Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Japan in early 2020, courses that were already prepared for face-to-face delivery from the start of the spring term in April suddenly needed to be delivered online via emergency remote teaching. In order to understand the challenges that university faculty faced and to find ways to improve upon the situation if this becomes the “new normal,” it is imperative to understand faculty satisfaction with online teaching and how these perceptions affect motivation and lifestyle. University faculty teaching English-language courses were recruited from several universities in Japan and asked to complete an online survey which consisted of demographics, questions related to online teacher satisfaction, teacher motivation, teacher lifestyle, and open-ended questions. Results indicated mixed feelings toward online education, negative evaluations of the lack of Japanese universities' preparedness for online long-distance learning, and concerns about the social and physical health of students and instructors.
TopIntroduction
In April 2020, the start of the academic year in Japan, the coronavirus suddenly disrupted the lives of university faculty. With very little warning, courses already prepared for face-to-face (F2F) delivery needed to be delivered online via emergency remote teaching (ERT). While ERT was not unique to Japan, the general lack of long-distance learning programs and low level of technology usage in the Japanese educational system (Aoki, 2010; Funamori, 2017; Latchem et al., 2008) led to a large digital gap among instructors. Although some teachers were already adept at using technology for education, many were forced not only to learn how to use these tools but also how to apply them effectively in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses. The situation was exacerbated by the often conflicting and confusing messages sent to teachers by university administrators, who were scrambling to set guidelines for the new online classes yet had little or no knowledge of online teacher training, online course design and management, and online teaching pedagogy.
In order to understand the challenges that university faculty in Japan faced in the spring term of 2020 and find ways to improve upon the situation if this becomes the “new normal,” it is imperative to understand faculty satisfaction with online teaching (Bolliger et al., 2014) and how these perceptions affect teacher motivation and lifestyle. To this end, the researchers conducted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research project (Creswell, 2003) at the conclusion of the spring 2020 semester in August. Instructors teaching English-language courses at universities across Japan were invited via posts in online language teaching and research groups to complete an online survey, which consisted of demographic variables, Likert scale variables about online teacher satisfaction, technostress, teacher lifestyle, and online teaching motivation, and open response questions. After completing the survey, study participants were given the opportunity to participate in the second stage of the study, a semi-structured interview conducted via Zoom at the end of the academic year in March 2021 (Apple & Mills, 2021). This chapter presents the quantitative results of the initial survey, which represents the first stage of the mixed methods project.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Embedded Design: A form of mixed-methods research in which both quantitative and qualitative forms of data collection are used in the same questionnaire or survey.
Teacher Lifestyle: The personal aspects of teachers’ lives outside of their jobs.
Technostress: Mental fatigue and strain brought about by the use of technology on a daily basis.
Learning Management System (LMS): A software application to facilitate the delivery of online courses. Common functions of this software are communication, material delivery, grading, and tracking.
Emergency Remote Teaching: A method of teaching delivery due to a sudden emergency, conducted entirely long-distance via postal service correspondence or the internet.
Institutional Support: Aid provided by the organization where a teacher works that can include, but is not limited to, training, technological help, additional compensation, and services that make it easier for the teacher to do an effective job.
Teacher Motivation: A desire to make decisions and take actions as a teacher moves through their training and careers.
Online Learning: A method of instruction facilitated by technology and the Internet where the student is not present in the physical classroom. Instruction can occur synchronously or asynchronously.
Teaching Satisfaction: Enjoyment and contentment derived from the practice of teaching.
Affordances: The perceived benefits of a particular technology.