Keywords

Introduction

In March 2020, World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. This immediately necessitated the closure of many sectors of the world economies, education included. Subsequently, with institutions of learning included in the lock down, continuity had to be ensured through the adoption of new ways of teaching and learning. The only way to ensure social distancing was through asynchronous modes of teaching and learning. Therefore many countries shifted to online learning (e-learning) whose critical role in ensuring the achievement of the set educational objectives and accessibility to higher education cannot be overemphasized (Alsabswy et al., 2013). Docimini and Palumbo (2013) observed that e-learning enhances the quality of knowledge acquisition and transfer because of its dynamism and immediate learning environment that it offers learners. Almahasees et al. (2021) affirm its usefulness particularly during COVID-19, citing its convenience, self-learning, low costs and suppleness.

Despite the importance, most countries especially the developing ones have been struggling with the intention to implement e-learning in institutions of higher education even before the pandemic. These experienced delays in the implementation of e-learning according to Kibuku et al. (2020) are owed to varied challenges. In Jordan, Almahasees et al. (2021) explain that it requires adaptation, reduces faculty-student physical contact, motivation, and data privacy together with technical and internet concerns which they observe affect its efficacy compared to in-person teaching and learning. Further, initiatives and projects by organizations such as African Development Bank to support its implementation have lagged behind in realizing their objectives (Borstorff & Keith, 2007). With the emergence of COVID-19, irrespective of the level of technology coupled with the adoption of social distancing and isolation as containment measures, e-learning was embraced in most of the affected countries of the world to ensure continuity in the education sector (Cantelmi & Lambiase, 2020 as cited in Truzoli et al., 2021). Most authors therefore refer to online learning as a result of COVID-19 as “emergency remote teaching” (Truzoli et al., 2021, p. 948) since it may not have followed the proper planning and design of e-learning instructional programmes. The fear and uncertainty that accompanied the pandemic and subsequent behaviour of social distancing and isolation impacted on people’s physical and psychological heath. Consequently, while health professionals and countries were struggling to contain the virus, individuals were wrestling with mental challenges such as depression, anxiety and distress reactions such as anger, insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder (Truzoli et al., 2021).

The abrupt shift from the traditional in-person to online mode of teaching and learning was received differently by faculty in various world universities. This period was marked with psychological distress. For instance Moccia et al. (2020) reported 19.4% mild distress and 18.6% with moderate to severe distress in the general Italian population. Therefore surviving such a period was highly dependent on the individual’s characteristics and background. In Germany Daumiller et al. (2021) reported heightened stress due to the difficulty experienced by faculty as a result of the negative perception held by some of them. They noted that those faculty who viewed the shift as positive were able to cope and positively facilitate online learning activities. On the other hand, Truzoli et al. (2021) reported the existence of low level of satisfaction for online teaching attributed to unavailability of facilities, internet usage and network, planning and evaluation of learning among other barriers. This is consistent with the results of the experimental study carried out among Yemeni Universities’ English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course which revealed feelings of inadequacy among the teacher trainees after going through Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) which they felt left them incompetent and ill prepared to deliver technology-related courses (Alotumi, 2020a, 2020b). In China Su and Guo (2021) revealed positive effect in system quality, course design, learner-learner interaction, learner-content interaction, and self-discipline, on learning outcomes and satisfaction with online curricula during the COVID-19 epidemic. Importantly the strongest effect on learning outcomes and satisfaction with online curricula during the COVID-19 epidemic was established as Learner-content interaction. Teng (2023) reiterated that students’ satisfaction was significant for the realization of effective online education practices and promotion of the development of sustainable online courses. This is consistent with Budu et al. (2018) emphasis on the critical role played by the students’ in the implementation of e-learning where acceptability was envisaged as paramount to behaviour intention.

