9 out of 10 Teachers Say "COVID-19 Online Classes Expansion Worsens Academic Achievement Gap"

88% of Parents Expect Teachers' Primary Role to Change

Provided by National Education Council

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), most of the general public, parents, and teachers have held negative perceptions regarding the expansion of online classes.

The Presidential Commission on National Education conducted a telephone and web survey from the 3rd to the 16th of last month targeting a total of 24,656 people, including 2,000 general public members, 9,914 students, 7,623 parents, and 5,119 teachers, to inquire about the future roles of schools and teachers, as well as the competencies students should develop. The results were announced on the 10th.

According to the results, when asked whether the expansion of online classes would exacerbate academic achievement gaps among learners, 92.2% of teachers agreed. Parents (89.6%) and the general public (78.4%) also largely shared concerns about the widening academic gap.

Regarding the difficulty of fostering learners' social skills through online classes, 87.6% of teachers, 85.7% of parents, and 76.4% of the general public agreed. Conversely, only 27.5% of teachers, 8.2% of parents, and 27.2% of the general public agreed with the opinion that online classes are more advantageous for teaching subject knowledge.

When asked whether the main role of teachers would change if the expansion of online classes continues, 77.7% of teachers, 88.2% of parents, and 87.1% of the general public answered "yes."

Regarding the expectation that online learning will be more utilized even after overcoming COVID-19, 65.6% of teachers and 67.0% of the general public agreed, while only 48.2% of parents responded affirmatively.

Meanwhile, the most desired image of teachers among the general public (68.6%), students (69.9%), and parents (84.6%) was "teachers who pay attention to individual students and engage in understanding and communication."

The National Education Commission shared these survey results with the 32 key stakeholders participating in the focused deliberation group on the development direction of the teacher training system, which has been ongoing since September 26.

Additionally, by next month, the final results of the focused deliberation on future schools and curricula, including appropriate teacher training programs and the scale of teacher training, will be announced in the form of a consensus statement.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.