REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: THE ONLINE TEACHING QUALITY IN THE TIME OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Abstract

This research is focused on the necessity to determine the impact of reflective practice on the quality of teaching conducted by means of various network platforms since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this research was to examine teachers’ attitudes towards the applicative potentials of reflective practice considering the improvement of online teaching and learning. These attitudes were studied by means of the empirical method, i.e. the quantitative research method and the scaling technique. The sample comprised Serbian primary school teachers and was voluntary. The results of the research showed that teachers’ reflective practice influenced the quality of online teaching during the pandemic. The findings proved that the influence of reflective practice on the quality of online teaching was recognized by primary school teachers, but that it was not applied consistently and accordingly by all teachers. The obtained results confirmed that for the reflective practice to become an inherent attribute of contemporary teachers, it would be necessary that it be acquired both as part of teachers’ university education and their continuous professional training. There has been little research on reflective practice and its impact on the quality of teaching. Therefore, this study contributes to a further understanding of the reflective practice aspects that directly influence online teaching within the framework of the Serbian educational system. Keywords: contemporary teacher, Covid-19 pandemic, quality of online teaching, reflective practice