Advantages And Challenges Of Remote Counseling Services Among Omanis School Social Workers In Transforming School Counseling

  • Saif Almanji Postgraduate Researcher
  • Samah H. Almaki Lecturer
Keywords: School, Counseling, Social, Workers, Oman

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered an unprecedented shift in the field of education, compelling school social workers in Oman to rapidly adopt remote counseling services to navigate the complexities of uncertain and high-risk conditions. This study explores the multifaceted landscape of advantages and challenges faced by school social workers in Oman while delivering remote counseling services during the pandemic. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with ten school social workers, thematic analysis was employed to uncover key insights. Findings unveiled that three key themes emerged from the data regarding the advantages: (1) empowering counseling through digital technology and social media platforms; (2) flexibility in the practices of remote counseling services; and (3) boosting skills and experiences in remote social counseling services. Additionally, two themes highlighted the challenges faced: (1) readiness for adopting new technology and (2) lack of available remote counseling services applications and platforms. These findings emphasize the transformative potential of remote counseling services while underscoring the importance of addressing associated challenges for sustainable implementation.

Author Biographies

Saif Almanji, Postgraduate Researcher

Department of Education studies, Faculty of Human Development, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

Samah H. Almaki, Lecturer

Department of Education studies, Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies, City University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

References

Book

Merriam, S. B. (2009). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Patton, M. (1990). Qualitative Evaluation and Research Methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Saleh, E. (2023). Private practice social work in the Arab World: Sultanate of Oman as a model. Social Work - Perspectives on Leadership and Organisation. IntechOpen Ltd. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106284

Document

Borio, C and F Restoy (2020). Reflections on regulatory responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. FSI Briefs, no 1.

Cantu, C, P Cavallino, F De Fiore, and J Yetman. (2021). A global database on central banks’ monetary responses to Covid-19. BIS Working Papers, no 934.

Flack, C. B., Walker, L., Bickerstaff, A., Earle, H., & Margetts, C. (2020). Educator perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning in Australia and New Zealand. Pivot Professional Learning.

Journal

Al Salman, S., Alkathiri, M., & Khaled Bawaneh, A. (2021). School off, learning on: identification of preference and challenges among school students towards distance learning during COVID19 outbreak. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 40(1), 53-71.

AlKhamaiseh, O. S. (2021). The role of educational counselors in developing students’ acceptance of online learning during covid 19 pandemic in Jordan: educational counselors and students’ acceptance of online learning. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 11(3), 20. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2021-0048

Ashcroft, R., Sur, D., Greenblatt, A., & Donahue, P. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social workers at the frontline: A survey of Canadian social workers. The British Journal of Social Work, 52(3), 1724-1746. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab158

Awashreh, R. (2023). Social Networking and Future Work: Professions, Jobs in Oman. Russian Law Journal, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.52783/rlj.v11i3.1938

Azman, A., Singh, P. S. J., Parker, J., & Ashencaen Crabtree, S. (2020). Addressing competency requirements of social work students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Social Work Education, 39(8), 1058-1065. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1815692

Azubuike, O. B., Adegboye, O., & Quadri, H. (2021). Who gets to learn in a pandemic? Exploring the digital divide in remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 2, 100022.

Banks, S., Cai, T., De Jonge, E., Shears, J., Shum, M., Sobočan, A. M., ... & Weinberg, M. (2020). Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses. International Social Work, 63(5), 569-583. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820949614

Bellibaş, M. Ş., Kılınç, A. Ç., & Polatcan, M. (2021). The moderation role of transformational leadership in the effect of instructional leadership on teacher professional learning and instructional practice: An integrated leadership perspective. Educational Administration Quarterly, 57(5), 776-814. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X211035079

Bellibaş, M. Ş., Kılınç, A. Ç., & Polatcan, M. (2021). The moderation role of transformational leadership in the effect of instructional leadership on teacher professional learning and instructional practice: An integrated leadership perspective. Educational Administration Quarterly, 57(5), 776-814.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology, 3(2), 77-101.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2014). What can “thematic analysis” offer health and wellbeing researchers? International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 9(1), 26152.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative research in sport, exercise and health, 11(4), 589-597.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis? Qualitative research in psychology, 18(3), 328-352.

Camacho-Zuñiga, C., Pego, L., Escamilla, J., & Hosseini, S. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ feelings at high school, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels. Heliyon, 7(3).

Constantia, C., Christos, P., Glykeria, R., Anastasia, A. R., & Aikaterini, V. (2023). The impact of COVID-19 on the educational process: the role of the school principal. Journal of Education, 203(3), 566-573. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220574211032588.

