Chu, Kit Yan; (2024) Exploring teachers' needs-supportive practices and self-efficacy to engage students in the online learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of two science teachers in an Australian university pathway provider. Doctoral thesis (Ed.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Australian university pathway programmes annually prepare many domestic and international students for higher education (HE) study. Highlighted by government reports and surveys, the pandemic exposed pathway students’ dissatisfaction with online learning. The high demand for pathways, the concerning disengagement found in online learning and the lack of research on pathway programmes highlight the need to investigate student engagement. The present case study employed qualitative research methodology to understand the strategies implemented by and self-efficacy development in two ‘expert’ science teachers in an Australian pathway provider. Both teacher participants were new to online teaching at the time when COVID began. Guided by self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2010), the study explored teachers’ use of needs-supportive strategies for online challenges: concentration, collaboration and independent learning. Using Bandura’s (1976) self-efficacy framework, the study also examined how science pathway teachers new to online teaching developed self-efficacy during the sudden shift from face-to-face to online teaching. Data were collected longitudinally over one semester through interviews, lesson observations and artefacts, then analysed thematically. The findings reveal five needs-supportive strategies pertaining to collaborative learning and four addressing sustaining concentration and independent learning. Notably, many strategies are competence- and autonomy-supportive, with minimal focus on building relatedness. The findings also confirmed that most strategies were adapted and modified from practice in the pre-Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) era, supporting the notion of ‘resilient’ pedagogy, which is adaptive, flexible and agile and would not crumble in the face of a change in modality when confronted by disruptions. The findings also identified the factors that could enhance teacher self-efficacy within mastery experience, vicarious experience and verbal persuasion. Importantly, the finding highlight that emotional states have a more immediate and direct effect on how teachers perceive each source (mastery experience, vicarious experience and verbal persuasion) while developing self-efficacy in online teaching. Overall, the study’s findings have empirical, theoretical and practical implications for online teaching. Keywords: Online learning, Teachers' needs-supportive practices, Self-efficacy, COVID-19 pandemic, Science education

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