A pre-service teacher’s view on emergency remote education in rural Nova Scotia: A scoping review of literature on digital equity as illuminated by COVID-19

Authors

  • Meagan Kettley St. Francis Xavier University
  • Jennifer Mitton St. Francis Xavier University

Keywords:

COVID-19, poverty, rural education, emergency remote education, teacher education

Abstract

This article presents a scoping review of literature on the impact of emergency remote education in low-income rural settings to contextualize the experiences in rural Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial literature reviewed included 37 articles across Western nations, the majority subscribing to an investigative methodology with participant interviewing, field observations, and in-depth reviews of literature as the most common sources of data collection. Due to the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, little is known about this topic. This review provides insights into the experiences of emergency remote education in low-income rural communities from the perspective of students, pre- and in-service teachers, and rural education stakeholders, and suggests a need for integrating pandemic-informed rural pedagogy into teacher education programs.

Author Biographies

Meagan Kettley, St. Francis Xavier University

is a practicing teacher with over 4 years of classroom experience. She graduated from St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, in 2022 with the University Gold Medal for Bachelor of Education, where she assisted several education research projects. Her research interests focus on early career teachers and equity studies in education, with a particular passion for reading development and literacy. Meagan currently teaches 8th-grade language arts at Harold Peterson Middle School in Oromocto, New Brunswick. meagan.kettley@nbed.nb.ca

Jennifer Mitton, St. Francis Xavier University

PhD, is a professor of secondary literacy and qualitative research methods in the Faculty of Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Prior to university teaching, she taught in secondary schools in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Turkey. Her research interests include adolescent literacies, pre-service teachers and early career teachers, and teacher pedagogy related to culturally responsive beliefs and instruction. jmitton@stfx.ca

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Published

2025-10-20

How to Cite

Kettley, M., & Mitton, J. (2025). A pre-service teacher’s view on emergency remote education in rural Nova Scotia: A scoping review of literature on digital equity as illuminated by COVID-19. McGill Journal of Education / Revue Des Sciences De l’éducation De McGill. Retrieved from https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/10110

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