The Degree Management of Principals Schools of Northwestern Badia Brigade for Distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic

                                     كلية التربية

        كلية معتمدة من الهيئة القومية لضمان جودة التعليم

        إدارة: البحوث والنشر العلمي ( المجلة العلمية)

                       =======

The Degree Management of Principals Schools of Northwestern Badia Brigade for Distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic

By

Bayan  Thaher Al-Madi

Faculty Member, Department of Educational Administration                and Fundamentals, Faculty of educational science, Al al-Bayt University, Jordan.

almadibayan@yahoo.com

Najwa Darawsha

Faculty Member, Department of Educational   Administration and Fundamentals, Jadara   University, Jordan.

n.darawsha@jadara.edu.jo

Haifa  abdelhadi aldalabeeh,

Faculty Member, Department of Curricula and Instruction, Al al-Bayt University, Jordan

haifa@aabu.edu.jo

}     المجلد الثامن والثلاثون– العدد السابع– جزء ثاني- يوليو2022م {

http://www.aun.edu.eg/faculty_education/arabic

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the degree of management of school principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade for distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic , the study sample consisted of (786) male and female teachers, ,a questionnaire was constructed consisting of (30) items distributed on ( 3) Fields, and the results showed that the degree of Northwestern Badia Brigade schools for distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers' point of view was medium, also showed that there are no differences attributed to sex, while there are  differences attributed to experience and academic qualification.

Keywords: managing of distance learning, Corona pandemic, Northwestern Badia Brigade.

الملخص

هدفت الدراسة إلى التعرف على درجة إدارة مديري مدارس لواء البادية الشمالية الغربية للتعلم عن بعد في ظل انتشار جائحة كورونا ، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من (786) معلما ومعلمة ، وتم عمل استبانة مكونة من (30) فقرة. موزعة على (3) حقول ، وأظهرت النتائج أن درجة مدارس لواء شمال غرب البادية للتعلم عن بعد في ظل جائحة كورونا من وجهة نظر المعلمين كانت متوسطة ، كما أظهرت عدم وجود فروق تعزى للجنس ، بينما هناك فروق تعزى إلى الخبرة والمؤهلات الأكاديمية.

الكلمات المفتاحية: إدارة التعلم عن بعد ، جائحة كورونا ، لواء البادية الشمالية الغربية.
1. Introduction

Crisis management is an essential component of the life of individuals, institutions and states, It is the cornerstone of any educational institution  that cares for its individuals and employees and develops them the basic skills for crisis and emergency management. However, interest in it in the twenty-first century globally and locally has not risen to the required level of Skill and cognitive performance; Except after the spread of the Corona virus, Covid-19 that swept the world, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of the year 2019, and the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 classified it as a pandemic (BBC, 2020), and with the emergence of this epidemic, educational institutions began From countries to searching for alternative and non-traditional ways to face the growing demand for education, so the distance education system was the best of these options available to education systems, but school principals and teachers have become in a new administrative and educational situation in relation to their previous experiences that may be weak in this field And despite that, their response was great, so they worked hard and devised their own ways to communicate with their students remotely, but the previous weak experience of school principals affected the management of the educational process of distance learning. This is imperative for educational systems to empower and support school principals to improve distance learning management. Where the director of distance education faces some problems during his administration, such as: teachers ’lack of knowledge and understanding of how to deal with distance education technically and educationally, which requires their training, qualification and supervision, as well as the problem of choosing the most appropriate method for communicating information to the student at the lowest cost, and the problem of scheduling time to suit students and teachers (Malkawi, 2020), and in view of the importance of continuing the educational learning process, the distance education system in crises and emergencies needs to be conscious and distinguished management that meets certain conditions and is able to effectively and efficiently manage distance education for all members of the educational system. Managers, teachers, administrators, computer technicians and students, and this department has features and characteristics that distinguish it from other traditional departments, therefore, this current study came to stand on the effectiveness of distance learning management in light of the Corona pandemic, which is considered the most important component of the impact and still affects the educational learning process in this century Accordingly, attention must be paid to managing this crisis to mitigate its negative effects on school students globally, locally and in all aspects. In Jordan, students are now receiving education. Distance, for the first time in the history of Jordanian education; This led to confusion in the performance of some teachers for many reasons, as well as confusion in some administrators in the administration of distance learning, especially in remote areas such as the Northwestern Badia Brigade.

