Students engagement in remote‐learning during the Covid‐19 crisis: The role of the support provided to teachers and the parent–teacher relationship

Abstract

The global COVID‐19 pandemic has suddenly forced hundreds of millions of teachers to shift from in‐person to remote teaching. This abrupt change from classroom to home as the context for learning has required teachers to make substantial modifications and adjustments to engage their students in learning. This study was designed to explore what characterizes those teachers who better engage their students in learning. Based on the theoretical assumptions of Self Determination Theory (SDT), we asked whether teachers' experience of school as a need‐satisfying environment, their teaching style, efficacy, and their relations with the students' parents, impact students' engagement in remote learning. Three hundred and thirty‐six Israeli teachers completed self‐report questionnaires on need satisfaction, teaching efficacy, teaching style, parent–teacher relationship, and students' engagement during Israel's May 2020 school shutdown. The results showed that teachers' experience of need‐satisfaction emerged as a resource for teachers' efficacy, teaching style, and ability to create and maintain a positive relationship with parents. A positive relationship between parents and teachers, in turn, was associated with higher students' engagement in remote learning even when statistically controlling for socioeconomic status or grade level. These results highlight the critical role of the parent–teacher relationship in engaging students while learning remotely and suggest that the support provided to both teachers and parents can reduce disparities in students' engagement and promote engagement with learning under challenging contextual circumstances.