A teacher perspective on the impact of internet shutdown on the teaching and learning in high schools in Zimbabwe

Contemporary scholarship revealed that internet shutdowns are a growing phenomenon globally. Scholarly attention on the implications of internet shutdowns has mainly focused on the economic and political bearings while neglecting ramifications on teaching and learning. Additionally, very little was known on the impact of internet shutdowns on teachers in Zimbabwe in particular. This study sought to understand the internet shutdown experiences of school teachers in a selected district in Zimbabwe. This study drew from Robert K. Merton's Theory of unanticipated consequences. The study was interpretive, and the researchers utilized a qualitative research approach. A multisite case study approach was adopted in one purposively selected district. The study used a purposive sample of 5 schools and 50 school teachers. The researchers used focus group discussions and semistructured interviews to generate data from the participants. The study utilized thematic analysis. The study established that the internet shutdown have numerous impacts on the teaching and learning activities in the selected district. Despite the internet shutdowns in Zimbabwe targeting opposition political parties and activists, teachers' communication and research activities at the selected schools were adversely affected. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.