Using Grounded Theory Approach for Examining the Problems Faced by Teachers Enrolled in a Distance Education Programme

This study investigated the problems faced by teachers enrolling in a distance teacher education programme offered by India’s Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Instead of review of literature, the study began with the examination of learners’ complaints about various aspects of the programme. Analysis of data extracted from the complaints led to the hypothesis that the inability of the programme’s learner support to address nonacademic problems was affecting the capacity for distance learning. Interventions provided for strengthening the learner support, lessened complaints and confirmed the hypothesis. Thus using the grounded theory approach this study extracted from data, the impact of a weak learner support on distance learning. The study cautions that learner support remains crucial even when distance learners are professionals like teachers; a robust instructional design does not guarantee learner satisfaction if learner support remains weak; and alterations in learner support need to be tried out before incorporating them in programmes with high enrolment.