Abstract

The rapid and unprecedented transition from face-to-face to online teaching at the onslaught of CoViD-19 was very challenging due to a very short timeframe for teachers to refresh and to acquire advanced technical skills and know-how in going online. This study is designed to determine the readiness of teachers in going online from select localities in the Philippines. A total of 120 teacher-respondents were used as subjects of the study. The descriptive-inferential method was employed in the study in gathering the needed data vis-à-vis the research problems. It is discovered that teachers in private schools can perform Basic Technical Skills better than those who are in the public schools. It was also found out that teachers aged 21-30 can perform better in technical skills and can use LMS efficiently. Moreover, the respondents were found to be highly skilled on course planning, time-management and communication: both teacher-respondents from public and private institutions are equipped with vast knowledge on course design. However, it is noticeable that older teachers are less comfortable in designing online learning activities that would allow students to interact with their peers and teachers. Therefore, it is concluded that the teacher-respondents are ready to go online. Appositely, teachers from the private sector are better in managing online learning than their counterparts in the public schools from the parameters of the study.

1. Introduction

As the online mode of education expands, online teachers’ readiness also rises as a significant construct. Literature revealed a rich discussion on the frameworks of competency, functions, specifications, and duties to teach online. However, data on teachers’ readiness to deliver online teaching competencies is insufficient. More importantly, such competencies vary for faculty by culture, circumstances, institutions, and countries, which in turn indicate that teachers’ online teaching readiness will differ by these similar factors. Online learning can be difficult to navigate, educators as well as students are approaching their level of mixture anxiety and excitement of the unknown but it is not a hindrance to keep going and to continue in achieving goals in times of uncertainty- quality education ¹.

The changing environment encourages educational institutions to seek additional platforms in continuing to provide quality education. As the Philippines gets pass its first year under the CoViD-19 pandemic, a shift in learning modalities becomes more evident ². In an effort to ensure that all students have the same access to high-quality teaching and learning, Online Distance Learning (ODL) was employed. It features a teacher as a facilitator and learners can participate actively during instruction through the use of various technologies, and internet is included in the plan. This rapid transition of all teaching consequently provides a unique opportunity to observe the extent to which teachers actually felt prepared for ODL. ³

The recent development in technology provides an overwhelming growth of distance learning in different countries, which contributed to the acceleration of education for all. The changing environment nowadays encourages educational institutions to seek additional platforms in continuing to provide quality education. Open and distance learning is a way of delivering education through the use of technology such as the interconnected network. The future is clear in the education sector that technology will play a primary role in the future. As far as education is concerned, teachers are the main assets of the academe, where they are the ones responsible in building knowledge. Accordingly, distance education is defined as the online delivery of instructional content as well as associated support services to students in the absence of physical, this shows that online delivery of instruction through online can be consider as a primary way of teaching and learning ⁴. In the first half of 2020, schools across the world were forced to shift to fully online teaching and learning in response to the Covid-19 pandemic ⁵. In many instances, this was a sudden shift in the delivery of learning. School teachers, many of whom had never taught online, were expected to redesign their programmes to support their students in a 100% online environment. This required full shift in pedagogical approach to teaching and learning, and the use of a range of new technologies. ⁶ Readiness is examined in relation to perceptions of how well they felt they were prepared for this change and how well they felt their institutions were prepared. Particularly in relation to the rapid transition to online teaching, this shift constituted major changes in teaching practice. Such changes in practice or the willingness to engage in change at any level is a complicated organization of individual, institutional, and cultural factors ⁷.

Reference ⁸ conducted an initial assessment regarding the preparedness of teachers for online teaching and learning. His study determined the perception of the use of the Learning Management System as a platform for delivering courses. Likewise, it pointed out issues on customization, teacher and students' preparedness, infrastructure constraints, as well as flexibility in teaching and learning ⁹.

Several studies on online learning are being conducted to determine whether our teachers here in the Philippines are ready to teach online. Besides confirming and reinforcing the challenges identified by previous research, our study provides a framework on how teachers respond to using their gadgets and their knowledge on technology. Thus, this study sought to determine the affordances and find significant differences in the basic technical skills; using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom); course planning, time management and communication; and course design of the respondents. Further, the results of this investigation will and may contribute to the effectiveness of educators in online instruction.

2. Methodology

This study employed a quantitative online survey to enable the researchers to identify the readiness of teachers on going online this time of pandemic on their basic technical skills; using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom); course planning, time management and communication; and course design. A total of 120 teachers in both public and private schools around Northern Luzon responded and served as the informants of the study. This also helped the researchers determine the technology efficacy and willingness of teachers to embrace online learning which is becoming the trend in this time of pandemic not only in the country but in the entire world. The following were employed to analyze the gathered quantitative data: Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal Wallis Test. All calculations are set at .05 level of significance. Descriptive-inferential statistics were used to analyze, make predictions or inferences from the data collected. From the data and results, a generalization was drawn and was given a conclusion. An easy way to comply with the journal paper formatting requirements is to use this document as a template and simply type your text into it.

