Date of Award

Spring 5-6-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Laurie Hofman

Second Advisor

Dr. Kelly Brown

Third Advisor

Dr. Jonathan Pickering

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Scholarship of Discovery

Abstract

The Coronavirus-19 pandemic impacted society as well as multiple industries, including education. This qualitative research project aims to explore the perceptions of faculty in a small, Midwestern, private K-12 Christian school during the school shutdowns and subsequent remote learning time period from March 2020 to June 2020. Additionally, this research project aims to increase the awareness of the changing needs of students, educators, and families as well as facilitating the needed adjustments to trainings, planning, and resources for future remote learning sessions. The data for this case study was collected through semi-structured interviews at one school building with six faculty participants. In order to understand the impact of school closures on the analyzing and reporting of academic achievement, skill development, and social development, the remote learning setting was examined. Barriers to each impacted area were identified to have a direct correlation to accessibility of devices, connectivity to Internet, and personal connections. Other themes include outlying factors related to specific devices or applications as well as family support. These findings support previous studies indicating the need for specific plans and trainings to be developed for schools and teachers in order to foster education to best support students regardless of the location of the class.

Key Findings

This qualitative study found that remote learning had significant implications on the use of educational technology. The academic achievement and skill development of students were impacted, but the largest takeaway was the influence remote learning had on the social development of students. Overall, remote learning negatively impacted students in all three areas.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Professional Biography

Jessica Hollewell earned her B.A. in English and Communications with a concentration in Secondary Education from Ashford University. Along with that focus area, she also had endorsements in Middle School ELA and Social Studies as well as Special Education for mild to moderate disabilities (Instructional Strategist I). She then earned her M.A. in Instruction and Curriculum from Olivet Nazarene University followed by her Ed.D. in Ethical Leadership. Jessica has worked as an elementary, middle school, and high school teacher as well as a curriculum coordinator. Currently, Jessica is the administrator for a private Christian school.

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