Conceptions of teacher trainers from COVID-19. A comparative study in three regions of Chile

Higher education institutions have been temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ceased to operate in person, causing worldwide multiple changes in teacher training, which has included a transformation in teaching methodologies, affected academics of this area. This article addresses the conceptions of academics and teacher educators who teach pedagogy in the current context of pandemic in three regions of the central-southern macrozone of Chile. The study is carried out through a comparative and interpretive perspective. Semi-structured interviews were applied to teacher educators from the following Chilean regions: Maule, Ñuble and Bio Bio. The results show a high similarity in the conceptions of the teacher educators of the three regions, revealing emotions of empathy with their students, situations related to adversities in the teaching-learning process and perceived work stress. At the same time, there are various challenges that trainers must face to guarantee quality in the preparation of future teachers. The conclusions of the work suggest that the new educational modality has generated concerns in teacher educators, since it requires a series of resources that a part of the student body does not have and that hinders the development of educational actions. The study suggests that the need emerges for educational policies to deploy various protocols for crisis situations and health emergencies. In addition, the importance of deepening research related to the effects of COVID-19 in higher education and teacher training is highlighted, along with the need of conducting studies on academicians and teacher educators who are the main actors in the initial education of future teachers. They surely play a decisive role in the training of future teachers.