Current Issues in Comparative Education - Volume 25 - Winter 2023 Issue 1 - A Transnational Comparative Study of Teachers’ Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic

Oct 15, 2026

Findings from an international comparative multiple-case study examine the abrupt shift from classroom to remote online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research analyzes teachers’ experiences in Northern Finland, England, and Norway, aiming to inform education strategies and support pre- and in-service teacher education development. Data come from an online survey of in-service teachers in Lapland (N=164) and semi-structured interviews in England (N=20) and northern Norway (N=30). Two-phase analysis addresses teaching and learning experiences, followed by teachers’ challenges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and impacts of COVID-19 school closures

Educational inequalities and infrastructure challenges

Teacher preparation and ICT skill gaps

Social and emotional well-being effects

Study aims, methods, and data sources

Research question and cross-case comparison

Data collection in Finland, England, and Norway

Data analysis phases

Findings and implications for teacher education

Need for additional training in online pedagogy

Role of collaboration and knowledge sharing

Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE), Volume 25, Issue 1, Winter 2023 A Transnational Comparative Study of Teachers’Experiences of Remote Teaching and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic Satu-Maarit Korte University of Lapland, Finland Minna Körkkö University of Oulu, Finland Outi Kyrö-Ämmälä University of Lapland, Finland Miia Hast University of Lapland, Finland Sanna Mommo University of Lapland, Finland Merja Paksuniemi University of Lapland, Finland Gregor Maxwell UiT Arctic University of Norway Mhairi Beaton Leeds Beckett University Pigga Keskitalo University of Lapland, Finland This article presents the ﬁ ndings of an international comparative multiple-case study that examined the sudden change from classroom to remote online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study speciﬁcally explored the experiences of teachers in Northern Finland, England, and Norway, seeking to provide new information about the education situation and identify the focus areas to guide the education offuture teachers. The data were collected in three diﬀerent ways in three diﬀerent contexts: via an online survey of in-service teachers in Lapland, Finland (N = 164), and through diﬀerent semi-structured interviews with teachers in England (N = 20) and northern Norway (N = 30). The data analysis was conducted in two phases. The ﬁrst phase focused on teachers’ experiences in teaching and learning and the second phase on teachers’challenges. The results reﬂ ect teachers’ desire for additional education on online pedagogy, as well as the signiﬁ cance of teacher collaboration and knowledge sharing. © 2023, Current Issues in Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Current Issues in Comparative Education 25(1), 4-24 . A transnational comparative study of teachers’ experiences of remote teaching and learning The ﬁ ndings can be used to develop pre-and in-service teacher education, supporting the dynamic digitization of teacher education programs and policies. We recommend that strategies should be developed for how such programs can strengthen future teachers’interaction, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Keywords: online pedagogy, remote teaching, teacher education. Introduction The global lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted everyone’s lives. This comparative study examines the experiences, especially teachers’ perceptions and challenges, in Finland, England and Norway during the global pandemic. The aim of the study reported in this article was to contribute to knowledge about the competencies required by educators to eﬀectively respond to societal challenges through education provision which has fundamentally altered following increased utilization of theaﬀordances of the digital. The authors expected that a cross-case comparison would permit the authors to answer to the following research question: Based on the experiences of teachers during the pandemic, how could pre- and in-service teacher education be developed? Globally, schools and other educational institutions from primary to adult education closed their doors and transferred to remote teaching or favored hybrid teaching (UNESCO, 2021, 2022) . The school closures have left an indelible mark and had long-lasting eﬀects on educational systems, students’ learning, and teachers’ approaches. The greatest disadvantage of remote teaching was that it widened learning gaps between students. According to the UNESCO and Global Education Monitoring Report (2021), the pandemic aggravated educational inequalities by disproportionally aﬀecting the learning possibilities of the most vulnerable groups, including girls, refugees, persons with disabilities, and forcibly displaced persons living in poor or rural areas. While some students seemed to beneﬁt from learning remotely during the lockdowns, others needed face-to-face in-person interaction with their teachers and more robust persona

FAQs

What does the study investigate about remote teaching during COVID-19?

It examines teachers’ experiences of remote teaching and learning after the sudden shift from classroom instruction to remote online teaching.

How were the research data collected across the three contexts?

The study uses an online survey of in-service teachers in Lapland (N=164) and semi-structured interviews with teachers in England (N=20) and northern Norway (N=30).

What guidance does the study suggest for teacher education moving forward?

It recommends strengthening strategies that improve teachers’ interaction, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, and developing pre- and in-service teacher education to support digitalization and online pedagogy.

Oct 15, 2026

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