Consequences of COVID19 in education: levels of mental load of teachers in the development of emergency remote teaching

Keywords: higher education, teacher training, educational technology, mental stress

Abstract

The closure of all educational centers due to COVID-19 has meant the re-adaptation of the teaching-learning process to a new context of Remote Emergency Education (REE). As a result, teachers have had to respond to the many difficulties that this situation has caused for students and their families. In this study, the objective is to analyze how this new way of teaching has affected their level of mental workload, that is, their capacity to efficiently face the demands imposed by REE with respect to normal conditions. 4,589 teachers from the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, from all educational stages, participate in the research. From the results, it can be seen that the teaching staff has presented an overload and mental fatigue during confinement which has generated, above all, frustration and anxiety. The complexity of the situation has led to difficulties in managing time, mental over-exertion in responding to demands and a decrease in perceived performance. In addition, the mental overload of women has been greater than that of men, as well as that of older teachers. Understanding mental fatigue as an occupational risk factor, these results highlight the need to take measures to prevent teachers' mental overload or fatigue in future exceptional situations such as the emergency caused by COVID-19.

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Author Biographies

Naiara Bilbao Quintana, Universidad del País Vasco

Doctoral Degree in Education from the University of Deusto. Postgraduate in The competences in education: Teaching, Programming and Evaluation, from the Ramón Llull University. Master's degree in Teacher Training from the University of Deusto.

Associate Professor at the University of the Basque Country (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea), Faculty of Education of Bilbao. Department of Didactics and School Management. Member of the consolidated research group of the Basque Research System “Weblearner” (IT-863-13). Expert in curriculum development.

Her lines of research are: Curriculum Development, Teaching for Understanding, Visible Thinking, Teacher Training and Educational Technology.

Ainara Romero Andonegui, Universidad del País Vasco

Doctoral degree in Education. Expert in Educational Technology.

Associate Professor at the University of the Basque Country. Professor of the Official Master's Degree in Technology, Learning and Education. Member of the consolidated research group of the Basque Research System "Weblearner" (IT-863-13).

Research lines: TIC-TAC-TEP, educational technology, and teacher training.

Arantzazu López de la Serna, Universidad del País Vasco

Doctoral Degree in Education from the University of the Basque Country. Degree in Pedagogy from the University of Deusto. Certificate in Teaching from the University of Mondragón. Doctoral Degree in Technology, Learning and Education from the University of the Basque Country.

Associate Professor at the University of the Basque Country (Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea), Faculty of Education of Bilbao. Department of Didactics and School Management. She belongs to the consolidated research group of the Basque Government “Weblearner” (IT863-13).

Her preferred lines of research focus on Women and Technology, Pedagogy and Prevention in Virtual Contexts and Educational Innovation.

Urtza Garay Ruiz, Universidad del País Vasco

Urtza Garay Ruiz has a doctorate from the University of the Basque Country and a postgraduate degree in Plurilingual Education from the University of Barcelona. She is a professor and Director of Methodological Innovation at the University of the Basque Country-Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea.

She has participated in competitive research projects of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Basque Government and the UPV / EHU. She also coordinates and participates in Teaching Innovation Projects and she has published teaching material for Primary, Secondary and University Education.

Her lines of research are MOOC, PLE, RA, Educational Technology and Multilingual Education.

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Published
2023-10-02
How to Cite
Bilbao Quintana N., Romero Andonegui A., López de la Serna A. y Garay Ruiz U. (2023). Consequences of COVID19 in education: levels of mental load of teachers in the development of emergency remote teaching. Revista Complutense de Educación, 34(4), 869-879. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.80218
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Articles