Review of Related Literature

This literature review presents the discourse from various articles and

studies based on dependent and independent variables. There are two

independent variables involved in this study; one variable has five indicators and

the other one has four indicators. The first independent variable focuses on the

teachers’ support to students with indicators on learning resource materials,

technology integration, engagement activities, home works, emotional and

psychological support. The other independent variable deals on the support of

the parents to their children with indicators on financial support, study place and

time, emotional and psychological support, and parental support. The dependent

variable in this study focuses on the New Normal education with indicators on

Asynchronous and Synchronous classes.

Teachers’ Support is one of the pillars that strengthens the learning

experiences of the students. It is the kind of support that directly affects their

academic engagement and performance. This type of support does not only limit

on the academic needs of the students but to their well-being as child as well.

Teachers are known as the second parents of the students. They nurture,

educate and take care of them while they are in school. Teachers are one of the

strongest support systems of every student, that is why their role in developing

the academic foundation of the students is very important. In fact, numerous

studies have shown that a high quality of student and teacher relationships are

prognostic to the student’s well-being and academic performance (Norton, 2016)

 The first indicator of the Teachers’ Support is on Learning Resource

Materials. In an article published online by Hongkong Education City (2015),

Learning Resource Material is defined as a material or tool that used to provide a

source of learning experience for students. It also facilitates the interaction of the

teachers and students during the learning and teaching process. Learning

resource material also help students to understand better the lesson, broaden

their learning experience and meet their different learning needs. In addition, it is

believed that if learning resource materials are utilized effectively, students will

be able to develop learning strategies, generic skills, values and attitudes, thus

laying a strong pillar for life-long learning. These Learning resources materials

are more than that and it encapsulate as various tools that can offer opportunity

for easier learning process (Savery, 2015). In the past, teacher’s primary

resource material was the highly admired Teacher’s edition of the school-

selected textbooks (Chase,2018) but now many other forms such as reference

books, workbooks, audio-visual teaching aids, web-based learning materials,

computer software packages, internet and media, learning communities and the

resources in the natural environment are now readily available and can be easily

accessed by both teachers and students. There are a near-limitless educational

tools available for teachers but the problem lies on choosing the best tool to use

for students (Chase, 2018)

Technology Integration is the second Indicator under Teachers’

Support. LSU Online stipulated that Integrating Technology makes the learning
process more interesting. They listed three customary advantages in integrating

technology in a class. The following advantages are access, interactive learning

experience, and excitement. Technology helps students and teachers to access

easily their learning materials (Louisiana University Online, 2020). Lessons can

be visited by them anytime as it is synced to the cloud and upcoming activities

are displayed in a shared calendar. Student engagement has increased to 55%

when smart technology is integrated in teaching (Louisiana University Online,

2020). Students are engaged interactively in class activities, assessments and

games with the use of devices and technology. Students undoubtedly love using

technology like devices such as tablets, Mobile Phone, PC, and VR, which can

hold their attention with the aid of images and videos that these devices support.

Students are found to be more inspired and motivated to learn more with the use

of fun technology. In return, it doesn’t only build classroom morale but also it

makes the job of the teachers easier (Louisiana University Online, 2020).

According to The Glossary of Education Reform, Engagement in

education is defined as degree of interest, optimism and passion that learners

manifest when they are in the process of learning or being taught by teachers.

The concept of “Student Engagement” is predicated on the belief that if learners

become more motivated, inquisitive, and interested, the learning improves, but if

they are bored, dispassionate and demotivated the learning tends to suffer.

Student engagement activities vary, but one thing’s for sure is that these

activities help students connect to the lesson and make it relevant to them (Boyd,
2016). In many contexts, engagement activities are things or ways used by

educators and school leaders to be fully engaged in governance and decision

process in school (The Glossary of Education Reform, 2016).

Another indicator under Teachers’ Support is Home work or Assignment.