3. Results and Discussion

Table 1 shows the respondents affordances on Basic Technical Skills and most of them answered “very true of me”. The result of the survey revealed that all the respondents have the four basic technical skills that are needed in teaching online such as using office applications; managing computer files as to copying, moving, renaming and deleting; sending and receiving emails; and using internet browsers to upload and download files. Basic technical skills have strong impacts on teacher online readiness. The research findings revealed that the more familiar teachers are with basic technical skills, the readier they are for teaching in an online environment. The findings of this study are similar to findings of reference ¹⁰ that instructors must had technological skills and competencies in basic computer operation and technical issues relating to internet usage, such as web searching and conferencing, as well as managing a learning management system, in order to be effective facilitators for online learning. The foregoing results are also supported by the findings of reference ¹¹, who discovered that most modern teachers already had the basic computer skills required to carry out their professional responsibilities. The teachers’ acquisition of these skills can be explained by the fact that these tools have become integral in all professional mechanisms, so teachers have been expected and driven to teach them.

This table presents the Mann-Whitney U Test on respondents’ affordances on basic technical skills when grouped by type of school affiliation. It can be noted that there is no significant difference between public and private teachers when it comes to their skills in using office applications, managing files, and in sending and receiving emails. In using internet browsers such as Google, Firefox or Safari, the test failed to reject the null hypothesis as the test concluded a slight significant difference at .045 between answers when the respondents were grouped by type of school affiliation. According to reference ¹², digital media use in public schools is rather limited, but the study indicated that schools in the private sector have greater access to digital media. Other claims that private schools outperform public schools in terms of access to digital media, basic information, and content layout, according to the findings of reference ¹³. In terms of material delivery, private school teachers far outperform public school teachers. In conclusion, private schools are better able to use web browsers to search than public schools.

Presented in the table (Table 3) is the Kruskal Wallis test on respondents’ affordances on basic technical skills when grouped by age. It can be noticed that, in use of office applications and internet browsers are comparable with respondents from the age brackets of 31-40 and 40+, with respondents from the age brackets of 21-30+ are incomparable with the two other age brackets. It can also be depicted in the table that, in sending and receiving emails, age-grouped 21-30 and 31-40 are comparable. In general, these concordances among the respondents led to the rejection of the null hypothesis.On the contrary, this study failed to reject the null hypothesis for the indicator on the copying, moving, renaming, and deleting of files or folders.

On the contrary, this study failed to reject the null hypothesis for the indicator on the copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files or folders.

In direct contrast to the data shown above, the findings of reference ¹⁴ discovered that older teachers use computer technology in the classroom more frequently than younger ones. The most common explanation for these findings was that older teachers had more experience in teaching, classroom management, and computer skills, making it easier for them to incorporate technology into their lessons.

This table (Table 4) presents the respondents’ affordances on using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom). As it shows on the table, respondents answered “much true of me” in using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom).

The results are supported by reference ¹⁵ who argues that Learning Management System is used by every educator and learner as an all-in-one platform that allows them to manage their demands in any situation. Significant instructional activities such as instructional management, collaboration, assessment, and guiding are employed to efficiently serve educational demands based on the framework of an e-learning system. Flexibility and more advanced technical ideas can help students and teachers have a real sense of what it's like to teach and study online. Teachers are willing to adopt new technologies, according to reference ¹⁶, since they believe the future of education will rely heavily on web-based instruction. According to this study, Learning Management System platforms are easy to use, so lecturers feel at ease, comfortable, and satisfied when they use them. More likely, respondents are ready to embrace online education.

The table presents the Mann-Whitney U Test of significant differences in the affordances on using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom) when grouped by type of school affiliation. It can be seen on the table that the respondents from private schools have higher mean in using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom) compared to the respondents from public schools. This implies that there is nothing to do on the type of school of the respondents since the computed Mann-Whitney U Test suggest the acceptance of the null hypothesis: there is no significant difference on affordances on using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom) when grouped by type of school affiliation.

Likewise, a study conducted in a private school in Sorsogon discovered that teachers are sufficiently prepared for online learning in terms of technology access, given the school administration’s efforts. They are also prepared to use an online learning management system, as well as online, productivity, and other tools for developing learning materials and resources ¹⁷.

The table (Table 6) shows the Kruskal Wallis Test of significant differences in the affordances on using LMS (Moodle and Google Classroom) when grouped by age. It can be gleaned that significant differences exist on the following item: “I feel comfortable using features in the LMS to facilitate student learning “. It can be noticed also that age groups 31-40 and 41+ are comparable in being comfortable using LMS assessment tools. It was demonstrated in this study that there was a significant difference in respondents affordances in using LMS in terms of age. The foregoing results can be supported by a study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that found that those who were younger had a stronger affordance on using LMS ¹⁸. Similarly, a study among Teacher Education faculty in the Philippines disclosed that younger faculty had higher competence in ICT ¹⁹. According to reference ²⁰, younger teachers have better internet literacy skills because there are more courses covering computers and the internet for younger faculty members to choose from during their pre-service learning. This also implies that computer and internet integration has become a part of the pre-service education of younger teachers, making them more familiar with internet mechanisms.

