English and Reading Teachers' Pedagogical Successes and Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This qualitative descriptive case study examines the pedagogical teaching and instructional practices of fifth, sixth and eighth grade Texas public school English/reading teachers. This study shares the description of each teachers' English and Reading pedagogy, instructional practices, and their successes and/or challenges prior to and during the pandemic. The participants of the study were from two different school districts in Texas. The study utilized surveys and semi-structured interviews as sources of data that revealed reading pedagogy and a self-assessment of reading pedagogy practices prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three conclusive themes emerged after analysis of the data: importance of social emotional wellness of students, teaching and learning became a one size fits all approach, and varied levels of student engagement. Recommendations from this study for educational practitioners include a need to value the importance of the teacher-student relationship and the powerful role it plays in each student's emotional wellness and learning. Practitioners will need to reflect on what the COVID-19 pandemic taught the educational system about digital platforms and learning. Practitioners in the field should consider how the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will impact instructional design, teaching, content pedagogy, student academic gaps and academic progress or lack thereof for years to come. Implications for future research include more descriptive reading pedagogy studies that replicate this study and are inclusive of a larger sampling population of teachers, inclusive of students' and parents' experiences throughout more districts in the state of Texas post the COVID-19 pandemic.