From emergency remote teaching to post-pandemic practice: lived experiences of primary school English teachers in Costa Rica

Introduction – The global health crisis declared in 2020 generated unprecedented disruptions across educational systems worldwide. In Costa Rica, official mandates issued by the Ministry of Public Education led to the rapid implementation of two modalities previously untested at a national scale: distance education in 2020, largely enacted as emergency remote teaching, and blended learning in 2021 (understood as “combined” education), followed by a phased return to face-to-face instruction in 2022. These shifts reconfigured pedagogical practices, professional roles, and institutional dynamics, particularly within rural contexts. Within these rapidly changing conditions, primary school English teachers were required to adapt their pedagogical approaches to increasingly diverse and unequal learning environments, often with limited resources and support. This situation foregrounded critical issues related to inclusive pedagogies, teacher wellbeing, and ongoing professional growth, as educators navigated the challenges of addressing students' varied needs while sustaining their own emotional and professional resilience. Method – This article presents an analytical multiple-case study based on three descriptive single case studies conducted between 2020 and 2024 in rural schools across the regional directorates of Huetar Northern Region: San Carlos, Norte-Norte, and Sarapiquí. The study examined the lived experiences and professional contexts of fifteen primary school English teachers during the pandemic period. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, document analysis, photo-elicitation, and body mapping. Prior inductive analyses were conducted using ATLAS.ti and WebQDA and were then integrated into a contextualized thematic meta-analysis to deepen the analysis of the academic phenomenon. Results and discussion – Findings are organized into five overarching meta-themes: (1) Emerging Educational Contexts, (2) Emotional Experiences in Response to Educational Change, (3) Educational Management in Changing Contexts, (4) Transformations in Teaching and Learning Processes, and (5) Persistent Challenges and Gaps in Teaching and Learning. These findings contribute to ongoing discussions on inclusive pedagogies, teacher wellbeing, and professional development in no-size-fits-all K-12 classrooms, particularly in under-resourced rural settings. Collectively, these themes clarify and provide reflective insights into educational regional and national authorities regarding the complex interplay between structural conditions, affective dimensions, and pedagogical adaptation in rural education settings during and beyond the pandemic.