Glasheen, B.M., Ramanath, S., Patel, M., Sheppard, D., Puthawala, J.T., Riley, L.A., Swank, D.M. (2018). Five Alternative Myosin Converter Domains Influence Muscle Power, Stretch Activation, and Kinetics. Biophys. J. 114(5): 1142--1152.

Golightley, M., & Holloway, M. (2020). Social work in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: All in this together? The British Journal of Social Work, 50(3), 637-641.

Greenidge, T., Smith-Adcock, S., Cakmakci, H., & Su, Y.-W. (2023). A transcendental phenomenology of school counselors’ lived experiences transforming remote counseling services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional School Counseling, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X231161524.

Gumusluoglu, L., & Ilsev, A. (2009). Transformational leadership, creativity, and organizational innovation. Journal of business research, 62(4), 461-473.

Harris, G. A., Abernathy, D., Lu, L., Hyre, A., & Vinel, A. (2021). Bringing clarity to issues with adoption of digital manufacturing capabilities: An analysis of multiple independent studies. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 1-22.

Jaber, F., & Al-Hroub, A. (2023). School counselors’ perceptions of virtual counseling in Lebanon: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1083644. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1083644

Jelinska, M., & Paradowski, M. B. (2021). Teachers' Engagement in and Coping with Emergency Remote Instruction during COVID-19-Induced School Closures: A Multinational Contextual Perspective. Online Learning, 25(1), 303-328.

Karaman, M. A., Eşici, H., Tomar, İ. H., & Aliyev, R. (2021). COVID-19: Are school counseling services ready? Students' psychological symptoms, school counselors' views, and solutions. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 647740. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647740

Kelly, M. S., Benbenishty, R., Capp, G., Watson, K., & Astor, R. (2021). Practice in a pandemic: School social workers’ adaptations and experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 school disruptions. Families in Society, 102(3), 400-413. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894211009

Khlaif, Z. N., Salha, S., & Kouraichi, B. (2021). Emergency remote learning during COVID-19 crisis: Students’ engagement. Education and information technologies, 26(6), 7033-7055.

Kruczek, T., Geesa, R. L., Mayes, R. D., & Odell, K. M. (2022). School counselor and administrator perceptions of response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professional School Counseling, 26(1c), 2156759X221134661.

Kruszewska, A., Nazaruk, S., & Szewczyk, K. (2022). Polish teachers of early education in the face of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic–the difficulties experienced and suggestions for the future. Education 3-13, 50(3), 304-315.

Liu, H. H. (2021). A Study of the Counseling Service System Satisfaction for Teacher-Counselor in Tainan Elementary School. Journal of Robotics, Networking and Artificial Life, 8(3), 197-200. https://doi.org/10.2991/jrnal.k.210922.009.

Lu, J., Wang, X., Fei, L., Chen, G. and Feng, Y. (2023). Effects of social media empowerment on COVID-19 preventive behaviors in China. Information Technology & People, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-05-2022-0412

Melero, H., Hernandez, M. Y., & Bagdasaryan, S. (2021). Field note—social work field education in quarantine: administrative lessons from the field during a worldwide pandemic. Journal of Social Work Education, 57(sup1), 162-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2021.1929623

Mohmmed, A. O., Khidhir, B. A., Nazeer, A., & Vijayan, V. J. (2020). Emergency remote teaching during Coronavirus pandemic: the current trend and future directive at Middle East College Oman. Innov. Infrastruct. Solut. 5, 72 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-020-00326-7.

Raguindin, P. Z. J., Lising, R. L. S., & Custodio, Z. U. (2021). Strategies for Parental Involvement during Emergency Remote Teaching Scale: Its Psychometric Properties. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(1), 427-439.

Savitz-Romer, Mandy. (2021). When the Kids Are Not Alright: School Counseling in the Time of COVID-19. AERA Open, 7(1), 1 –16

Singh, M. I., Doyle, K., & Wobbe-Veit, L. (2021). Social work field education: Harnessing technology to connect social work education and practice during COVID-19. International Journal of Digital Society, 12(1), 1695-1699.

Tabatadze, S., & Chachkhiani, K. (2021). COVID-19 and emergency remote teaching in the country of Georgia: Catalyst for educational change and reforms in Georgia?. Educational Studies, 57(1), 78-95.

Zhao, Y. (2020). COVID-19 as a catalyst for educational change. Prospects 49, 29–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09477-y.

Published
2023-12-01
How to Cite
Almanji, S., & H. Almaki, S. (2023). Advantages And Challenges Of Remote Counseling Services Among Omanis School Social Workers In Transforming School Counseling. Perdana: International Journal of Academic Research, 18(1), 1-11. Retrieved from https://perdanajournal.com/index.php/perdanajournal/article/view/178