This table (Table 7) presents the respondents’ affordances on course planning, time management, and communication. As it shows on the table, respondents answered “much true of me” in course planning, time management, and communication. In communicating and conveying, item no. 5 (I feel comfortable communicating through writing and can do it easily) and item no. 7 (I feel comfortable conveying my personality and/or emotions through writing) had the most responses. In contrast item no. 6 (I feel more comfortable communicating through speech than through writing) and item no. 8 (I feel comfortable conveying my personality and/or emotions through speaking (audio/video)) had the least responses.

The table presents the Mann-Whitney U-Test on course planning, time management, and communication when grouped by type of school affiliation. The table reveals that there is no significant difference on course planning, time management, and communication) when grouped by type of school affiliation. This implies that there is nothing to do with the type of school of the respondents since the computed Mann-Whitney U Test suggests acceptance of the null hypothesis. It concludes that, course planning, time management and communication are important regardless of the type of school affiliation. Reference ²¹ supports this result by stating that lesson planning is an important aspect of a teacher’s job because it directly impacts what and how students learn the necessary material; thus, how teachers plan is important to research. Time management is essential for student success in the classroom, according to ²². Teachers who know how to manage their time effectively can maximize activities that are important in developing their academic and life skills. There are a variety of tools and methods available to help teachers improve their communications with their online students. In the same way, according to reference ²³, most of the online students’ primary contact with an institution is through communication with faculty. As an online instructor, one of your primary goals should be to foster a sense of community within your online class.

As shown on the table (Table 9) on Kruskal-Wallis on respondents’ affordances on course planning, time management, and communication when grouped by age. Indicator 3 yielded significant results: hence, the null hypothesis is rejected.

Age groups 21-30 are prepared than its counterparts, and as support to this result, reference ²⁴ stated that more experienced “online” teachers had better self-confidence in their pedagogical abilities to teach online. Simultaneously, teachers with limited experience reported significant difficulties with communication and interaction, as well as a lack of knowledge with effective online teaching and technology.

Table 10 presents the respondents affordances on course design. It can be claimed that the respondents’ affordances on course design are very true of me. Also, it can be notably observed that the comfortability of three respondents in writing measurable learning objectives and designing active learning is much true of me. It can be noted that the results are skewed to the right, which signifies positive results.

As for support to these findings, reference ²⁵ Affordance is an important concept in e-learning design, because it impacts how learners interact with our course designs. When we create e-learning, we design elements such as buttons, hyperlinks, data entry fields, etc. By applying important visual identifiers, we can help learners navigate our courses more easily.

The Table 11 presents the Mann-Whitney U-Test on course design when grouped by type of school affiliation. The table reveals that there are no significant differences in course design when grouped by type of school affiliation. This implies that the computed Mann-Whitney U Test suggests acceptance of the null hypothesis.

The results are theoretically supported by the study of reference ²⁶ that including course design provides better results regarding actual use in learning management system contexts. Reference ²⁷ conducted another investigation, course factors (course design and content) may play a crucial impact in determining students’ learning outcomes.

Presented in table (Table 12) Kruskal Wallis Test on respondents’ affordances on course design when grouped by age 21-30, 31-40 and 41+ shows incomparable on being comfortable designing active learning and on how to accommodate students’ needs. It is also noticeable that there are significant differences on indicators 2 and 5; this implies the rejection of the null hypothesis.

Teachers’ age and teaching experiences, according to studies, have a significant impact on their efficacy. The results of this study are supported by reference ²⁸ that teachers aged 41 and above are better to accommodate the needs of their students, and they discovered that older teachers, aged 41 and up, are more effective in the classroom and had better classroom management abilities than younger school teachers. This viewpoint is reinforced by reference ²⁹, who discovered that owing to a lack of experience and maturity, younger teachers often make more dangerous decisions and do not thoroughly assess the situation when dealing with student disciplinary concerns. The results of this study are similar to the findings of reference ³⁰, who found that older teachers were more likely to boost pupils’ learning than middle-aged and younger teachers in a cross-sectional survey in Kenya.

4. Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, the following are concluded:

Teachers are ready to shift from face-to-face to online teaching. However, teachers in the older age bracket (40+) need to be given more technical assistance to upgrade their basic technical skills, especially in using the internet and in designing appropriate online teaching strategies to accommodate leaners’ needs.

Teachers can conduct online teaching using Moodle and Google Classroom, although, younger teachers (aged 31 40 and below) are more comfortable in using the platform compared to the older ones (aged 41 and above).

In online teaching, teachers can plan, manage time, and communicate successfully.

Teachers are ready to make a shift in their course design from traditional face-to-face to online teaching.Teachers aged 41 and above are better able to accommodate the needs of their students.

References