Teachers perceptions and practices of online teaching in response to the covid 19 pandemic the case of myp integrated science at a private school with international orientations

BANKING ACADEMY OF VIET NAM FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES GRADUATION THESIS TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF ONLINE TEACHING IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC: THE CASE OF MYP INTEGRATED SCIENCE AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL WITH INTERNATIONAL ORIENTATIONS Student: DANG THI PHUONG ANH Class: K21ATCB Academic year: 2018-2022 Student ID: 21A7510004 Advisor: Dr Trinh Ngoc Anh Hanoi, May, 2022 Tai ngay!!! Ban co the xoa dong chu nay!!! 17014128951901000000 DECLARATION I hereby certify that this study is entirely my own and that this work has not been previously submitted and approved for a degree in the Banking Academy of Vietnam or any other institution of higher education This dissertation is copyright material, from which no quotation may be published without proper acknowledgement Hanoi, May 2021 Signature Dang Thi Phuong Anh i Title: Teachers' perceptions and practices of online teaching in response to the Covid 19 pandemic: The case of MYP Integrated Science at a private school with international orientations Author: Dang Thi Phuong Anh, a fourth-year student of Faculty of Foreign Languages in Banking Academy of Vietnam Advisor: Dr Trinh Ngoc Anh, a lecturer of Faculty of Foreign Languages in Banking Academy of Vietnam Key Words: Teachers, perceptions, practices, online learning, COVID-19, and MYP Integrated Science ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been completed without the help and support of many individuals I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my research supervisor, Dr Trinh Ngoc Anh Her perceptive guidance and insightful feedback were most valuable to my dissertation Her invaluable expertise pushed me to develop as a researcher, sharpen my critical thinking and improve my academic writing skills The unyielding support that she had in my work was a great source of motivation Many thanks are due to all participants of this study: Mrs Rashi, Mrs Trang, and Ms Cuc, who provided valuable insights which contributed to the formulation oflent breadth and value to the the research findings Their participation played a decisive role in this dissertation I would also like to acknowledge the assistance and suggestions from my supportive and brilliant sister, Ms Dang Kim Tuyen Despite her hectic schdule, she took out her time to provide guidance on conducting a literature review as well as scientific writing skills My mom, my precious and priceless firefly The wings to my boundless sky, the stars to my endless night Without her unconditional support and encouragement, I would not have been able to successfully complete my thesis iii TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv LIST OF TABLES vii LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research Rationale 1.2 Research Aims and Research Questions 1.3 Research Scope 1.4 Significance of the Study 1.5 Structure of the Study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of Terms 2.1.1 Online Learning and Teaching 2.1.2 General definition of perception 2.1.3 The MYP curriculum 2.2 Review of Literature 2.2.1 E-learning 2.2.2 Perceptions on Teaching 2.2.3 Teachers’ perceptions in online teaching before the COVID-19 10 2.2.4 Teachers’ perceptions of online teaching platforms during the COVID19 pandemic 10 2.2.5 Favorable factors contribute to the positive perspectives of teachers of online teaching 11 2.2.6 Teachers’ perceptions of challenges and obstacles of online teaching 12 2.2.7 Teachers’ different selections on online learning platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic 13 iv 2.2.8 Advantages of Teaching Science Online 16 2.2.9 The Difficulties of Teaching Science Online 18 2.3 Summary of literature review 19 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY 20 3.1 Context of the study 20 3.2 Methodological Approach and Rationale – Qualitative Method 20 3.3 Study Design 22 3.5 Data Collection 24 3.5.1 Data collection tools 24 3.6 Data Analysis 26 3.6.1 Process of analyzing interview data 27 3.6.2 Observation data analysis process 27 3.7 Summary 28 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 30 4.1 Background overview of study participants 30 4.1.2 Teaching experience 31 4.1.3 Participants’ teaching plan at the school 31 4.2 Interview Findings: Teachers’ Perception on Online Teaching 32 4.2.1 Favorable views and perceptions and discouraging perceptions and challenges 32 4.2.2 Teachers’ perspectives on online vs face-to-face teaching environment 32 4.2.3 Activities utilized by teachers to improve student’s online engagement 35 4.2.4 Challenges of a virtual classroom and coping mecanisms 36 4.2.5 Support from a private school with international orientations during the transition to online learning 37 4.2.7 Summary 40 4.3 Participants observation findings: Teachers’ practices and students’ responses during online lessons 41 4.3.1 Tasks for online lessons 41 4.3.2 Students’ engagement during online lessons 49 4.4 Teachers’ perceptions about online teaching 49 v 4.5 Teachers’ practices regarding online learning 51 CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 53 5.1 Conclusion 53 5.2 Implications 53 5.2.1 Implications for Teachers 54 5.2.2 Implications for the education sector 54 5.3 Limitations of the study 54 5.4 Recommendation for Future Studies 54 APPENDICES 67 Appendix A: Interview Questions 67 Appendix D: Interview Questions for Teaching Staff from Uyen and Long (2021) 68 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Table Table Teachers’ profile and grade in charge Demonstrations of coding and category creation in observation data in an online lesson by Teacher C Demonstrations of coding and category creation in observation data in an online lesson by Teacher T LIST OF FIGURES Figure Years of teaching experience and teaching in the school Figure Teachers’ teaching lessons per week Figure Figure Number of pre-guided tasks versus total number of tasks in three classes Learning Curve for New Technology Software (Glass, p 78, 1999) vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS BB Blackboard COVID-19 Coronavirus disease of 2019 LMS Learning Management System MERS Middle East respiratory syndrome MS Microsoft Teams MOET Ministry of Education and Training MYP Middle Years Programme (International Baccalaureate Curriculum) SSI Semi-structured interview SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization viii ABSTRACT Although there had been an extensive number of studies on perceptions and practices of teachers about online learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries, only a few studies were conducted in Vietnam, especially in general education levels This case-study aimed to examine how Integrated Science MYP teachers at the school perceived and responded to the unexpected shift to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic The study was conducted using two key qualitative data collection instruments: individual interviewing and participant observation Interview questions adapted from Uyen and Long (2021), were based on thematic analysis and utilized to conduct interviews with three teachers in the MYP Integrated Science Department Participants observation involved 12 online lessons In terms of analyzing data, while findings from individual interviews were scrutinized in a direct way depending on participants’ answers, data of participant observations was elvaluated in a reported way relying on observing A thematic analysis, as described in Castleberry and Nolen (2018), was used to classify, analyze and identify trends of data collected during both semistructured intervew and participants observation The findings reveal that most teacher participants found online teaching without previous training and preparation challenging It was especially difficult to keep pupils under control during online courses because the teacher could only see them through a screen, or the teacher might not see them at all because students were unlikely to turn on the camera or because they found online learning lethargic Additionally, shifting lectures from face-to-face teaching to online teaching in a short time was reported to be uncomfortable due to affecting both physical and mental health, taking more time to spend slides and online learning games In terms of practice of using online learning and teaching platforms, they spent time and effort on learning new technological skills; therefore, they could be adaptable to sudden situations Some online education tools and resources were useful and meaningful to teachers Google Meet or Zoom was preferred for use by teachers during online teaching periods Managebac supported teachers to check attendance, upload main ideas of new units and upload assignments Especially in this study,