In Africa, Ssekakubo et al. (2011) attributed reduced success among the users to high levels of ICT illiteracy, discomfort experienced with the use of technology coupled with usability issues. With the abrupt onset of COVID-19 most Higher Institutions of Learning (HEI) in Africa were ill prepared for e-learning. Bekele (2021) categorized the HEI into three depending on their preparedness for e-learning as mitigation for the COVID-19. The first category comprised the Transformationalists, who generally had Learning Management Systems (LMS), used interactive or online pedagogy, their students and faculty had access to the computers, internet connectivity and supporting infrastructure. These constituted 29% of the African universities such as Ghana University, American University of Cairo and Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane just to mention a few. In the second category, the Late Experimenters are found those who had started developing some sort of technological solutions however had insufficient institutional readiness, expertise and capacity to shift to online teaching and learning. They thus used the available resources to temporarily manage the crisis in the hope that after the scourge they would revert to the traditional mode of teaching. Majority of such institutions were not very successful since they also experienced challenges with insufficient infrastructure, technological skills and pedagogy affecting both faculty and students. Some of the common practices in this category included the use of Moodle and Google meet for the LMS that for instance was employed by the Kenyan and Namibian Universities particularly with campuses in the cities. South Africa on the other hand had challenges with appropriateness of pedagogy. In Uganda for instance, Makerere University had to partner with Television Networks to help offer free platforms for lesson transmission. The last category, The Laggards were those who were completely unable to involve in online or remote teaching and learning since they could not afford and never had any signs of readiness. Students in such HEI were thus left behind (Bekele, 2021).

Comparatively, Europe was better prepared for online learning during the pandemic since before that 85% of the institutions had established educational materials’ repository and support units for digital teaching and learning (Koninckx et al., 2021, May 19). Given the varied experience with the pandemic this chapter therefore explores protective factors for adjustment to online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic.

Social Justice in Education

According to Bell (1997), education for social justice is characterized as both a process and a goal” with the ultimate aim being full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs. Moreover, Hackman (2005) argues that social justice education encourages students to take an active role in their own education and supports teachers in creating empowering, democratic, and critical educational environments. In another view, Murrell (2006) argues that social justice is a disposition towards recognizing and eradicating all forms of oppression and differential treatment extant in the practices and policies of institutions, as well as a fealty to participatory democracy as the means of this action. In this vein, Rizvi (1998) identifies three broad philosophical traditions for thinking about social justice: liberal individualism, market individualism and social democratic. Bettez (2008), in a discussion of university teaching, outlines seven skills, and dispositions of activist social justice education. These include: “(1) promoting a mind/body connection, (2) conducting artful facilitation that promotes critical thinking, (3) engaging in explicit discussions of power, privilege, and oppression, (4) maintaining compassion for students, (5) believing that change towards social justice is possible, (6) exercising self-care, and (7) building critical communities” (p. 276). Hooks (1994) reiterate that itis crucial that critical thinkers who want to change outreaching practices talk to one another and collaborate in a discussion that crosses boundaries and creates a space for intervention” (p. 129). Therefore, by adopting a social justice perspective, it is expected that characterizing diverse strands can help the academic staff and students at universities to better build bridges across various positions and create openings for more sustained dialogue among educators who share similar, and often overlapping, goals.

Protective Factors for Adjustment to Online Teaching During COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 epidemic has spread fast and without discrimination throughout the world. Governmental measures to stop the virus’s spread have resulted in widespread social isolation, which has serious effects on mental health (Chen & Bonanno, 2020). Although these limitations have shown to be unpleasant for people of all ages, teenagers may find them especially tough because, at this time of development, they greatly rely on their peer relationships for emotional support and social development (Gualano et al., 2020).

While it may take several years and studies to completely grasp the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous research consistently links the pandemic to mental health. There are certain COVID-19-related elements (such as governmental regulations, media coverage) that are important to note since they may affect these relationships. Adult research conducted in the past regularly shows that COVID-19 has a negative effect on people’s mental health. For instance, a study done in China during the early phases of the crisis with 1210 participants indicated that more over half (53.8%) of the participants judged the COVID-19 pandemic’s detrimental effects on their psychological health as moderate to severe (Fathayatih et al., 2023). According to a second study conducted in China, COVID-19-related increases in generalized anxiety were more apparent in younger (35 years) individuals than in older age groups. Over a third (38.9%) of healthcare workers reported having trouble sleeping, and nearly a quarter (23.2%) and 22.8%, respectively, showed higher COVID-19-related symptoms of anxiety and depression (Gualano et al., 2020).