2. Research problem

 The Jordanian government announced the closure of all public and private schools and universities when the Corona pandemic began to spread globally; This is because the schools consist of large numbers of students and because the working hours are long, in spite of that the educational and learning process has continued without disruption, as the Ministry of Education and Higher Education adopted the distance education system as an emergency measure to address the Corona crisis (Covid-19), and accordingly the lessons were arranged within a specific weekly study schedule as He was in the school, where the student could keep a copy of the electronic lesson presented to him, as well as he could retrieve the lessons at any time he wanted, and all of this required a conscious management capable of planning, implementing, following up and evaluating the educational learning process remotely, and had solutions and proposals to address any problem facing this process , In order to reach the processes of teaching and learning to achieve the goals you aspire to. In Jordanian cities, students 'parents dealt with any weakness in distance education through direct private lessons in students' homes. However, in remote fiels such as the Northwest Badia Brigade, there are no distinguished teachers who offer private lessons such as they do to students in the city; Therefore, the student became a victim of the weakness of the distance education administration. Accordingly, attention must be paid to the administration of distance education in order for the student in the Badia to acquire his right to education, by making use of this type of education; Based on the above, the problem of the current study came to answer the following questions:

1. What is the degree to which the principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade Schools manage distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers' point of view?
2. Are there statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α = 0.05) between the means of the role of the school principals Northwestern Badia Brigade in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers' point of view attributable to gender, academic qualification, and experience?

3.The importance of study

1. Directing the attention of school principals to the importance of the distance education administration in teaching various subjects to school students in crisis and emergency situations.

2. Directing school principals to the difficulties they face in managing distance education in crisis and emergency situations, especially at the Northwestern Badia Brigade.

3. The study provides a measure of the degree of effectiveness of distance education management in light of the Corona pandemic, which can be used in other research and studies.

4. Definitions

Distance education administration: It is an administration that follows the same path as the traditional education administration, through a set of rules and decisions that regulate the work of the administrative body, and the difference between them is the existence of a distance between the teacher and the learner in distance education, and the focus on teaching lessons and tests remotely (Abdul Majeed, 1994).

  Corona pandemic: a sudden and rapid increase in the spread of the number of cases of Covid 19 disease in several countries, continents or worldwide (Malkawi, 2020).

5. The limits

The study was limited to:

- Principals of the Northwestern Badia Brigade Schools.

- The second semester of the academic year 2019/2020

- Using the questionnaire that was built for this study.

6. previous studies

study of   Habees (2015) conducted a study aimed at identifying the level of the Jordanian government school principals ’strategy in managing crises. A sample consisted of (200) public school principals. To collect study data, a questionnaire was constructed consisting of (59) items distributed over (5) The results showed an increase in school principals’ strategy in managing crises and disasters. The results also showed that there were no statistically significant differences in the strategy of secondary school principals in managing crises and disasters due to variables of gender, academic qualification and years of experience.

The study of  Khawaldeh (2015) aimed to know the reality of applying electronic management in private secondary schools in the governorate of the Jordanian capital, Amman, from the point of view of the managers themselves. The study sample consisting of (140) individuals was selected, and the study tool represented by the questionnaire was applied to them, as the results showed that the managers ’perceptions were high for the fields constituting the questionnaire .

