Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the educational landscape in Iraq, necessitating a rapid shift from traditional classroom settings to virtual education. This study aimed to examine the experiences of Arabic virtual education teachers in Iraq, with a focus on the cha...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: ABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT, NASROLAH GHASHGHAEIZADEH, JALAL SHANTA JABER, FRANK MOSAVI
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences 2025-07-01
Series:Journal of Advances in Medical Education and Professionalism
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jamp.sums.ac.ir/article_50993_2cbb60c8453c9257e07e7574d14d0385.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849320130415165440
author ABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT
NASROLAH GHASHGHAEIZADEH
JALAL SHANTA JABER
FRANK MOSAVI
author_facet ABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT
NASROLAH GHASHGHAEIZADEH
JALAL SHANTA JABER
FRANK MOSAVI
author_sort ABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the educational landscape in Iraq, necessitating a rapid shift from traditional classroom settings to virtual education. This study aimed to examine the experiences of Arabic virtual education teachers in Iraq, with a focus on the challenges they faced and the implications of adopting online teaching methodologies.Methods: A mixed-methods approach was applied, incorporating a qualitative-quantitative approach for tool development. The qualitative section dealt with content analysis, while the quantitative section followed a descriptive survey method. The study was performed in 2023. The qualitative sampling was purposeful, involving 15 experts in virtual education from Iraq, whereas the quantitative samples consisted of 368 teachers from 20 schools in Baghdad, Iraq, selected via cluster sampling. The qualitative tool was a semi-structured interview, whereas the quantitative tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 10 components and 66 items. For data analysis, exploratory factor analysis was carried out. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software.Results: A total of 15 educational experts contributed to the qualitative analysis, while the opinions of 398 teachers were inspected through exploratory factor analysis for content analysis. The sample’s adequacy and the test’s suitability were validated using two indicators: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO=0.684) and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity, both being significant at >0.001. Thequantitative findings presented the extraction of 10 factors, which accounted for 85.823% of the total variance at the eigenvalue point. These factors included Utility (9 items), Implications (8 items), Flexibility and Adaptability (7 items), Equity (7 items), Balanced Infrastructure Development (7 items), Evaluation and Motivation Mechanisms (6 items), Management and Policy Making (8 items), Awareness and Empowerment (6 items), Educational Planning (4 items), and Technology Enhanced Learning (3 items).Conclusion: The findings highlight the complex challenges encountered by Iraqi educators in virtual learning environments, underscoring the significance of addressing infrastructural gaps,providing adequate training, and fostering equitable access to technology. By focusing on these domains, educational stakeholders can boost the effectiveness of online education in Iraq, ultimately improving educational outcomes for all students.
format Article
id doaj-art-63b577fbd59e481c8fc26db9f629f2de
institution Kabale University
issn 2322-2220
2322-3561
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
record_format Article
series Journal of Advances in Medical Education and Professionalism
spelling doaj-art-63b577fbd59e481c8fc26db9f629f2de2025-08-20T03:50:12ZengShiraz University of Medical SciencesJournal of Advances in Medical Education and Professionalism2322-22202322-35612025-07-0113323524810.30476/jamp.2025.105009.209850993Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and ConsequencesABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT0NASROLAH GHASHGHAEIZADEH1JALAL SHANTA JABER2FRANK MOSAVI3Department of Educational Administration, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, IranDepartment of Educational Management, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, IranDepartment of Basic Sciences, University of Dhiqar, Dhiqar, IraqDepartment of Educational Management, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, IranIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the educational landscape in Iraq, necessitating a rapid shift from traditional classroom settings to virtual education. This study aimed to examine the experiences of Arabic virtual education teachers in Iraq, with a focus on the challenges they faced and the implications of adopting online teaching methodologies.Methods: A mixed-methods approach was applied, incorporating a qualitative-quantitative approach for tool development. The qualitative section dealt with content analysis, while the quantitative section followed a descriptive survey method. The study was performed in 2023. The qualitative sampling was purposeful, involving 15 experts in virtual education from Iraq, whereas the quantitative samples consisted of 368 teachers from 20 schools in Baghdad, Iraq, selected via cluster sampling. The qualitative tool was a semi-structured interview, whereas the quantitative tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 10 components and 66 items. For data analysis, exploratory factor analysis was carried out. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software.Results: A total of 15 educational experts contributed to the qualitative analysis, while the opinions of 398 teachers were inspected through exploratory factor analysis for content analysis. The sample’s adequacy and the test’s suitability were validated using two indicators: Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO=0.684) and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity, both being significant at >0.001. Thequantitative findings presented the extraction of 10 factors, which accounted for 85.823% of the total variance at the eigenvalue point. These factors included Utility (9 items), Implications (8 items), Flexibility and Adaptability (7 items), Equity (7 items), Balanced Infrastructure Development (7 items), Evaluation and Motivation Mechanisms (6 items), Management and Policy Making (8 items), Awareness and Empowerment (6 items), Educational Planning (4 items), and Technology Enhanced Learning (3 items).Conclusion: The findings highlight the complex challenges encountered by Iraqi educators in virtual learning environments, underscoring the significance of addressing infrastructural gaps,providing adequate training, and fostering equitable access to technology. By focusing on these domains, educational stakeholders can boost the effectiveness of online education in Iraq, ultimately improving educational outcomes for all students.https://jamp.sums.ac.ir/article_50993_2cbb60c8453c9257e07e7574d14d0385.pdfeducationdistancevirtualsurveys and questionnairesstudents
spellingShingle ABBAS TAHER ALLAWI GHRABAT
NASROLAH GHASHGHAEIZADEH
JALAL SHANTA JABER
FRANK MOSAVI
Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
Journal of Advances in Medical Education and Professionalism
education
distance
virtual
surveys and questionnaires
students
title Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
title_full Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
title_fullStr Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
title_full_unstemmed Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
title_short Teachers’ Virtual Education Experiences in Iraq: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study on Challenges and Consequences
title_sort teachers virtual education experiences in iraq insights from a mixed methods study on challenges and consequences
topic education
distance
virtual
surveys and questionnaires
students
url https://jamp.sums.ac.ir/article_50993_2cbb60c8453c9257e07e7574d14d0385.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT abbastaherallawighrabat teachersvirtualeducationexperiencesiniraqinsightsfromamixedmethodsstudyonchallengesandconsequences
AT nasrolahghashghaeizadeh teachersvirtualeducationexperiencesiniraqinsightsfromamixedmethodsstudyonchallengesandconsequences
AT jalalshantajaber teachersvirtualeducationexperiencesiniraqinsightsfromamixedmethodsstudyonchallengesandconsequences
AT frankmosavi teachersvirtualeducationexperiencesiniraqinsightsfromamixedmethodsstudyonchallengesandconsequences