School teachers’ perceived experience on emergency remote teaching learning (ERTL): Indian experience

Purpose Emergencies are becoming increasingly common, necessitating assessment of the “Emergency Education” policy. Wars, climate disasters, epidemics and pandemics have compelled the education system to adopt Emergency Remote Teaching Learning (ERTL). The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the quality of teaching and other relevant factors in ERTL. Design/methodology/approach A Web-based cross-sectional online survey (n = 445) was conducted to explore school teachers’ perceived experience regarding ERTL-related factors: quality of teaching, student engagement, student management in virtual classrooms and appropriateness of assessment. Respondent-driven convenience sampling was used. Findings Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (ρ) indicated a significant correlation between the quality of teaching and student engagement, student management and appropriateness of assessment in the ERTL process. Public or private institutions, as well as self-initiated or management-initiated ERTL, are strongly associated with the quality of teaching. The nature of management, teachers’ length of experience and their sexual identity emerged as influencers. Younger teachers exhibit a greater capacity for student management and adapting suitable assessment strategies. Research limitations/implications Consequently, the findings could prove invaluable in developing a policy framework for teachers’ CPD programme designed for ERTL to tackle future educational disruptions in future emergencies. Originality/value This empirical data-based research explored factors impacting the quality of ERTL in the Indian context. The methodology adopted is scientific, and appropriate statistical analysis of data has yielded insightful findings that may lead to the development of a pedagogical framework for ERTL.