numerical data in order to extract interpretation from it in order to
truly comprehend social life through the study of specific populations or locations, similar to what
Bhandari (2020) said. He supported the idea that qualitative research is used to find out the
problem by way of generating new ideas. The researchers will employ a phenomenological
approach to evaluate experiences among pre-service teachers in Adelle Grace Montessori School
Incorporated. Through this, researchers would be able to evaluate the advantages and
disadvantages of online distance learning and the coping strategies that pre-service teachers have
used to deal with the disadvantages of distant practice teaching. In addition, phenomenology
research design explores what people experience in a certain situation. Furthermore, it is used to
qualify opinions and experiences that focus on obtaining data through purposive open-ended
interviewing.

Participants of the Study

The participants of the study are the 10 pre-service teachers in Adelle Grace Montessori
School Incorporated who are currently experiencing Distant Practice Teaching during the surge of
the pandemic. The researchers used purposive sampling in choosing the participants of the study to
gather relevant information and consider the hectic schedules of the participants. Due to this, the
researchers asked the student’s consent and will decide according to availability. The final sample
was selected among possible interview participants who were willing and qualified to participate
(Muarairwa, 2015).

Research Instrument

     The researchers formulated interview questionnaires for the selected participants. The
questions consist of five (5) open-ended questions to assure that the participants will not give
limited answers such as yes/no. The interview questionnaire will serve as evidence of the data
collected and will be checked by the assigned validator.

Data Collection Procedure

    First, the researchers asked for consent from the school principal of Adelle Grace
Montessori School Incorporated for approval to conduct the data gathering procedure on the
selected participants. Then, after the approval of the request, the researchers were able to ask the
participants' schedule and availability. 
     The researchers proceed to the interview proper and carry out the interview questions
virtually using Google Meet. The researchers will give enough time for the participants to answer
the interview questions.

Lastly, the recorded responses of the participants will be transcribed and analyzed.

Ethical Consideration

It is the researchers' and members' responsibility to conduct this research in order to

provide a real understanding of the members. It is the role of the researchers to determine the
advantages and disadvantages of distant practice teaching and how the participants deal with it
through their coping strategies in Adelle Grace Montessori School, Incorporated. One of a
researcher’s responsibilities is to allow respondents the freedom to choose without any
intervention or pressure, especially when answering a questionnaire.

All of the respondents in the study were given a letter of informed consent through
Messenger or Gmail. The letter of consent that was signed and returned signified the respondent’s
agreement to participate in the study. Each respondent was kept anonymous to the public. All of the
information that was retrieved from the respondents is kept confidential.

Data Analysis

In this study, the researchers used thematic analysis to examine how the data provided by
the participants was interpreted. According to Braun and Clarke (2006), thematic analysis is a
widely used method of analysis in qualitative research. It is defined as "a strategy for detecting,
interpreting, and reporting patterns within data". The researchers use thematic analysis to discover
exactly what our participants’ thoughts and opinions are. As a result, the researchers were able to
easily evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of distant practice teaching.

Sample Questionnaire

1) What do you think are the advantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service teachers?

2) What do you think are the disadvantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service
teachers?

3) What are your coping strategies you have done in dealing with the disadvantages of D.P.T?

4) For you, how difficult is it to be a pre-service teacher in distance learning?

5) What are some of the issues you experienced being a pre-service teacher in agmsi given that we
are in the midst of a pandemic?

