Teacher-Student Positioning and the Emerging Moral Order in the Shift to Online Education during the Pandemic

Teacher-Student Positioning and the Emerging Moral Order in the Shift to Online Education during the Pandemic

by Norman S. Tanchingco, PhD in Psychology candidate

Abstract:

The transition to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic changed the moral order in teacher-student relationships. Employing Slocum-Bradley’s (2010) positioning theory diamond, this two-year study aims to understand this shifting rights and duties. Focus group discussions were conducted among university students and teachers in the first and second years of the pandemic. Results showed that teachers and students demonstrated mutuality of compassion for the shared pandemic experience. However, while conventional classroom pedagogy and teacher-student roles served as reference points, conflicts arose in mismatched expectations in adapting to online education. In examining rights and duties, positioning provides an opportunity to redefine the teacher-student relationship, and, for academic institutions, to rethink an educational system that embraces the online pedagogy as mainstream, encourages participatory learning, and cultivates a culture of compassion. Understanding this emerging moral order can help education stakeholders manage relational and institutional changes for future learning environments.

 
9am Saturday, October 29, 2022 (Online)

Adviser: 

Mira Alexis P Ofreneo, PhD

Panelists:

Ma. Elizabeth J Macapagal, PhD

Mendiola T Calleja, PhD

Josephine P Perez, PhD

Marshaley J Baquiano, PhD

Keywords:   teacher-student relationship, positioning theory, moral order, online education, online learning, pandemic