Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions around the world were forced to close and the academic process continued online. Online teaching can support students’ learning, but little research exists in the foundational early primary years (children aged 4–8). The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ practices and experiences in implementing online teaching during the pandemic period. The participants were 14 Greek teachers of early primary years, and data were collected via interviews. The findings indicated that most of the teachers used a combination of teaching practices-approaches, while the learning activities implemented mainly regarded language, psychomotor activities, display of videos, mathematics and interdisciplinary activities. Teachers’ feelings were initially negative, while afterwards they experienced more positive feelings. Disadvantages of online education, as experienced by teachers, mainly regarded technical problems, followed by limited resources/support for children at home, and limited training in online methodology. Teachers’ positive experiences regarded children’s familiarization with the technology and maintenance of contact with the school environment, while the role of the parents was revealed as essential. Implications and suggestions for future online education in early primary years include maintenance of good high-standard teaching practices, enhancement of digital culture and parents’ involvement with children’s activities at home.
Highlights
Academic Editor: João PiedadeThe COVID-19 outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic in March 2020 [1]
For the investigation of the first research question (RQ1): What teaching practices/approaches did you follow during online teaching? How was technology used with the students?
With regard to teaching practices a teacher may have reported traditional approaches as well as group activities; distinct key phrases/responses were coded as different categories
Summary
Academic Editor: João PiedadeThe COVID-19 outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic in March 2020 [1]. Digital technology played an important role in enabling teachers to implement online education by using various digital platforms and tools [4]. Online teaching during the COVID pandemic was an unprecedented case, especially for early primary education; it is an unusual means of education for young children [5]. There is little empirical evidence in the foundational early primary years/grades during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., [5,6,7]), in comparison to studies in other sectors of education such as secondary schools or universities. The purpose of this study was to investigate Greek teachers’ practices and experiences when implementing online teaching in early primary years during the pandemic (teaching children aged 4–8). This study is important because teacher practices affect young children’s engagement-learning and contribute towards a more sustainable online education. For the purpose of this paper, as the Received: 19 December 2021
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