The Covid-19 Pandemic - Experiences and Expectations about Attending International Seminars and Conferences Among Teacher Educators

Abstract

During the Covid-19 pandemic, several international physical face-to-face conferences have been cancelled, and often substituted by online events. This situation may have led to different experiences among teacher educators and influenced their considerations on whether to travel to future conferences. The purpose of this study is to understand what factors are affecting teacher educators’ willingness to attend in-person or online conferences in the future. This study reports findings from an online questionnaire given to a strategic selection of respondents. All are teacher educators at universities and university colleges in Nordic countries, researching, publishing in international journals, and attending teacher education-related Nordic and international seminars and conferences. The qualitative data from the questionnaire are analyzed using a content analysis approach. The analysis revealed the university teacher educators’ goals for attending and how missing conferences during the pandemic influenced their professional situation. Considerations about attending in-person or online conferences in the future are presented.