A research group of the NIES has carried out a survey on teachers of small-scale rural schools (with less than 100 students) in various parts of China. The survey covers eight districts or counties in eastern, central and western regions. A total of 1,506 valid questionnaires were collected. Some district and county teaching and research staff, principals of central primary schools, as well as principals and teachers of small-scale rural schools were interviewed. The researchers summarized problems faced by small-scale rural schools, analyzed their countermeasures during the covid-19 pandemic, and provided suggestions to open up the road to transformation of quality improvement in the context of "Internet plus" at small-scale rural schools.
l On-line teaching shows a good momentum of development
The survey shows that nearly 90% of students in small-scale rural schools have participated in on-line teaching through the overall arrangement of the government to ensure the informatization conditions for on-line learning of students in small-scale rural schools. The main methods of on-line teaching are assignment and feedback of homework, and unified viewing of courses on national or regional platforms. More than 70% of teachers interacted with students almost every day, mainly through WeChat; nearly 70% of teachers visited students at home to deeply understand the students' learning situation. Nearly 60% of parents could stay with their children to study on line, and the proportion of parent availability is higher than ever before. More than 90% of the teachers participated in different forms of teaching and research activities, and received corresponding support and guidance.
l On-line learning encounters prominent difficulties
The lack of students' autonomous learning ability has become the biggest difficulty for teachers to carry out teaching activities. The difficulty in checking students' learning at home has become the main reason affecting the quality of students' on-line learning. The guidance for returning to school is in place, but students' learning habits need to be re-cultivated, and the dilemma of home-school co-education has become the biggest difficulty faced by teachers and school practice.
l The development trend of the post-pandemic era
√ Improve the development and promotion of appropriate and high-quality education resources.
√ Attach great importance to the improvement of information literacy of teachers and students.
√ Further strengthen the guidance of teaching and learning methods.
√ Enhance the guidance of family education.
