"Ensamhetens vår" : En fenomenografisk analys över lärares uppfattningar om distansundervisning vid drama- och teaterpedagogutbildningar. under covid-19.

Sammanfattning: The background for this study is the immediate readjustment to distance work for drama- and theatrepedagocial-education due to the Covid-19 pandemic during the spring of 2020. Central for these educations is the focus on interplay, aesthetic processes, leadership and physical embodiment, which heavily relies on interaction together with the group in a common physical space. Because of this, the educations were introduced to several challenges when the classroom was replaced with a digital room.   In this study, I have researched teacher’s perceptions of challenges and opportunities’ in regards to distance education through a phenomenographic approach. The empirical data for this study have been gathered through 8 in-depths interviews with teachers at drama- and theaterpedagocial educations in Sweden.   The result shows that the teachers in this study perceive the conditions to operate full time drama- and theatrepedagocial-education on distance are limited. The reasons for this is that the teachers experience essential moments in the education, especially physical embodiment and leadership training, as limiting. However, the teacher describe that they have learned a lot from distance teaching and that they perceive opportunities with some elements of distant teaching.   Opportunities with distant education that the teachers present are the ability to include participants on a digital platform that for different reasons cannot participate in the classroom. The experience of distance work has created possibilities to invite guest lecturers from around the world through a link. Teachers also perceive possibilities to keep in contact with student groups that are spread out in different geographical locations during longer internship periods.   Difficulties with distance education are teacher perceptions of digital education being tiresome for both teachers and students, since energy and focus disappear in distance work. The teachers in this study describe great difficulties with communication in distance education, that group processes come to a halt and that unity deteriorates. The result shows that the teachers experience that participant’s situation becomes vulnerable and uncertain, and that teachers perceive a great loneliness within participants in the distant situation. The result also shows that learning becomes more traditional and the role as a teacher becomes more controlling and relationships between teacher and student becomes more distant.