The Covid-19 pandemic has been identified by the World Health Organisation as a current hazard to humanity. As a result of the pandemic’s successful global shutdown of a number of activities, including educational activities, colleges have migrated dramatically as a crisis response, with online learning acting as the educational platform. Teachers now have to deal with new stressors brought on the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers during the pandemic are also dealing with the strains of the pandemic itself, from health concerns, changes due to working from home, and managing relationships with students (such as the maintenance of a positive student–teacher relationship that is so challenging online). These strains are in addition to pre-pandemic stressors such as excessive administrative obligations, strained relationships with colleagues and school leaders, and emotional labour (Yang et al., 2021). Teachers have moved their classes online as the epidemic spread over the world in the first half of 2020, despite the challenges of teaching online. While some teachers have lamented the change, others have risen to the occasion and embraced it (Yang et al., 2021).

Protective factors are those that make negative things less likely to happen or lessen the effects of risk factors. Protective factors might be thought of being positive countering circumstances. Certain risk and protective factors remain constant over time. Strengths and resources known as protective factors enable individuals to achieve despite risk factors like poverty or incompetency (Bao, 2020).

The thematic review of literature presents the themes that were discussed in this chapter, which are as follows:

  • Social and emotional competence

Researchers and educators from all over the world are working hard to develop more advanced learning techniques based on the current situation. Geographically dispersed students can now receive an education from educational institutions thanks to the increasing growth of the Internet, use, and accessibility of platforms (Dube, 2020). We are not unfamiliar with online education, distance learning, or remote learning. The only difference is that now, because of social exclusion and the nationwide lockdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, education is no longer available from any source (Dube, 2020). A disruptive social life and studying in isolation have made it hard for children and educators due to tight isolation protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have forced them to stay at home. Both teachers and students are missing out on group classroom activities, which are the very foundation of group learning. Students and teachers have reported feeling stressed as a result of all this. We are all attempting to counteract the negative effects of low physical activity and spending all of our time at home by engaging in a variety of other activities to manage this condition (Bao, 2020).

The study of emotional competence is becoming more popular in the fields of business, psychology, and education. The idea is based on the knowledge of one’s own emotions, aiding in the self-direction of emotional responses, labelling the experiences of various emotions, and assisting others in understanding and assisting others in channelling their emotions (Hadar et al., 2020). Additionally, it describes how to deal with emotional upheavals, develop strategies and abilities to prevent emotional exhaustion such as stress, emotional self-control, burnout and learn to avoid the negativity of emotions and handle egoism (Porat et al., 2020). Students were given a variety of exercises during their elementary school years that helped them comprehend and become aware of their own emotions, as well as real-world applications that helped them channel their emotions in more positive ways. Students are observed engaging in value-driven activities, demonstrating self-awareness, empathetic behaviour, and acting in an assertive and altruistic manner at work. Many academic activities, such as group projects, team activities, role plays, and so on, aid in the development of all these skills in addition to their academic success.

To properly manage emotional discomfort at this difficult stage, students need to have increased emotional competence (Brammer & Clark, 2020). This will help them be more robust to the challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic and do better academically. Students also require emotional competency to equip them for the fast-paced world, in addition to online learning readiness (computer skills or self-control in an online learning environment). The capacity to express, control, and comprehend emotions is referred to as emotional competence (Brammer & Clark, 2020). The emotional maturity of teenagers during the COVID-19 epidemic requires special consideration for two main reasons. First, emotional competence is formed through socialization during adolescence, which has been shown to have a significant impact on academic success and effective functioning in adulthood (Chen & Bonanno, 2020). Adolescents have been demonstrated to be less aware and less accepting of their own emotions as a result of the inescapable social isolation brought on by COVID-19 as well as to have a harder time controlling their emotions (Bao, 2020). Indeed, a number of early studies on COVID-19’s immediate effects noted a rise in mental health concerns in teenagers and young adults associated to low emotional competence (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020).

