Remote teaching and the return to presentiality

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the transformations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the work of female teachers working in basic education in Brazil, as well as to investigate the impact on the mental health of the participants and the difficulties encountered in returning to classroom teaching. It is a research of mixed methodology with an exploratory-descriptive approach. In the first phase of the data collection, 913 female teachers, who worked in basic education in different states of Brazil, participated. In the second phase, 8 female teachers working in basic education in Rio Grande do Sul participated. The instruments used were a questionnaire, applied between June and October 2021, and a focus group, held in August 2022. Both instruments were applied in online format through Google Forms and Google Meet platforms. Data were analyzed using simple statistics and thematic analysis. The results pointed out that during the pandemic period the professionals experienced an intensification of work demands, in addition to an increase in domestic activities. Regarding the return to teaching face-to-face, factors related to discouragement and frustration were identified, in due to the lack of reception and excessive charges. It was concluded that the intensification of the precarization of working conditions and processes during the pandemic and upon returning to the classroom generated mental exhaustion and psychological suffering in the female teachers.