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The aim of the study is to explore how the Covid 19 lockdown, and its attending policies affected teachers in Nigeria

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The aim of the study is to explore how the Covid 19 lockdown, and its attending policies affected teachers in Nigeria. The study will utilise an intersectional lens to look at the class, socioeconomic status and gender specific challenges faced by female teachers. The findings of this study will contribute to the discussions on teacher welfare, support, and training. Hopefully it will point out areas for gender inclusion in policy formation in education. Covid 19 has shown that we need to rethink education delivery and is a constantly evolving phenomenon, this study hopes to provide the basis for further research into the effects of the pandemic on the education community.
 

Proposal Introduction

The Effects of Covid 19 lockdown on teachers in Nigeria: A gendered perspective

 

Introduction

In March 2020, schools around the world closed in response to the spread of the COVID 19 virus (Winthrop, 2020). Teachers had no choice but to adapt to online and distance learning methods to ensure that their students had continued access to education. New content and resources had to be developed almost overnight to meet the changing needs of students (Jones & Kessier, 2020). Working from home became the new normal and teachers worldwide found themselves working for longer hours while still tending to their needs at home. Irrespective of their fields teachers and learners have faced immense challenges in adapting (Bimm and Rose, 2021). Reports have shown an increase in teachers leaving the profession due to the strain of the pandemic (Moser and Wei, 2021). According to de Saxe et al. (2020) because we live in a society where we cannot separate gender norms it would be ignorant to view the effects of educational policies with a gender-neutral lens. Teaching is a profession dominated by women worldwide and statistics show that Nigeria currently has a higher number of female teachers (de Saxe et.al, 2020, Nigeria Digest Of Education Statistics, 2020) Understanding the different ways that gender and class intersect will make it easier to see the inequalities that exist. Therefore, this study will take a gendered approach in examining the effects of the lockdown on teachers in Nigeria.

 

Nigeria like the rest of the world had to close its schools and its teachers also had to adapt to teaching in a pandemic. Schools were closed to in-person learning for six months between March and October 2020 (National Survey on School Resumption during COVID-19 Pandemic - Nigeria, 2021). Many teachers faced loss of income, increased work hours and teaching with technology they had no prior training for (Ogunode, 2020, NEEG, 2020). Nigeria is experiencing a decline in its teacher force, reports show that Nigeria has a shortage of 280,000 teachers (All Africa, 2020). In addition to that Nigeria has been struggling to attract more female teachers to the profession in a bid to encourage the enrolment of girls in schools (UNICEF, 2017).

The aim of the study is to explore how the Covid 19 lockdown, and its attending policies affected teachers in Nigeria. The study will utilise an intersectional lens to look at the class, socioeconomic status and gender specific challenges faced by female teachers. The findings of this study will contribute to the discussions on teacher welfare, support, and training. Hopefully it will point out areas for gender inclusion in policy formation in education. Covid 19 has shown that we need to rethink education delivery and is a constantly evolving phenomenon, this study hopes to provide the basis for further research into the effects of the pandemic on the education community.

 

Scope of the Study

Due to the limited time and resources for this study, it is pertinent to limit the area of this research. This research will focus on Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. Abuja has been chosen as the focus for a number of reasons which include

1.)           It is a cosmopolitan city with a diverse population from different ethnicities and economic background.

2.)           It has an urban centre which is surrounded by rural towns, which provides for a rich comparative study. Abuja is also the seat of government where policies are made and implemented.

 

The research will be limited to Early Years and Primary School teachers, the Universal Basic Education Act (UBE) provides for 9 years compulsory and free education, and a 2009 (Knoema) report puts the number of primary schools in Abuja at 477.

 

I have cultivated a community of early years and primary school teachers in low fee-paying private schools within Abuja. This has afforded me to opportunity to build trust and ensure that the responses to the research questionnaire are honest.

 

Research questions and conceptual approach

The main research question which this dissertation will seek to answer is “How did the Covid19 lockdown measures affect teachers in Nigeria”

The following sub-questions have been developed to help explore this issue further

1.)           What were the challenges faced by teachers because of the lockdown measures?

This will be answered through evaluation and analysis of the survey questions.

