Exploring the Relationship Between Teachers’ Use of Technology During the Covid-19 Pandemic in India and Their Perspectives on Students’ Motivation to Learn

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a wealth of research emerged to quantify student learning and the accessibility of technology for learners. However, existing evidence highlights that access to technology did not equate to learning, yet few studies have investigated the underlying reasons behind this. As a correlating factor of learning achievement, this report investigates student motivation to learn, as perceived by teachers, and how this may have been influenced by their use of remote technologies during the pandemic. It elucidates the perspectives of teachers working remotely during the pandemic by presenting a secondary data analysis using the world’s largest teacher survey post-Covid-19 (the T4 teacher survey). It complements these findings with qualitative data gathered from eight teachers and education practitioners in India via an online focus group. Results from this study imply that teachers’ pedagogy was more important for student learning motivation than their use of technology and confirmed that more frequent interaction between teachers and students or parents can increase teacher perceptions of student learning motivation. Findings also suggest that student learning motivation may have significantly depended on the continued development of academic and socio-emotional skills. These findings have practical implications for improving remote learning and blended learning environments and for addressing the salient issue of rote learning in India. Keywords: student motivation, technology, learning loss, Covid-19, digital pedagogy, self-determination theory An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

DOI: 10.53832/edtechhub.0144 ZenodoArchiveID: 7373033 ZenodoArchiveConcept: 7373032