Being a teacher in a time of pandemic

Abstract

[EN]This study was conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and, more specifically, withinthe research project ‘Teaching and Learning in Times of COVID-19: Teachers’ and Students’Perceptions in Cross-border Regions’. This study—conducted in Portugal—intended to diagnosethe perceptions of basic education teachers and students regarding distance learning (D@L),considering a wide range of variables. This study was developed based on a multi-perspectiveapproach, and data were collected via questionnaire surveys with open- and close-ended ques-tions. In this study, we only intend to understand teachers’ perceptions and, more specifically,issues pertaining to teaching professionalism. The results reflect teachers’ perceptions of thetransformations and challenges of D@L, the affirmation and recognition, and the ethical anddeontological issues associated with the teaching profession following the educational changesimposed by the pandemic. More concretely, they suggest that D@L was accompanied by trans-formations or challenges that led to the reconfiguration of teaching and learning processes andcontributed to the professional development of the study participants. However, the responsetrends differed because D@L has enabled the affirmation and social recognition of the teachingprofession and raises ethical and deontological questions regarding the participants’professionalism.