Al-Diabat (2018) conducted a study aimed at identifying the role of information technology in improving the administrative performance of school in Ramtha district, and the study sample consisted of (70) directors and principals. The questionnaire was consisted of (53) items, the results of the study showed that the role of information technology in improving the administrative performance of the school principals of the Ramtha district came in a high degree, and the fields were ranked in descending order (student field, teacher field, community field the local, school environment field), where the student, teacher, and the local community scored high, while the school environment field came with a medium grade. The results also showed that there were no statistically significant differences due to the effect of gender, academic qualification, educational stage, and management experience on all fields.

The study of  Abdul-Bari and. Shatat (2019) aimed to know the role of high school principals in employing e-learning from the teachers ’point of view in the Jordanian capital city, Amman, where a questionnaire consisting of (36) items, while the study sample consisted of (586)teachers,  the results of the study showed that the role of employing high school principals was middle on the total score , and  there are statistically significant differences, according to the variables of sex, the supervisory authority, and the number of years of experience, in favor of females and schools. There were no statistically significant differences between the averages of high school principals' practice of their role. The study recommends providing the necessary moral and financial support to spread the culture of using information and communication technology in the school community.

We note through previous studies the similarities and differences in some variables and results with this study. Where its results were similar to the results of Abd al-Bari and Shatt (2019), which came in the degree of middle school principal's management, while it differed with the results of the study of  Habees (2015) and the study of Khawaldeh (2015) and Al-Diabat (2018) which all came with a high degree. With regard to the variables of academic qualification and experience, the result of this study, which found differences in favor of academic qualification and experience, differed with Habees (2015), and its result was similar to that of Abdul-Bari and. Shatat (2019), while its results were similar in the sex variable with the study of Diabetes (2018) The result was that there were no differences attributed to the sex variable, but it differed with the study of Al Habees (2015) and the study of Abdul-Bari and Shatt (2019) in the result of the same variable.

 This study distinguishes itself from the rest of the previous studies, as it is the only study that combined all these variables in the same study.

7. Methodology and procedures

7.1. Sample and population:

The study sample amounted to (786) male and female teachers in the Directorate of Education in the Northwestern Badia Brigade, from the study population which consisting of (2258) male and female teachers. Table 1 shows the distribution of the study sample according to the variables (gender, educational qualification, experience).

Table 1. Distribution of the study sample according to the variables (gender, educational qualification, experience).

Table 1. Distribution of the study sample according to the variables (gender, educational qualification, experience).

7.2. Questionnaire:

The questionnaire was based on interviews conducted with teachers, principals, students and parents, all related to the role of the school principal in managing the distance learning process in light of the Corona pandemic, in addition to relying on theoretical literature and previous studies in the management of e-learning; for the lack of literature and previous studies related to the topic directly, as the tool consisted of 30 items, and to ensure the stability of the tool, the study tool was distributed to an exploratory sample consisting of (50) teachers from outside the study sample twice with a time difference of (two weeks) and the Pearson correlation coefficient was extracted (Pearson Correlation) between their bikes in all fields of the tool both times, as all the correlation coefficients between the two applications for the tool and tool fields as a whole were statistically significant values ​​and this indicates the stability of the application for the study, and the Chronbach Alpha equation was applied to the first application of the sample paragraphs The tool's axes, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Pearson correlation coefficients and Cronbach's alpha coefficients between tool fields between scooters of survey respondents in the two applications

It appears from Table 2 that the correlation coefficients between the scales of the exploratory sample members in the two applications of the tool axes ranged between (0.69-0.77), which are statistically significant values ​​at the level of significance (α≤0.05), and the value of the correlation coefficient between the two applications of the tool as a whole was (0.79) It is a statistically significant value, which indicates the stability of the tool. It also appears from Table 2 that the stability coefficients of the Cronbach alpha method for the instrument axes ranged between (0.81-0.86), all of which are high and acceptable values ​​for the purposes of the application.

7.3. Display the results and discussion

This part includes presenting the results and discussions of the study :

First: The results related to the first question: What is the degree of management of the school principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade for distance learning in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers' point of view?

This question was answered by extracting the mean and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample individuals from the fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole. Table 3 illustrates this.

