Qualitative research on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on education. 2

Qualitative research on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on education. 2

Introduction.

I used qualitative research since it is the primary mode of gathering data on a research
topic. I found out that it was well suited to gather information from respondents already on the
ground that are being affected by the topic or are associated with the subject. It effectively
gathered information about their opinions, coping mechanisms, affects and structures in place to
address a situation. Research done on types of qualitative research designs identifies four broad
categories relating to qualitative research design (Gorecki et al., 2010). Ethnography revolves
around the researcher taking the role of the subject in the ground. It is used mostly to study
modes of living of a particular group or community. Ground theory seeks data from previous
research done on the topic to draw conclusive results from the data. Phenomenology studies new
and natural phenomena as it happens and its causative affects. A case study researches the topic
as a whole including a mix of approaches to gather information and analyze it to form conclusive
results. Of these types only two were suited since the pandemic was quite recent and the only
data that could be collected was exploratory in nature. Hence ground theory and phenomenology
studies were sufficient in gathering data about the topic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic there been a conclusive study done on the general
effects of COVID-19 on education sector and there is little research done on how different
schools have adopted their programmes to continue in the midst of this crisis. It was therefore
my aim to use articles written using the two types of qualitative research designs to gather
information about the topic. My objective was to find areas where they excelled in and some of
their shortcoming. By the end of the essay I will be able to show how the education system was
affected by the pandemic and some of the methods used to ensure that education curriculum
resumed across most of the learning facilities in the country.

Running Head: Qualitative research on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on education. 3

Literature review.

According to UNESCO most of the governments across the world have implemented a
closure order on all schools and learning institutions in their jurisdiction to help stop the spread
the highly infectious corona virus. This closure has affected over 143 countries and over 60% of
the student population seized learning. This includes 1.1 billion students from the primary
education, secondary education all through to tertiary institutions (UNESCO, 2020). Previous
research that has been done on the closure or interruption of school suggests that scoring will be
higher if the curriculum is extended by even one week. The standard deviation is seen to be
about 10% in all subjects (Lavy, 2015). Research also predicted that students will not be allowed
to just play during the closure period. It suggests that they will be home schooled by their parents
relying on online materials to facilitate learning (Bjorklund & Salvanes, 2011). When it comes to
assessment schools are experimenting with blended learning to ensure the continuation of
studies. However the main challenge is infrastructure especially in internet services and it
resources (universityworldnews, 2020). Schools have developed quality assurance rubrics as a
guide in blended learning and institutional quality assurance review tools for these new systems
(Aborode et al., 2020).
The main disadvantage of this research is that it lacks empirical data to support its results.
It only reflects a collection of data from the field therefore requiring more quantitative research
to support its findings.

Conclusion

From what I learned is that preliminary research is primarily done using qualitative
research. In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic ground theory and phenomology designs were

Running Head: Qualitative research on the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on education. 4

the most applicable to be used. The effects of the pandemic on the educational sector were that
schools closed in most countries and that the scores of coming tests will be skewed by a standard
deviation of 10%. Students have adjusted by home schooling whereas schools are resulting to
blended learning. Some difficulty being faced is the lack of IT infrastructure and computers for
students use. The main disadvantage of these designs is they lack empirical data to support the
results of their study.