FINDINGS
Open-ended interviews were conducted with all of the Senior High School pre-service
teachers of Adelle Grace Montessori School Incorporated in order to determine the benefits and
disadvantages of teaching practicum in the distant practice teaching, as well as how they overcame
it through their coping mechanisms. To get a good response from the participants, the researchers
used Google Meet as a platform to interview the participants. Direct answers were collected from
the participants, research questions were presented in the following order:
Flexible and innovative: is characterized by, tending to, or introducing innovations. It features
new methods and ideas or in other words, it alters the way something has been done. The following
statements indicate that participants are experiencing innovative methods in the Online Distant
Teaching.
“In the online distant teaching I was able to be more flexible and innovative to try and explore
learning materials and resources that are going to be effective when we’re incorporating our lessons
to the students” - P1
“I included my innovative skills so that It will be helpful or beneficial for me in the near future,
more specially in the present the instruction materials are way more different as it focuses mainly on
technology” – P4
“It strengthens the integration of technology in a classroom set-up. They became flexible and
adaptive to different learning modalities and much convenient and cheap than the traditional
practice teaching” – P7
Less expenses: indicates that a person is comparatively spending less in terms of money or; is
saving outlay cost. The following statements by the participants show lesser expenses in the distant
practice teaching.
    “First is it eliminates the commute and hassle of getting to class. Second, of course it saved time.
Lastly, it helps to develop technical skills in terms of using powerpoint in presenting your lesson. Just
like that.”- P4
    “It does not require us to spend a lot of money so when end up saving some more."- P5
    “Problem in terms of transportation is no longer one of our main concerns as we do not have to
wake up early in the morning to travel unlike before. In addition, we have more time to prepare in the
distant teaching practice as it is only virtual.” - P6
    “It is more affordable for us to be in a distance practice teaching since we’re only working from
home, it lessens the causes of expenses that normally goes for foods, photo copies, transportation and
even on the allowance when conducting in the traditional. So we save some money here in the Online
Distant Teaching compared to the traditional classroom set-up.” – P7
 Efficient time management: the ability to plan out and complete tasks in a timely and productive
manner. This includes deciding how much time to spend on each task to maximize time during the
day and throughout the week. Think of efficiency as being part of effectiveness. The following
statements by the participants show efficient time management in distant learning.
    “Aside from keeping me safe from Covid-19, it also helps me, as a Pre-service teacher, manage my
time doing my tasks. It is also easier for me to extend specific strategies. It also helps save a lot
financially since I’m just at home.” – P8
    “ I’m more comfortable with having my practice teaching at home, I have more control with my time
to prepare for the lessons” – P9
    “Our time during pandemic that we are doing this classes in online platform because our time can
secure to create different strategies different ways on how we can teach that student very clear and
very well.” – P10
Lack of interaction: indicates poor communication of the people in the same setting. The following
shows how the pre-service teachers have trouble interacting with their students.
    “It is very difficult to interact with the student, the communication was lacking. Especially when
discussion, you can’t even see the student’s expression if they look interested or not” -  P1
    “One of the dis-advantages is the lack of interaction among the student and I feel that during distant
of my practice teaching and as a pre service teacher you are teaching student not just only the lesson
or topic but also the moral lesson” – P2
    “Some students don't really participate because of distractions. not being able to see all your
students physically was a really hard way to control their learning environment. " – P3
Technological concerns: refers to the concern of the people regarding the internet connection, the
electricity supply or even the devices that they use to do productive routines. The following
indicates the problems of the pre-service teachers in terms of technology.
    "Issues on technology. Do not have a consistent internet connection”- P4
    “Power interruption usually experience that, especially here in arayat right challenging for me
those are the problem for me then next one, is that I cannot have or I am lacking some  experience
that I expect to have in my teaching internship” - P5
    “We cannot say everybody have a good internet connection or they have their complete gadget just
to in and every day class and that’s why some of the students will left behind in this time of distant
learning” -  P6
    “Disadvantages of distant learning what I feel is first is the disadvantages the poor connection”.–
P7
    “There was a time that I have lost my internet connection so as a result my students made me
repeat the same lesson as yesterday” - P8
Self-efficacy- It refers to an individual's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to
produce specific performance attainments. These following statements shows that pre-service
teachers are confident that they can learn while acknowledging what they are going through
    “ One of my coping strategies is self-efficacy, I am admitting that I am having a hard time doing
things but at that time I still hold that optimist side of me that I know I have the capacity to do those
things” – P1
    “Always try to be optimistic so that is my coping strategy. I'm turning negativity into possibilities.” –
P2
Difficulty in adapting: It refers to the hardship of a person to suit in a different condition. These
statements demonstrate how pre-service teachers have struggled to adapt to online distance
learning.
    “ I’ll rate my difficulties as 6 because the problems I have with the distant teaching practice was not
due to the materials but to the experiences of this new method of teaching”  -P1
    "I want to rate my experience from 1–10, easiest to hardest. For the following reasons, I'll rate it a 6.
During my experience, online classes helped me manage my personal and professional time. However,
there are still chances that schedules overlap because of personal situations. Second, it was not hard
yet not easy to deal with students during discussions. Students have their own learning capacity, and
as their teacher, I must always consider them. Recently, as a math teacher, showing and solving
solutions was the hardest part of teaching."– P7
No issues:
“ There is no problems at all, the students were cooperative and they have welcome me open
arms” P1
“Luckily, I’ve experienced no issue about it."- P4
“So far there is no problem as my cooperative teacher is considerate to me” P10