Table 3. Mean and standard deviations of the study sample estimates of the study tool fields and the tool as a whole arranged in descending order according to the mean

It appears from Table No. (3) that the mean of the respondents, ranged between (2.19-3.54), the mean of the tool as a whole was (3.12) with a medium evaluation score. Which indicates that there is an medium degree.

The reason for this result from the researcher's point of view is that managers have been interested in the application of distance learning, especially with the increasing importance of distance learning tools and its applications with the Corona crisis; As the current circumstances, and the researcher believes that the importance of using digital education in general and distance learning in particular became clear during the Corona crisis; As the use of this type of learning contributed to the continuation of learning during the crisis; As it helps to increase the attraction and interaction among students, it is assumed that school principals will benefit from this experience in increasing the effectiveness of distance learning to reduce the gap between the school and the traditional education that the learner actually receives.

The researcher also extracted the means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample individuals for the paragraphs of each of the study tool areas separately, as follows:

- The first field : infrastructure

Table 4. Means and standard deviations of the study sample's estimates from the infrastructure field items arranged in descending order according to the mean

Table 4 shows that the mean of the study sample’s estimates of the items of the infrastructure field ranged between (2.01-2.39), where paragraph No. (1) came in first place, and its text: The director provides the necessary software for distance learning, with an mean (2.39). and a low evaluation score, and the mean of the infrastructure field as a whole reached (2.19) with a degree Low rating. This result can be explained by the fact that the difficulty of creating an interactive educational structure through new electronic technologies and the diversity of information sources requires the availability of financial resources. As the preparation of an infrastructure that provides an appropriate educational environment, the obstacles that face school principals in managing the distance learning process from the teachers' point of view can be addressed.

- The second field: The teacher

Table 5. Mean and standard deviations of the study sample's estimates from the teacher's domain items arranged in descending order according to the mean

Table 5 shows that the mean of the study sample's estimates for the paragraphs of the teacher’s domain ranged between (3.34-3.75), and the mean of the teacher's field as a whole reached (3.54) with a medium evaluation score .

The researcher believes that this result is due to the ease with which managers communicate with teachers through social networking sites. As it provides school principals with the possibility to create teaching groups. This allows them to follow and manage discussions and lesson topics, follow up on the correctness of the educational process and facilitate the exchange of information.

- Third field: The student

Table 6. Means and standard deviations of the study sample's estimates from the student's field paragraphs arranged in descending order according to the mean

Table 6 shows that the mean of the study sample’s estimates of the student’s field paragraphs ranged between (3.11-4.10), the mean of the student’s field as a whole reached (3.52) with an evaluation score Medium.

The researcher attributes this result to the fact that the use of distance learning contributes to providing an effective circular communication process between the principal, teacher and student through which the transfer of knowledge is facilitated individually or collectively, through educational groups that are created through distance learning tools that include a group of students, managers and the teacher. ; Which contributes to creating a virtual circular communication process wider than that which occurs in the real environment inside the classroom, which reflects positively on the ability of managers to manage the educational process.

- Second: The results related to the second question: Are there statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α = 0.05) between the arithmetic averages of the role of school principals of  Northwestern Badia Brigade in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers' point of view attributable to gender, academic qualification, and experience ?

     This question was answered by extracting the means and standard deviations of the estimates of the study sample individuals from all areas of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the variables (gender, academic qualification, experience), and applying the Independent Samples T-Test to the fields of study and the tool as a whole according to a variable (Gender), and the application of one way ANOVA to the fields of study and the tool as a whole depending on the two variables (academic qualification, experience), as follows:

- Sex variable

Table 7. Results of applying Independent Samples T-Test to the fields of study and the tool as a whole, depending on the gender variable

Table 7 shows that there are no statistical differences at the level of significance (α ≤0.05) between the mean of the role of the principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade schools in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers ’point of view according to the gender variable. for all fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the gender variable not statistically significant, and this result can be explained by the fact that teachers teach in similar environments; This may reduce the differences in their views on the role of school principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic.

