Distance learning in school: three levels of communication difficulties

Maria S. Dobryakova () and Olisya Yurchenko ()
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Maria S. Dobryakova: National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation)
Olisya Yurchenko: National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russian Federation)

Monitoring of Education Markets and Organizations (MEMO), 2021, issue 14, 1-10

Abstract: The issue discusses results of a qualitative study of remote learning in spring 2020, as seen by families with schoolchildren. Our research methods rely on phenomenological and ethnographic traditions which allow to explore deeper aspects of practices and attitudes that slip away in mass surveys. Our sample includes 36 families (79 respondents) from nine Russian regions. According to mass surveys, difficulties experienced by families during remote learning have fallen into two major groups: technical and organisational ones. There is, however, one more group which is hidden in mass surveys but becomes manifest in in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation – substantive communicative difficulties pertaining to: a) learners’ ability to use textbooks; b) communication between teachers and students. We argue that, to be faced adequately, these deeper difficulties require a long-term strategy. It is difficult for students to use their textbooks both because some may lack essential literacy skills, and because the way information is presented in certain textbooks may impede comprehension and reader’s engagement. Communication between students and teachers was disrupted during remote learning, elements of informal communication and formative assessment could help restore it. Agency of schoolchildren and their parents is often greater than the space school has to offer them.

Keywords: education institutions; preschool education; education market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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