In both adolescent and young adult groups, having high emotional competence may help to improve academic achievement in addition to reducing mental health problems (Geary, Allen, Gamble & Pahlevansharif, 2023). Low emotional competence is associated with an increase in mental health issues, which interfere with academic performance (Gualano et al., 2020). Adolescents had a harder time controlling their emotions as a result of changes in their social relationships also, they experienced higher levels of emotional discomfort as a result of COVID-19-related problems (Clinton, 2020). COVID-19 intensified this linkage. Recent studies have found that students who are better at perceiving and controlling their emotions are more prepared for online learning and are less susceptible to online distractions (Crawford, 2020). As a result, they are more likely to perform better academically in an online learning environment (Geary et al., 2023).

The awareness of higher education as a very stressful time appears widely in the discourse of teacher education, as do social and emotional abilities (Ye et al., 2021). This has given rise to the concept that universities should help students build their social and emotional skills to improve their capacity to handle stress (Wang et al., 2020). As a way to lessen teacher stress and improve their coping mechanisms, some research has shown the value of interventions centred on social and emotional learning and mindfulness (Dede & Richards, 2020). Given the expectation that teachers will serve as role models for future generations of citizens, such research has prompted academic authorities in education faculties to implement action plans to ensure that social and emotional competencies have also been stressed in the domain of teacher education (Small, 2020; Sokal et al., 2020). Recent reviews revealed that social and emotional skills for teachers did not appear to be given significant priority throughout teacher preparation. This agrees with Bell (1997) that the education for social justice is characterized as both a process and a goal” with the ultimate aim being full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs.

  • Concrete support in terms of need

The epidemic has altered how individuals acquire and deliver education, claims the World Economic Forum (Rapanta et al., 2020). Traditional classroom interactions between students and teachers have been supplanted by digital learning platforms, such as online learning and virtual education systems, which lack face-to-face interaction (Hodges & Fowler, 2020). Thus, online education has become a practical choice for education from preschool to university level, and governments have supported online teaching and training through the use of tools like radio, television, and social media (Lee et al., 2021). Government and business organizations as well as other parties have worked together to give teachers the tools and training, they need to instruct students effectively on digital platforms. In addition to being widely used to generate learning materials and deliver online classes, new digital learning platforms like Zoom, Google Classroom, Canvas, and Blackboard also enable teachers to design training and skill development programmes (Hofer et al., 2021). At first, many educators and learners were wary of online learning. However, institutions’ prolonged shutdown drove educational institutions to develop new ways to deliver instruction and compelled teachers to pick up new digital abilities. This has been tough for different people in varying degrees; for some, it has resulted in tears, and for some, it is a cup of tea (Hofer et al., 2021).

Enabling students’ cognitive activation has created a substantial issue in the use of distance modes of teaching and learning, and teachers have reported finding it challenging to use online teaching as a daily way of communication. Concerns regarding conducting exams with little student contact have also been voiced by teachers (Garbe et al., 2020). An unsatisfactory level of teacher-student interaction has been caused by the lack of smart devices and unstable internet connectivity. Some lecturers have depended on pre-recorded films out of a need to choose the right tools and medium to reach their students, which further discourages interaction. Teachers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities (semi-urban areas) have had to pay more to ensure access to high-speed internet, digital gadgets, and dependable power sources in locations where the majority of teaching is done online (Selvaraj et al., 2021). Particularly in developing countries, teachers lack enough training and access to reliable energy and internet services, which contributes to their extreme digital illiteracy. Access to smart devices, the internet, and technology is restricted and patchy in rural or isolated places (Selvaraj et al., 2021). Even teachers who are familiar with the necessary technology are not always equipped with the pedagogical skills to satisfy the needs of online education in some urban areas. The lack of training, combined with regional issues (such as stakeholders’ socioeconomic standing and infrastructure), makes it challenging to successfully deliver digital education (Paulson & McCormick, 2020). The disparity in digital education between schools in country such as India is startling. For instance, just 32.5% of schoolchildren have access to online courses. In both private and public schools, only 11% of students have access to online courses, and more than half can only access videos or other recorded content. In the event of pandemic-related restrictions, only 8.1% of students in government schools have access to online classes (Paulson & McCormick, 2020).