The MD School, a member of Association of Private Educators in Nigeria,

describe homework as an out-of-class tasks given to students which will serve as

an extension or elaboration of their class works. They highlighted that homework

serves various educational needs. This servers as an intellectual discipline,

establishes study habits and it alleviate the restrictions on the number of

materials that needed to be covered in class and it also supplements the

additional work to do in school. Home work is important as it develops the core

skills of every child that will serve them in the future (Anglia, 2021). Through

doing regular homework it is expected to see these advantages; discipline of

practice, develop time management skills, broader communication network,

maximize usage of learning materials, revision discipline, and additional time to

learn. Doing of home work should be considered as an investment to your child’s

future since it develops vital life skills that will open various unique opportunities

and help them find success (Anglia, 2021).

The last indicator under Teachers’ Support is Emotional and Psychological

Support. In one of the studies conducted in USA focusing on the emotional and

psychological support, it points out how essential those supports are to the

students. They mention that students’ motivation and engagement have a

connection to the emotional and psychological support given by the teachers to

their students. The Emotional support of the teacher demonstrates their genuine

care to the students, respect for them, desire to understand their students’

feelings and point of view and dependability (Ruzek et al., 2016). An emphasis

on providing emotional and psychological support to academically at-risk

students will have a powerful impact. Thus, it is reasonable to focus in providing

this type of support especially to those students who are in the verge of failing.

This support aims to target the way the students think, make decisions and feel

towards the process of learning (Ruzek et al., 2016).

The second dependent variable of this research is Parents’ Support. As

defined by UNESCO, parents are the first educator of their children who are

responsible for supporting their daily needs. The support they give to their

children affects the development, learning and subsequent outcomes. This also

includes the direct and indirect factors that affects the learning of the children like

nutrition, health and hygiene. Children’s literacy improves a lot when parents are

involved in their children’s learning process regardless of their parent’s

educational level (UNESCO, 2021). The support that parents could give to their

children range from school from home communication, assistance in learning

activities, participations in school events, and participation in decision making in

school (UNESCO, 2021). In Uganda, it is found that parental support in form of

commitment of time and resources to their children’s education plays a pivotal

role in the engagement and motivation of their children to improve their academic

performance (Mahuro and Hungi, 2016)

The first Indicator of the Parents’ Support is on Financial support. In an

article tackling about parental financial support, it is highlighted that it is the kind

of support that has a great influence in the motivation of students in learning.

Students need to study hard to be prepared in the future and for them to not

depend on their parents when they are mature enough. Nevertheless, students

still need the support of their parents since they are still not capable of providing

their own. There are some students who strive hard for themselves because of

lack of financial support from their parents, which is also the reason for the

decrease of their motivation towards their studies (Moneva et al., 2020). The

study showed higher academic performance to those students whose parents

are involved academically and financially compare to those whose parents were

less supportive (Shahzadet, 2020).

Another indicator under Parents’ Support is on Study Place and Time. As

stated in the article published by University of Southern Queensland (USQ), the

environment where you study can impact your ability to work well and think. The

space and time you study plays a pivotal part in making sure that you work

effectively. Your study place is an important resource that an individual can use

to be successful in the future (Hargreaves, 2020). Having a dedicated study

place is very significant for the students for them to be engaged and motivated

towards their studies. There are few basic requirements for a good study place. It
needs a study desk, steady chair, access to power, and for new normal

education, it needs internet connection. Your study place and time includes your

state of mind and wellbeing, which both have an influence on your productivity

and learning (Hargreaves, 2020).

Emotional and Psychological support is the third indicator under

Parents’ Support. According to a study, Parents’ response to their offspring’s

emotional needs will influence their ability to deal with stressful situation when

they grow old. The ability of a child to regulate emotions is partly determined by

the strategies that their parents use in dealing with their child’s emotion (Jenkins,

2017). Which is why emotional support of the parents is so important as it helps

their child’s emotional wellbeing, especially in handling difficult situation.

Emotional and Psychological support of the parents to their children intensify the

motivation of their children to become a better person. Parents who encourage

their children to express negative emotions are most likely to produce children

who are comfortable in in expressing their feelings and thoughts (Jenkins, 2017).

