Learning-in-crisis: Learning paths of Hungarian schools in the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

The research investigates the organizational dynamics of learning-in-crisis (LiC) in Hungarian public education institutions in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Firstly, the author introduces the concept and the different theoretical approaches of crisis learning and its literature in the public sector, drawing a model for analysis. When we look at the current case of distance digital education, the postmodern approach to crisis learning is an adequate lens to apply due to the nature of organizational learning. It helps to understand the processes that lead to interpreting the situation as a crisis. What is the subject of crisis exactly? Why is it perceived as a crisis? We can also understand the chosen way of learning that takes place in a school as a result of the crisis, as it is fundamentally influenced by two factors: the extent of the impact and the perceived potential relevance of the rare event. The preliminary results of qualitative empirical research are presented, where the actions and learning processes of five different schools are laid out. The research shows that the learnings are indeed different in the face of an identical external impact.