2.)           Why are there gender specific challenges faced by teachers during the lockdown?

This will be answered through the analysis of the survey question responses of female and male teachers and the review of available literature

3.)           What are the implications of this study for policy?

The research will evaluate whether there are any possible implications for the development of education delivery and policy in the future.

 

Methodology

Overall approach:  The study will use a descriptive mixed methods approach. The decision to adopt descriptive research is based on the premise that it allows us to study the correlation between the lockdown measures and teacher responses.

Utilising mixed methods will allow us to explore the effects of the Covid 19 lockdown from the teacher’s perspective and see the effects if any on teachers’ wellbeing.

Study design: The study will take the form of a literature review, online questionnaire, qualitative and quantitative studies.

Literature Search

Due to the nature of this study, it is anticipated that several types of literature will be identified during this study, including:

•             Scholarly literature and published academic research

•             Documentary evidence – such as government policy documents

•             Other types of grey literature such as reports

The initial search will discover documents in scope through the use of keyword searches in online academic databases and Google Scholar.  The keywords used for the searches will be logged and included in the methodology section of the dissertation.

For this study Google Scholar will be used to identify policy documentation that is relevant to the lockdown from the Nigerian government websites and other grey literature.

The snowball method will be used to identify further literature in scope. This will include backward snowballing (examination of the literature cited in texts which are identified in the initial literature searches) and forward snowballing (examination of literature which cites texts identified in the initial literature searches.)

The literature analysis will cover the following themes:

•             Covid 10 lockdown and teacher/school responses

•             Definitions of teacher attrition and its effects on education delivery

•             Gender definitions in education

•             Approaches to educational policy and planning

•             The need for female teachers in education

•             Poststructuralism theories in education and gender

•             Intersectionality theories in education

Online Questionnaire

Sampling: The participants will be drawn from primary school teachers within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. Abuja is a cosmopolitan city as well as the seat of government and it will provide a diverse pool or participants to choose from. Samples from government employed teachers and teachers employed in low fee-paying private schools will be examined to provide a balanced view on how teachers experienced the lockdown period. Members of online teacher support groups on WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Instagram will be sent the information sheet and the consent form. If they agree to participate in the study, they will be sent a link to fill out the online questionnaire. Participants will be assured that their data will be kept securely and their identities will remain anonymous.  Participants reserve the right to withdraw from the study if they so wish.

Data Collection: The data will be collected via an online questionnaire to be filled after the participants have read the information document and filled the consent form. The questionnaire will be sent using survey monkey platform and it contains 23 questions that cover the following topics:

•             Teacher renumeration

•             Gender

•             Reasons for selecting teaching as a career

•             Challenges faced during the lockdown

•             Teacher professional development

•             Teacher coping mechanisms

•             Personal anecdotes

Data analysis:

Qualitative data analysis- Thematic analysis will be used to extract and summarize the theme that occur from the questionnaire answers (Braun & Clarke, 2006). This method of data analysis allows the participant’s views on the problem and its causes as well as the participant’s contribution towards solving the problem to be examined. The thematic analysis will also capture the participant’s feelings and perceptions about being heard as well as their views on how they can be better supported.

 

The online survey responses will be examined, and notes made on the initial thoughts. Once familiar with the data, preliminary codes will be developed to sort through the data. The themes will then be reviewed, sorted, defined and named. The identified themes will then be interpreted to make further meaning (Guest, et al., 2012).

 

Quantitative data analysis- The study will employ descriptive analysis (Leob et.al, 2017) to summarize and characterise the data collected from the online questionnaire. This analysis will help identify recurring themes and processes behind the relationship between the lockdown and its effects on teachers.  The study will also use an intersectional theoretical lens to look at the experiences of the female teachers and how this knowledge can affect education policy in regard to retaining and attracting new female teachers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Bhandari, P. (2021, August 13). A step-by-step guide to data collection. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/data-collection/

Chadwick, R. (2017). Thinking intersectionally with/through narrative methodologies. Agenda, 31(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2017.1341172

Davis, K. (2008). Intersectionality as buzzword. Feminist Theory, 9(1), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700108086364

