A phenomenological study of virtual education challenges and evaluation in primary schools from the teachers and parents' perspective

With the corona epidemic, virtual education has received the attention of the educational system more than before. Taking advantage of virtual education regardless of its basic principles and possible challenges will cause obstacles and problems in the implementation, effectiveness, and practical use of its capacities. The aim of the current research was to study the phenomenological challenges of virtual education and evaluation in primary schools from the perspective of teachers and parents. The research method was qualitative and phenomenological. The participants were 34 teachers and parents of elementary school students of Gonabad city (17 persons in each group), who were selected using the snowball sampling method. To collect the data, a semi-structured interview was used. Based on theoretical saturation, 34 interviews were conducted. To analyze the data, the seven-step Claysey method was used. After removing similar items and formulating concepts, the data analysis process led to the extraction of 48 sub-concepts. Sub-concepts were categorized under 4 main categories: 1) cultural and social challenges, 2) technical and infrastructure challenges, 3) educational challenges, and 4) ethical challenges. The results of the present study can be used to solve possible challenges and increase its effectiveness while using the capabilities of virtual education.