In accordance to the results of the interview, most of the participants mentioned that the
lack of interaction, technological concerns, and difficulty in adapting are the disadvantages they
have encountering. Specifically, they stated that the online teaching disadvantages are the
difficulties in interacting with the student, issues with technology, and difficulties in adapting to the
new normal. Lack of interaction became also one of the biggest disadvantages because it  indicates
poor communication skills of the people in the same setting. In accordance to the participants, this
happens because of concerns of people regarding the internet connection, the electricity supply, or
even the devices that they use to do productive routines. Other than that, based on the participant's
responses, they dealt with it through self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in
their capacity to execute the behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments.
Nevertheless, it all shows that there are lots of disadvantages of distant practice teaching, as well as
how the pre-service teachers at Adelle Grace Montessori School Incorporated dealt with them
through their coping mechanisms.
The findings of this study indicate that when adjusting to the new online distant teaching
method, pre-service teachers have a variety of experiences and perspectives. The majority of the
respondents stated that online distant learning is flexible and innovative as they are being
introduced to new methods on how to teach students virtually by creating advanced materials and
resources. In addition, the respondents stated the Online distant teaching has made them saved
more as they stated that teaching virtually in opposed with the tradition has a lesser expense as
they will not be expending money on transportation, food and other expenses. The respondents
majorly agreed that the Online distant teaching as time efficient as they are working from home and
they can do their productive tasks efficiently.

It should also be highlighted that under Online Distant Teaching, the pre-service teachers
have had difficulties in interacting with their students. It was stated that the communication lacks
off as they cannot see their students physically when the disscusion starts unlike with the
traditional set-up. Specially that in the Online Distance Learning, students can feel free to not
open their cameras due to some factors and reasons including, slow internet connection,
distruction at home environment and disturbance. Thus, it has affected the pre-service teachers as
they cannot see the students if they are listening, interested or not. In addition, technological
concerns was a big problem, pre-service teachers had a difficulty in their discussion and
activities due to poor connection, leading them to leave the conference unintentionally. The
respondents also had a stenious problem interms of the presentation of their power point, also to
the gadgets they use to teach.

Moreover, some of the respondents experienced a difficulty in adapting to the new

methods of online distant teaching. Meanwhile, portion of the respondents haven experienced
some troubles yet they successfully become adaptive to the new situation. The respondents
imposed their coping strategies when they are having difficulties during their program, that
includes seeking help to their superior and trying to be more optimistic or lifting oneself up.
Nonetheless, it still shows that Online Distant Teaching has a beneficial benefits and a great
cause of distress to the pre-service teachers of Adelle Grace Montessori School Incorporated.