However, systematic instructional design processes and team-based assistance for course development and preparation were not accessible during the quick uptake of online teaching in response to COVID-19. Instead, individual academics were required to teach online on their own with little help and direction from their university, which made the task even more challenging since they were working remotely from home. Some academics have conceptually distinguished between the two and called the latter “remote teaching” due to the significant differences between the standard pedagogical approach to online instruction and that required by COVID-19 (Lowenthal et al., 2020). Distance learning is only capable of imparting knowledge through lectures, with no emphasis on learner-centred activities or peer-to-peer interactions. However, as online teaching progressed during the pandemic era, most institutions of higher learning were able to provide concrete support for online teaching’s effectiveness. Similarly, this assertion agrees with Hackman (2005) that social justice education encourages students to take an active role in their own education and supports teachers in creating empowering, democratic, and critical educational environments.

  • Resilience

The impact of pandemic on education has resulted in a change to online instruction, with a focus on teachers’ attitudes about the significance of technology as a consideration while their feelings are assessed. However, research on how to quickly make these unanticipated transitions as well as the potential effects of the decisions made by institutions and instructors regarding the use of different educational strategies or technologies supports, suggests that (or at least intended before COVID-19) foraying into uncharted waters (Crompton et al., 2023). The epidemic has altered educational practises in ways that were never fully acknowledged in our lifetime. In a time of uncertainty for the success implementation of online teaching, teachers were required to drastically modify their methods. Teachers maintained consistent behavioural attitudes in which they continued to support online teaching to the best of their abilities despite further more unfavourable thoughts and sentiments surrounding the lack of face-to-face instruction (Corbera et al., 2020).

Understanding resilience demonstrates how crucial it has proven to be for the educational environment, particularly online teaching environment. Retaining qualified, professional teachers while being aware of how difficult the processes and circumstances that contribute to teacher resilience are (Cifuentes-Faura et al., 2021). Small (2020) contends that a “two-pronged” strategy is required. The first step is to equip teachers with the skills they need to deal with the pressures of choosing a demanding profession, as well as to train them in conservation. Second, in an effort to lessen the existing workload strain and stress, it is better to address common variables that boost employment and extend to teacher weakness by engaging in expert consulting through each of its channels.

Teachers’ resilience has been characterized as a quality that enables them to remain interested in their work or as a process of gradual growth that includes the capacity to adjust to various situations and to strengthen a person’s ability to deal with adverse conditions (Almazova et al., 2020). They suggest that resilience is related to emotional regulation and effective social interaction, and involves a mode of interaction with environmental events that are triggered and nurtured during times of stress. The main strategies used by individuals when they encounter damaging situations or the ability to the individual weaknesses and stressors of the environment (Hardar, 2020). Resilience is demonstrated by how people react to difficult situations, and research has shown that this trait is a personal strength. People’s reactions to difficult situations also demonstrate the convincing threats to their occurrence and the variety of difficulties that resilient teachers can successfully overcome. The environment protects factors to support the measure of the teacher’s resilience measures the same vital side to connect its growth, and only as resistance analysis acknowledges the role that competes with the factors safeguarding the individual.

According to (Hedding et al., 2020), there is a resilience brought on by a number of challenges. These challenges come in the form of failed classes, student disinterest, inadequate teacher instruction, and a complete lack of contact between the teacher and the students as well as among the students themselves. As a result, teachers must be able to put together effective instructional materials that students can understand (Govindarajan & Srivastava, 2020). Teachers must be knowledgeable and competent, as well as persistently work to overcome challenges, and they must be well-prepared for both their lessons and the creation of instructional materials. For both students and teachers, online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 epidemic is a challenging experience that cannot be avoided. Negative aspects of online learning can be reduced so that personal resilience can be created. This resilience is highly helpful as a safety net for coping with challenging circumstances that cannot be avoided. Resilience is the capacity to confront and get through any challenges that arise during online teaching and learning. When faced with challenges in teaching and learning, students that are resilient will not give up quickly (Govindarajan & Srivastava, 2020). Being resilient is a valuable quality. This is produced by determination, which is the result of effort and enthusiasm (Maphalala & Adigun, 2021). And there is a tonne of proof of this kind of resiliency among organizations as well as among individuals enrolled in open universities around the world who are studying part-time and via remote learning. In agreement, Murrell (2006) argues that social justice is a disposition towards recognizing and eradicating all forms of oppression and differential treatment extant in the practices and policies of institutions, as well as a fealty to participatory democracy as the means of this action.