Emotionally unsupported parents will cause the decrease of the motivation of the

students towards their studies, which will eventually affect their academic

performance at school (Jenkins, 2017).

The last indicator of Parents’ Support is on Parental support. Parental

support is commonly defined as being emotionally present and consistently

steadfast for their children especially when they are in need of help. The parents

play a big role to their children’s life as they grow old and navigate life (Ruholt et
al., 2015). Parental support can influence the way a child thinks about education

and how important it is for their future. Parents have the capabilities to shape the

way children regard their academic works, as parents are known to be the

greatest motivators to succeed in life. When parents are involved with their

child’s academics and school activities, those children will achieve a high level of

self-esteem and academic achievements (Ruholt etal., 2015).

The dependent variable of this research is New Normal Education. In

this time of pandemic, the term New Normal Education have emerged, in which

digitization enforces ways of learning and working. Digital technologies are the

visible face of the sudden change of the society and school. The instantaneous

solution to the closure of schools and the sudden stop of face-to-face classes

was the distance learning with the aid of technology (Koopman, 2019). Moving

from face-to-face presence to virtual contact, the learning has become

disembodied which impacted the learning of the students and the organization of

school, which are no longer buildings but websites. These transitions have not

only acknowledged the traditional education but have also convey the curriculum

covering the timely needs dedicated to understanding today’s emergency

(Spiller, 2017)

There are two indicators under New Normal Education and one of it is on

Asynchronous Classes. In an article, Asynchronous classes is defined as the

type of learning in which students access learning materials and take

assessments at their own pace. They don’t have to be in the same pace with
their classmates, nor to be in the same learning space at the same time to study.

Even though the learning process is flexible, it doesn’t mean that the students

are going loose or falling off the discipline that it imposed (Kokoulina, 2020).

Asynchronous Classes may have a strict deadline but it gives freedom to the

students to choose the approach to learning they want. It demands results in a

certain given time (Kokoulina, 2020). There are plenty of ways to do this type of

learning. First is the E-learning, which was dubbed as the most advanced type of

asynchronous learning. As a web-based learning, it requires a platform where

teachers can upload its classes and where students answer their assessments.

Second is the Email Courses, where in it is the sequence of emails being sent to

the students that covers the whole topic. Another type of Asynchronous learning

is the Training Video. From the name itself, it is the type of learning that involves

solely video lessons that students can access in any platforms that supports

uploading of videos. The last type of asynchronous learning is the blogs and

wikis. With this type learning, students are presented with links to different

readings that are relevant to the topic.

Synchronous Classes is the other indicator under New Normal

Education. As defined in an article published by I-spring Solutions, it is the kind of

learning in which all learners are participating simultaneously in a class session.

These class sessions are aided with the help of video conferencing applications.

As a teacher you will serve as the facilitator and you are expected to plan and

announce these teaching sessions (Kokoulina, 2020). With Synchronous

classes, teachers and student can be located in different locations and meet in a

virtual environment. These Synchronous classes can be done through these

ways; Live class sessions, On-the-job coaching, Web based classes, Webinars,

and Live streams.

Correlations Between Measures

Various studies have demonstrated that Teachers’ Support is significant

to the academic performance of the student. The study titled “Teachers’ Support

as Determinant of Academic Achievement”, aimed to examine whether the

student who received more teacher support would differ in their academic

performance and achievement from those who perceived less teacher support.

The respondents of the study are from two different local schools in Rajnandgaon

District of Chhattisgarh State. This consist of 638 grade 10 students from 15 to

17 years old, male and female. The research findings showed that teacher

support significantly affect the students’ academic performance and

achievement. The overall Academic achievement on their subjects perceiving

more teacher support and less teacher support both obtained respectively, 259

and 218, obtaining an F ratio of 53.365. The significant F ratio indicates that the

support of the teacher to their students is an important determinant of their

academic achievements. Based on the data presented, it is safe to say that

students’ performance is better if teachers show more support to their students

rather than showing lesser concern or support to them. Students were observed

to be more motivated to learn and were more engaged in the process of learning.
In the conclusion of this study, it was insinuated that teachers play a pivotal role

in the process of learning and their supports have a massive influence on the

academic performance and achievement of the students in their studies. It is

suggested that teachers should express more support to their students and show

more concern to them as it is proven through this study that showing more

support to the students have a positive impact to their academic performance.