DISCUSSION
              The main objective of this research is to determine the advantages and disadvantages of
distant practice teaching, as well as how the pre-service teachers at Adelle Grace Montessori School
Incorporated dealt with them through their coping mechanisms. More data was collected and
examined in order to gain a better understanding of the distant practice of teaching during the
pandemic's peak. To answer the research questions, researchers interviewed ten (10) pre-service
teachers: (1) What are the advantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service teachers? (2)
What are the disadvantages of distant practice teaching among pre-service teachers? (3) What are
the coping strategies done by the pre-service teachers in dealing with the disadvantages of D.P.T?
Teaching practicum provides opportunities for pre-service teachers to improve their skills,
including flexibility in interacting with pupils (Caires, Almeida, and Viera, 2012). During the
teaching practicum, the pre-service teacher would acquire a triad of experiences: the immediacy of
classroom practice, the needs of educational organizations, and the expectations of the classroom
teacher. Online distant learning allows pre-service teachers to teach students who are isolated from
their homes and are not permitted to leave, which has become our new normal. Laptops, mobile
phones, and other forms of technology are examples of technology that students use in their online
classes. This technology allows pre-service teachers to teach even when they are far away from
their students. It has also benefited pre-service teachers in learning more about technology.
The researchers selected 10 pre-service teachers at Adelle Grace Montessori School Incorporated.
The chosen participants were interviewed using Google Meet. Purposive sampling was used to
gather relevant information and consider the hectic schedules of the participants. In this study, the
researchers used thematic analysis to examine how the data provided by the participants was
interpreted by the interviewees. 
Researchers have determined the advantages and disadvantages of distant practice teaching, as
well as how the pre-service teachers at Adelle Grace Montessori School Incorporated dealt with
them through their coping mechanisms. The interviewers discovered that there are three (3)
themes of the advantages, three (3) disadvantages, and one (1) coping mechanism for the pre-
service teacher in online practice teaching. The three (3) benefits are: flexibility and innovation,
lower costs, and effective time management.Based on the participant's responses, online teaching
provides them with the opportunity to try and explore learning materials and resources, to
eliminate the commute and hassle of getting to class, and to help them manage their time. Flexible
and innovative, they feature new methods and ideas, or in other words, they alter the way
something has been done. A person's less expensive indicates that the person is comparatively
spending less in terms of money. Efficient time management is the ability to plan out and complete
tasks in a timely and productive manner. The three (3) disadvantages are: Lack of interaction,
technological concerns, and difficulty in adapting. Based on the participant's responses, the online
teaching disadvantages are the difficulties in interacting with the student, issues with technology,
and difficulties in adapting to the new normal. Lack of interaction indicates poor communication
skills of the people in the same setting. Technological concerns refer to the concerns of people
regarding the internet connection, the electricity supply, or even the devices that they use to do
productive routines. Difficulty adapting to: It refers to the hardship of a person having to suit up in
a different condition. Lastly, the one (1) coping mechanism is self-efficacy. Based on the
participant's responses, they dealt with it through self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's
belief in their capacity to execute the behaviors necessary to produce specific performance
attainments.
The main purpose of conducting the survey is to determine the advantages and disadvantages of
distant practice teaching and how it can be overcome by means of coping mechanisms. Through
this, the researchers found that one of the advantages of online learning is that both teachers and
learners are able to save time and money. They don't have to spend much time preparing for class,
given that it's more hassle-free as they don't have to commute. In addition to that, they were able to
adapt to the new mode of learning and become flexible. Students and teachers who were not techy
before were able to improve their technical skills through the use of different online platforms.
Researchers discovered that pre-service teachers have grown more flexible and innovative; they
are being introduced to new methods of teaching students virtually by developing advanced
materials and tools. It also enables them to investigate topics in online classrooms in order to learn
more about the learning materials and technology that enable them to teach in online classes.
According to the findings of this study, pre-service teachers have a wide range of experiences and
perspectives when adjusting to the new online distant teaching method. Four out of ten participants
said they had less expenses since they said commuting is one of the costs of being a pre-service
teacher, especially if they don't have their own vehicle. When you go to school, you must pay the
tricycle or jeepney driver. When it comes time to eat, you must purchase your food because you are
in school and have a lot of expenses. Working from home saves you a lot of money since you get up,
take a shower, and then you can teach students. 

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