Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Unintended Pedagogical Consequences of Emergency Remote Teaching at a Rural-Based University in South Africa

Version 1 : Received: 29 October 2022 / Approved: 31 October 2022 / Online: 31 October 2022 (06:43:22 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Pika, S.T.; Reddy, S. Unintended Pedagogical Consequences of Emergency Remote Teaching at a Rural-Based University in South Africa. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12, 830. Pika, S.T.; Reddy, S. Unintended Pedagogical Consequences of Emergency Remote Teaching at a Rural-Based University in South Africa. Educ. Sci. 2022, 12, 830.

Abstract

In this empirical article, we argue that, while emergency remote teaching (ERT) may have achieved its goal of saving the academic years during the COVID-19 pandemic, it also constructed unintended pedagogical consequences that were possibly overlooked at the time of advocating it. The research question that the article attempted to answer is, what unintended pedagogical consequences did students and lecturers suffer because of the move to ERT at rural-based universities (RBUs) in South Africa? Drawing on students' and lecturers’ lived experiences of ERT, this article foregrounds unintended pedagogical consequences that arose at one RBU in South Africa during the transition from face-to-face teaching to ERT. Underpinned by the tenets of critical realism philosophy, as well as student integration theory, in-depth interviews with three lecturers and six students were conducted. The findings of the study indicate that home conditions, individual characteristics, pre-COVID-19 blended learning experiences, university training and support, and teaching, learning, and assessment practices and policies altogether contributed to the construction of unintended pedagogical consequences of ERT presented in this article. These consequences include (1) exclusion of low-income students in active teaching and learning, (2) equipping middle-class students with better chances of success than working-class students. (3) distressing female students and lecturers more than their male counterparts, and (4) unproductive assessment practices. This study may be beneficial to academics and policymakers from similar contexts in their plight to continue with remote teaching and assessment (RTA) beyond the pandemic.

Keywords

COVID-19 lockdown; critical realism; emergency remote teaching; higher education; rural-based university; unintended pedagogical consequences

Subject

Social Sciences, Education

Comments (0)

Comment 1
Received: 4 November 2022
Commenter: PhD Professor Nicola-Gavrila Laura
The commenter has declared there is no conflict of interests.
Comment: Dear Authors,

as Editor in Chief of Journal of Research, Innovation and Technologies (JoRIT) find it very interesting and suitable with the aims and scope of this journal, the subject debated in this paper, having great chances to be published in the next Issues of 2022.

The Journal publishes interdisciplinary contributions and innovative approaches covering a wide range of topics to fill a gap in the literature by bringing together the three key categories: research, innovation and technologies and also their theories and practices that examine and explain useful insights into society in a variety of ways - from understanding how minds work, to how societies as a whole function.

Starting with the first issues, articles published will be indexed in databases as: CEEOL, EBSCO, IndexCopernicus, ProQuest and so on...

In this regard, our team, on behalf of the Editor-in-chief of JoRIT, requests your permission to publish the paper and would be very indebted if you would give us your permission.

We are looking forward to a positive answer from you.
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