  • Online teaching self-efficacy

According to Yang et al. (2021), educators who feel more connected to their peers may have higher levels of self-efficacy due to their emotional wellness, as well as more opportunities for participation in social persuasion and vicarious experiences. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, research revealed a beneficial relationship between teachers’ perception of school connectivity and their ability to teach (Yang et al., 2021). According to research, school connectivity has a positive effect on teachers’ self-efficacy in both face-to-face and online learning settings. Researchers have used self-efficacy assessments in the past in a variety of academic and technological courses and found that they had a favourable impact on students’ achievement and perseverance in particular activities (Maphalala & Adigun, 2021). According to a report by Yang et al. (2021), online teaching and learning have practical implications as an addition to improving learning and having the ability to reach a wide range of students.

Online education goes beyond simply having a space or a computer to teach. More crucially, it calls for specialized abilities as well as self-efficacy in online teaching. The significance of motivation in the online teaching and learning environment has been acknowledged in numerous research (Zimmerman, 2020). The fact that numerous notions have been utilized, some of which have similarities to self-directed teaching and learning and motivation, presents a problem for the study of online teaching preparedness specifically during COVID-19 pandemic (Bao, 2020; Zimmerman, 2020). The current study concentrated on online teaching readiness literature: computer and online self-efficacy in an effort to identify online learning ready from self-directed learning and motivation.

According to studies, a student’s online academic achievement is related to their preparation for online teaching and learning. Teachers’ comfort with using computers and the Internet is referred to as their internet self-efficacy (Zimmerman, 2020). Online problem-solving is made possible, technology-related stress is reduced, and online teaching competence is improved by having confidence utilizing Microsoft Office software or conducting Internet research (Fathayatih et al., 2023). Students’ tenacity to online self-efficacy is demonstrated by their capacity to focus on online courses and tasks while avoiding distractions from social media (such as Facebook or Instagram) and video games (Ye et al., 2021). The readiness and confidence in online interactions with peers and students to expand comprehension, which helps their learning outcomes and learning satisfaction, are all indicators of online self-efficacy (Vansteenkiste et al, 2020). Students are helped in the transition to the online learning environment by having self-efficacy with computers and the Internet, self-control in online settings, and online communication (Wu & Gao, 2020). These three elements collectively influence how well students achieve in online learning. In agreement, Hooks (1994) reiterate that it is crucial that critical thinkers who want to change outreaching practices talk to one another and collaborate in a discussion that crosses boundaries and creates a space for intervention.

Social Connectedness

Social connection is the perception of having trustworthy relationships and being cared for by people among the community. In addition to being associated with keeping online students enrolled in their courses, social connection and learning communities have also been shown to differ significantly across face-to-face and online learners (Porat et al., 2020). To shed light on the elements that enhance student experience and keep students enrolled in online courses of study, more research in this area is required. Since online courses require more autonomous learning and less one-on-one interaction with instructors than face-to-face courses do, maintaining social connections might be difficult (Paulson & McCormick, 2020). Students might be more inclined to adopt a somewhat anonymous persona and engage in more cursory social interactions (Neuwirth et al., 2021). Because of their anonymity, students may have less meaningful interactions with teachers and their peers, which may affect their sense of belonging (Neuwirth et al., 2021). Online students frequently rely on their lecturers to provide forums for social interaction and places where they can feel connected and supported (Neuwirth et al., 2021).