Information and Statistics of the Wool, 2009 - knoema.com. (2009). Knoema. https://knoema.com/JPIASOW2016/information-and-statistics-of-the-wool-2009?location=1000350-nigeria

Jones, A. L., & Kessler, M. A. (2020). Teachers’ Emotion and Identity Work During a Pandemic. Frontiers in Education, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.583775

Lapada, A. A., Miguel, F. F., Robledo, D. A. R., & Alam, Z. F. (2020). Teachers’ Covid-19 Awareness, Distance Learning Education Experiences and Perceptions towards Institutional Readiness and Challenges. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(6), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.6.8

Leob, S., Morris, P., Dynarski, S., Reardon, S., McFarland, D., & Reber, S. (2017). Descriptive analysis in education: A guide for researchers. Https://Ies.Ed.Gov/Ncee/Search/?q=Descriptive+analysis+in+education%3A+A+guide+for+researchers. https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=011774183035190766908:hriitduy-cu&q=https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20174023/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjuq4rtmN31AhXExYUKHdXOCxkQFnoECAcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2qKGfqx2UR81w9fP11pSYr

Malala visits Nigeria to draw attention to education crisis. (2017). UNICEF Nigeria. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/stories/malala-visits-nigeria-draw-attention-education-crisis

Moser, K., & Wei, T. (2021). COVID-19 and the pre-existing language teacher supply crisis. Language Teaching Research, 136216882110402. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211040297

National Survey on School Resumption during COVID-19 Pandemic - Nigeria. (2021, May 4). ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/national-survey-school-resumption-during-covid-19-pandemic#:%7E:text=On%20October%2012th%202020%2C%20Nigeria,infection%20cases%20in%20the%20country

Nigeria Digest Of Education Statistics. (2020, September 13). FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION. https://education.gov.ng/nigeria-digest-of-education-statistics/

Nigeria Education in Emergencies Group. (2020). Nigeria Education Sector COVID19 Response Strategy in North East. p. 1

Ogunode, N. J. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 Schools Close Down on Academic Programme of Senior Secondary Schools in Abaji Area Council of Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3576048

Purnama, Y. (2021). Teacher’s Obstacles in English Online Learning during Covid-19 Pandemic. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 5(2), 228. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v5i2.3618

Rose, C. B., & Bimm, S. (2021). EMERGING RESEARCH ON THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND EDUCATION. Journal of Teaching and Learning, 15(2), 1–2. https://jtl.uwindsor.ca/index.php/jtl/issue/view/628

Stachteas, P., & Stachteas, C. (2020). The psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary school teachers. Psychiatriki, 31(4), 293–301. https://doi.org/10.22365/jpsych.2020.314.293

Stromquist, N. P., Lin, J., Corneilse, C., Klees, S. J., Choti, T., & Haugen, C. S. (2013). Women teachers in Liberia: Social and institutional forces accounting for their underrepresentation. International Journal of Educational Development, 33(5), 521–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2012.08.002

Winthrop, R. (2020, March 31). COVID-19 and school closures: What can countries learn from past emergencies? Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/research/covid-19-and-school-closures-what-can-countries-learn-from-past-emergencies/

 

Component        Specifics               Points

Topic background/context & statement of the problem or puzzle             •             Identification and introduction of topic, including a statement of the problem or puzzle to be addressed   3.5/4

Research purpose statement & significance        •             Explains the motivation/rationale for research.

•             Explains the significance of research.      3.25/4

Research question(s) or hypotheses

 

 

                •             Clarity and focus

•             Coherence with purpose statement

•             Not too broad or too narrow

•             Not too easy or too difficult

•             Researchable?

•             Analytical rather than descriptive?           4/5

Review of literature        •             The body(s) of literature specified, and highlights described        3.75/5

Mechanics          •             Quality and clarity of writing.      1.75/2

Total Points                        16.25/20

81% (A-)

 

Emikay – Good start. Your topic (gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic policies on women teachers) is an important and timely one. Please see my comments in the right-hand margin for detailed feedback. I encourage further development of ideas to bring focus, consistency, and coherence to the proposed research. I’m confident that further engagement with the relevant literatures (i.e., gender and teachers/teaching, including studies that look at this topic through a gender lens) will assist you greatly with this.

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