THE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ LIVED EXPERIENCE IN LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE LEARNING: THE COMPARISON BETWEEN TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL IN REMOTE AREA AND DOWNTOWN

Abstract

Indonesia education system is dealing with an unprecedented health issue during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the limited face-to-face learning is the current educational policy to be applied in Indonesian schools throughout the country. This study, compares the the teachers’ belief and understanding during the implementation of the limited face-to-face learning. The subjects of this study are two high school teachers who are teaching English in a very different area: one is teaching in an urban area and the other one is teaching in a remote area. A descriptive qualitative method is used to narrate the result of this study. Data collection techniques were carried out by having questionnaire and in-depth interview. The findings of this study found the similarity and the difference on the teacher’s belief and understanding. The similarities are both teachers understand that the implementation of the limited face-to-face learning forces them to adjust their teaching time resentfully, and they belief that their students need to be motivated more to learn. The difference found in the implementation of the use of technology in the classroom. The remote teacher realizes that the advance of technology is beyond his students’ reach. Meanwhile, the downtown teacher can see that his students enjoy the time their teacher use Gatepic and Storyline Online. Those two opposite facts contribute in developing the teacher’s belief on the teacher’s role.  The downtown teacher thinks that teacher is a facilitator. On the other hand, the remote teacher believes that he is an educator.