שימוש ואי שימוש בלמידה מקוונת בקהילות שמרניות המקרה של הציבור החרדי בישראל בעת מגפת הקורונה

The restrictions imposed on the citizens of Israel following the outbreak of the Corona virus epidemic forced educational institutions to adopt online channels for distance learning. Ultra-Orthodox society, which is generally suspicious and disapproving of the use of online media, especially among teenagers and children, were forced to confront this new need and decide on its course of action. The present study aims: a) to investigate whether and to what extent online channels were used in ultra-Orthodox educational institutions in their various sub-streams, and b) to ascertain the considerations, attitudes, and perceptions of parents and teachers regarding the introduction of online learning during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as its use in future emergencies. The article combines quantitative and qualitative methods and is based on a survey of a representative sample of parents of primary school-aged children (N=395) and semi-structured interviews (N=45) with parents and teachers in ultra-Orthodox schools. The results show that 14% of all parents in the sample used Zoom for distance learning for their children. Furthermore, significant differences were found among the various sub-currents, with the Chabad stream leading (94%), followed at a great distance by the Sephardic public (15%), the Lithuanian (13%), and the Hasidic (4%). Differences were also found between the sub-currents in terms of parents’ willingness to use online learning channels in the future. Moreover, a correlation was found between parents’ level of conservatism/modernism, pupils’ gender identity, and their age and willingness to use online learning channels. Notably, almost no voices were found that saw this period as an opportunity for pedagogical development related to the potential of study in online spaces, but as a limitation that required coping and necessary adaptation to minimize damage. These findings are discussed in light of Max Weber’s theory of legitimacy and its application in the context of the interface between new media and conservative communities, and as a process that builds or negates a normative-value sense of social practices.