Teachers’ support perceived by students have been associated with a greater

feeling of belongingness of the students in school and also to their peers

(Sharma, 2018).

In the study of determining the impact of parental support to the

academic performance of the students in Pakistan, it aimed to examine the effect

of parental support that the children received during their late childhood in

relation to their academic growth and also to their self-concept. The specific

objectives of this studies were to: (a) check the impact of parental support in the

academic performance of grade 4 students through helping them with their

school activities, (b) explore the relationship or connection of parental support

and self-concept of grade 4 students, and (c) assess the indirect effect of the

parental support to the self-concept of grade 4 students. There are 305

respondents, all are in late childhood, ages from 9 to 11 years old. All

respondents are enrolled in four different public schools in Rawalpindi city,

Pakistan and the quantitative methodology were applied to achieve the objective

of this study. Result of the survey shows that there are about 185 students who
reported that their parents made some arrangements to help them with their

studies. Among these are 95 or 58% of students have mentioned that their

parent has arranged some kind of tuition as help for their studies, 54 or 29% of

the students have said that their parent assign their older siblings to help them

with their studies, whereas, only 33 or 18% of the students reported that it is their

parents who personally guide them in their studies. The other remaining 120

students have reported that they did not receive any support at all from their

parents. The report of annual examination shows a significant difference among

the two groups; those who have not receive support from their parents and those

who have receive support from their parents. The data showed big percentage to

those who pass the examination favorable to those students who receive support

from their parents. There are about 175 (94%) of students who are supported by

their parent, who pass the examination. Whereas, there are only 13 (10%)

students who pass the examination, even if they were not supplemented with

parental support. Those who were supported by their parents and failed were

only 10 students or 5% of all the population of that specific group of students,

while there are about 107 or 89% of students who were not supported who failed

in the examination. The findings of this study revealed and also concluded that

parental support has a big impact to the academic achievement of the students.

The results have reflected that a developmental sequence like early family or

parental support enable the students to establish a better academic status and

positive self-concept which contributes to their emotional and mental maturation.

So, it is recommended that parents should constantly express support to their

children for the betterment of their academic performance (Chohan, 2015).

The study titled “Satisfaction with Online Learning in The New Normal;

Perspective of Students and Faculty in Medical and Health Science Colleges”,

aimed to identify factors affecting students and faculty satisfaction with online

learning using asynchronous and synchronous sessions during Covid-19

pandemic. An Online questionnaire were sent to the participants along with the

consent and study information sheets. There were about 358 students and 70

faculty members who participated in the survey. The survey results of the

students showed slight unfavorable response towards online learning. Though,

60.9% of the participants were satisfied with the communication and 47.5% were

happy with the flexibility that online learning could offer, but there is about 68.7%

of the participant who were less satisfied with their overall experience with online

learning and 41.6% against 35.8% of the participants who will not recommend

this type of learning to their friends. For the survey conducted to faculty

members, the data showed opposite results as compare to the data gathered

from students. The result reflected a favorable response to the online distance

learning with 47.1% of participants being satisfied with the online learning as

compare to face to face, against to 31.4% who showed disagreement with the

online distance learning. Most of the dissatisfaction reported by faculty are on

workload, longer preparation time, and technical problems, but other than that

they are satisfied. This study recommends a combination of asynchronous and

synchronous online approaches, Incorporating of different applications in

classes, constructive and timely feedback for both students and faculty. An

orientation with an IT support would also be great because it would help students

and faculty members to be equipped with technical knowledge and incase, they

encounter technical problems they will know how to handle the issue. Finally,

Institutional support, including faculty development, Organizational policy, and

incentives would help enhance the satisfaction of the faculty members towards

this type of learning. In conclusion, Online Learning has been a useful and

practical tool in delivering the curriculum during this new normal education, but

there are some things that needed to be improved and enhanced to make sure

that the satisfaction of both students and faculty members will be supplemented

(Elshami et al., 2021).