- Academic qualification variable

Table 8. Results of applying one way ANOVA to fields of study and the tool as a whole depending on the scientific qualification variable

       Table 8 shows that there are statistical differences at the level of significance (α ≤0.05) between the arithmetic averages of the role of the principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade schools in the management of distance education in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers ’viewpoint according to the educational qualification variable, where the values ​​of ( F) for all areas of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the scientific qualification variable is statistically significant, and to know the sources of these differences, the Scheffe method for post-comparisons was applied to the fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole depending on the scientific qualification variable, Table No. (9) illustrates this.

Table 9. Applying the Scheffe method for dimensional comparisons to the fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the scientific qualification variable

Statistical function at the level of significance (α≤0.05).

It appears from Table 9 that the sources of the differences were between the scientific qualification (Bachelor’s degree) and each of the academic qualifications (higher diploma, master’s and higher) in favor of academic qualifications (higher diploma, master’s and higher). The researcher attributes this result to teachers with higher qualifications who are able to evaluate the elements of the educational environment, including the director's role in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic more than others.

- Years of experience variable

Table 10. Results of applying one way ANOVA to areas of study and the tool as a whole depending on the years of experience variable

Table 10 shows that there are statistical differences at the level of significance (α ≤0.05) between the arithmetic averages of the role of the principals of Northwestern Badia Brigade schools in managing distance education in light of the Corona pandemic from the teachers ’point of view according to the experience variable, where the values of all fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the experience variable statistically significant, and to find out the sources of these differences, Scheffe's method for post-comparisons was applied to the fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the experience variable. Table 11 illustrates this.

Table 11. Applying the Scheffe method for dimensional comparisons to the fields of the study tool and the tool as a whole according to the experience variable

* Statistical function at the level of significance (α≤0.05).

Table 11 shows the following:

1. The sources of variances in the field of infrastructure were between years of experience (less than 5 years), and each of the years of experience (5- less than 10 years, 10 years and more) in favor of years of experience (5- less than 10 years, 10 years and more).

2. The sources of differences regarding the teacher's field were between years of experience (less than 5 years, 10 years and more), in favor of years of experience (10 years or more), and there are also differences between years of experience (5- less than 10 years, 10 years and more) in favor of years of experience (10 years or more).

3. The sources of the differences in the field of the student were between years of experience (less than 5 years, 10 years or more), in favor of years of experience (10 years or more), and there are also differences between years of experience (5 - less than 10 years, 10 years and more) in favor of years of experience (10 years or more).

4. The sources of differences regarding the tool as a whole were between years of experience (less than 5 years), and each of the years of experience (5- less than 10 years, 10 years or more) in favor of years of experience (5- less than 10 years, 10 years and more).

This result can be explained by the fact that teachers with more experience are able to handle the educational situation better, and they are also able to better evaluate the performance of managers and interact with them.

8. Recommendations:

Through the findings of the study, the researcher presents a set of proposals to the Ministry of Education, and the researcher aims behind these recommendations to contribute to the improvement and development of distance education, and among these proposals:

1. The necessity of establishing a center specialized in distance learning. The Ministry of Education aims to pay attention to the application and follow-up of educational processes.
2. The Ministry shall make technical equipment in the school laboratories, and periodically maintain the equipment in schools.
3. Holding training courses to urge principals and teachers to exchange information, experiences and knowledge between them in electronic form.
4. The necessity of creating mechanisms to convert implicit knowledge and experiences into explicit and available knowledge and expertise for the Ministry’s workers through building a digital knowledge repository that allows workers to benefit from it.
5. Preparing programs to strengthen principals and train them to use the distance learning system in schools.
6. The necessity of establishing a center specialized in distance learning. The Ministry of Education aims to pay attention to the application and follow-up of educational processes.
7. Linking educational institutions and all educational institutions with modern information networks.
8. The need to gradually move from the traditional school to the electronic school.

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