Building learning groups might be difficult when learning online. Lyons et al. (2020) discovered learning community variables, such as clear communication, high-quality instructional feedback, and high support to encourage teaching and learning, that had an impact on retention rates for online learning compared to face-to-face learning. A well-structured course with instructor comments and clear expectations is more important for student happiness but it is not as important as their social presence in the online classroom. These results corroborated those of Motala and Menon (2020), who stated that timely feedback, unambiguous expectations, and individualized contact from the teacher all contributed to student happiness. All kinds of things go into creating a learning community. The satisfaction of psychological demands and online course satisfaction have only been briefly studied (Hodges et al., 2020). According to Chen et al. (2020), among online students, affiliation, which was assessed using a feeling of community measure, was the best predictor of course satisfaction. Additionally, strong determinants of course satisfaction were autonomy and aptitude. It should be mentioned that the study did not use particular need satisfaction measures to determine how autonomous and capable participants were. Likewise, Li and Lalani (2020) argue that research, satisfaction with autonomy, competence, and relatedness independently predicted favourable course ratings in both face-to-face and online learning environments. Competence was the best predictor of learning outcomes for both online and in-person settings.

Online instruction has received lower ratings for social connectedness and learning community, need satisfaction, and online course satisfaction compared to face-to-face teaching and learning (Fauzi & Khusuma, 2020). There has not yet been much research done on how online learning affects students’ outcomes in terms of their sense of social connectedness and satisfaction of their own needs (Fauzi & Khusuma, 2020). In face-to-face settings, there has been substantial research on the importance of community and social relationships, but not in online teaching and learning environments. During the COVID-19 lockdown, social connectedness significantly attenuated fluctuations in anxiety, life satisfaction, and depression symptoms. In comparison to individuals who felt socially isolated during the lockdown, those who perceived high levels of social connection during COVID-19 reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms, less anxiety, and much higher levels of life satisfaction (Crawford, 2020).

Changes in educational platforms brought about by COVID-19 made learning more difficult, particularly for adolescents. Peer impacts grow during adolescence (Clinton, 2020). These students have a heightened craving for social engagement and are more sensitive to social isolation as a result of the significant changes in the “social brain” of teenagers (Clinton, 2020). Adolescents’ learning experiences must include social interactions with teachers, peers, and others (Bao, 2020). Without the motivation of face-to-face interactions with instructors and peers, students find it difficult to be cognitively engaged in class (Almazova et al., 2020). Additionally, the new platform presents knowledge in a whole different manner in a completely different setting (school as opposed to home), necessitating that kids use technology and interact successfully online while avoiding distractions in the new setting (Bayrakdar & Guveli, 2020). In summary, without any social contacts during the pandemic, teaching and learning effectively online was incredibly difficult. In agreement, Bettez (2008) argues that the dispositions of activist social justice education include promoting a mind/body connection, conducting artful facilitation that promotes critical thinking, and finally, building critical communities.

Conclusion & Recommendation

This chapter concludes that in spite of the numerous challenges faced in adjustment to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several protective factors which enhanced shift to online mode of learning among academic staff and students in universities. The chapter argues that one of the major protective factors for adjustment includes social and emotional skills for teachers which eased shift to the online learning mode. Secondly, there was concrete support in terms of need which included new digital learning platforms like Zoom, Google Classroom, Canvas, and Blackboard also enable teachers to design training and skill development programmes. Thirdly, the academic staff at universities demonstrated resilience, which demonstrates how crucial it has proven to be for the educational environment, particularly online teaching environment. This resilience is highly helpful as a safety net for coping with challenging circumstances that cannot be avoided. Moreover, literature indicates that online teaching self-efficacy is another major protective factor which enhanced adjustment to online teaching and learning at universities. Thus, students’ tenacity to online self-efficacy is demonstrated by their capacity to focus on online courses and tasks while avoiding distractions from social media and video games. Finally, literature indicates that there is social connectedness among staff and students at universities and this significantly attenuated fluctuation in anxiety, life satisfaction, and depression symptoms.

Thus, from the social justice education perspective, this would encourage students to take an active role in their own education and supports teachers in creating empowering, democratic, and critical educational environments. Moreover, to adequately adjust to the online teaching at universities, adopting the social justice perspective assists in promoting a mind/body connection, conducting artful facilitation that promotes critical thinking, engaging in explicit discussions of power, privilege, and oppression, maintaining compassion for students, believing that change towards social justice is possible, and building critical communities. On the basis of the findings from literature review, the chapter recommends that Universities should provide social support mechanisms to enhance social justice for staff and students in readiness for pandemics. Moreover, Universities should train staff and students on intrinsic support mechanisms to enhance their resilience to stressful experiences due to pandemics.