 Kulal (2020) published a study on the perception of teachers toward

online classes. He stated that the other important pillar of online class is the

teacher. He mentioned that the teachers' interest and skills in handling online

classes are dominant aspects in online teaching. Teachers need to perceive

online learning platforms and capable of handling online classes because some

of the faculty members may not always have the competency to teach courses

online (Sims et al., 2015).

The above research study has an important bearing on the present study

because it implies that the teachers proficiency is essential for fulfilling effective

online learning delivery methods in the age of pandemic. A teacher needs to

think of alternative ways in handling online classes.

Shivangi Dawan (2020) in her article “Online Learning: A Panacea in the

time of Covid-19 Crisis” discussed that EdTech starts-up in the times of corona.

Teachers are currently adapting the pedagogical ed-tech. The sudden outbreak

of a deadly disease shook the entire world. This situation challenged the

education system across the world and forced educators to shift to an online

mode of teaching overnight. Resistance to change will not help any educational

unit across the world. They need to adapt to the changes in such a short period

and their ability to maintain the quality. Teachers need to maintain the quality of

education amidst this crisis to show their adapting capabilities. The shift from
face-to-face lectures to online classes is the only possible solution. Distance,

scale, and personalized teaching and learning are the three biggest challenges

for online teaching. Innovative solutions by institutions can only help us deal with

this pandemic (Liguori & Winkler, 2020). There is a requirement of a quick shift to

online learning mode; therefore, the products by Google can be really useful

under such problematic situations; they are (a) Gmail, (b) Google Forms, (c)

calendars, (d) G-Drive, Google Hangouts, (f) Google Jam board and drawings,

(g) Google Classroom, and (h) Open Board Software (not a Google product,

helps in recording meetings in the form of files) and (i) zoom, (j) messenger

group chats (k) blackboard app. Tools can successfully be used as an alternative

for face-to-face classes (Basilaia et al., 2020).

Carmen Carillo (2020) in her research study, she argues that the

instructional competencies of the teacher is the key issues in the design of

effective online learning environments included an accurate pedagogical

approach, relevant and authentic assignments, and appropriate tools and

technology. Effective practice relating to the use of pedagogical tools and

technologies (e.g., gamification, animated clips, videos, wiki tools, podcasts,

voice boards, virtual worlds, e-book readers, e-folio, MOOC) showed the need to

use technologies that are appropriate for the task (Biasutti and EL-Deghaidy

2015; Cullen, Kullman, and Wild 2016). Moreover, the literature highlighted the

need to not only mastering the tools, but to understand their pedagogical

possibilities to suit their own teaching purposes (Comas-Quinn 2011; Cullen,

Kullman, and Wild 2013). As teachers’ predispositions towards technological

tools can influence the use of these tools and their perceived value within

teaching and learning contexts (Turvey 2014), understanding the pedagogical

possibilities of the online tools may help address teachers’ attitudes and

competence related to them.

According to Fatima Albrahim (2020) in her research study,

competencies for online instruction have been categorized at different levels in

the literature, and several approaches have been adopted to classify them.

Salmon (2003) describes and groups the qualities or competencies of e-

moderators into five categories: (a) understanding the online process, (b)

technical skills, (c) online communication skills, (d) content expertise, and (e)

personal characteristics. These competency groups include (a) technology

operations and concepts; (b) planning and designing learning environments and

experiences; (c) teaching, learning, and developing the curriculum; (d)

assessment and evaluation; (e) productivity and professional practice; (f) social,

ethical, legal, and human issues; (g) procedures, policies, planning, and

budgeting for technology environments; and (h) leadership and vision. These

standards have been extensively employed in myriad online projects and studies.

Some researchers briefly list online competencies as personal, social,

pedagogical, and technological in addition to a set of competencies related to the

content, design, communication, and management (Baran & Correia, 2014;

Guasch, Alvarez, & Espasa, 2010; Palloff & Pratt, 2011; Smith, 2008). Dubins
and Graham (2009) examine 17 online learning programs to formulate eight

competency categories: (a) content management system (CMS) skills, (b) other

technical skills, (c) instructional design, (d) social processes and presence, (e)

managing assessment, (f) orienting students, (g) institutional knowledge, and (h)

pedagogy and andragogy. Other researchers go further by developing a

framework that classifies and summarizes a cluster of competencies.

Bigatel et. al. (2016) specify the competencies based on successful online

teaching tasks into seven categories: (a) active learning, (b) administration and

leadership, (c) active teaching and responsiveness, (d) multimedia technology,

(e) classroom decorum, (f) technological competence, and (g) policy

enforcement.

The related literature is closely related to the current study for its mentions

the instructional competencies of the teachers and online distance learning in the

new normal.

Quireoz (2019) published a research study on roles and competencies of

online teachers related to the present study. It stated that there is an urgent

necessity to reflect upon the roles and competencies of teachers who plan to

deliver courses via Internet. This reflection is important due to the fact that some

teachers believe that it is possible to simply transfer to the Web the material

(curricular content) that is traditionally used in the classroom without any

adjustment to the media. Each medium requires different approaches to be used.

The teachers should be trained to work online and "instructed" so they can

achieve their pedagogical goals in a more effective, creative and innovative way

when using a virtual learning environment.

Mishra et. al. (2020) conducted a research study on online teaching-

learning in higher education during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic

which is relevant to the current study. She stated that this pandemic made this

situation further worst. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, there has been an

increasing move towards teaching online because of shutting down of schools,

colleges and universities for an indefinite time as the only option left (Martinez,

2020). Therefore, this is the time to gravely rethink, revamp and redesign our

education system in much demanding need of unprecedented current situation.

Online education became a pedagogical shift from traditional method to the

modern approach of teaching-learning from classroom to Zoom, from personal to

virtual and from seminars to webinars. Previously, e-learning, distance education

and correspondence courses were popularly considered as the part of non-

formal education, but as of now, it seems that it would gradually replace the

formal education system if the circumstances enduringly persist over the time.

Some of the most popular online communication platforms that would change the

destination and direction of the whole education system across the world in post-

COVID-19 circumstances are Start.me, Neo, Classtime, Classwize, Ted-Ed,

Coursera, Google Classroom, Bakpax, Pronto, Skillshare, ClassDojo, Edmodo,

Blackboard Learn, Parlay, Docebo, Feedback Fruits, Udemy, WeVideo, WizIQ,

Flipgrid, Codeacademy, Gynzy, Adobe Captivate, Seesaw, Edx, GoGuardian,

Elucidat, Kami, Pluralsight, G Suite, Otus, Articulate 360, Floop, Future Learn,

Hapara, Shift, Lectora Inspire, Kialo Edu, Buncee, LanSchool and many more.

De-schooling society (Illich, 1971) seems relevant as the current scenario tries to

keep our children away from the traditional formal education system and provide

an opportunity to flourish on their curiosity.

Lederman (2020) justly stated that due to the COVID-19 crisis teachers

and students both find themselves in the situation where they felt compelled to

embrace the digital academic experience of the online teaching-learning process.

Through digital intelligence (DQ Institute, 2019) teachers can cater children’s

digital skills which are on the brink of cyber risk into the educational opportunities

to get success in future ventures especially in this pandemic where children are

wholly dependent on online learning. The coronavirus is upending life (EdSource,

2020) that caused an enduring threat to our educational institutions from

kindergarten to tertiary level and day by day exacerbated the teaching-learning.

Apart from the philanthropic efforts, some people hoped to parlay their

enterprising skills into profit-making opportunities.