Perspectives of Preschool Children’s Parents on Early Childhood Education During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study examines the parents’ perspectives on the adaptability and suitability of distance education for preschool children, distance education experiences at earlier ages and child-parent interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the data collection tool, the study used the questionnaire titled The perceptions of Parents regarding their Preschool Children’s Adaptation to the Pandemic and Distance Education Practices during COVID-19 Crisis. A total of 146 parents replied to the questionnaire, which consists of three parts and 49 items. This descriptive study was conducted through quantitative data analysis. The results of the study showed that parents believe distance education practices are not efficient enough regarding improvement in children’s learning processes and development areas. In addition, they believe that, despite the presence of various activities, the contribution of distance education to their children’s development is quite limited when compared to face-to-face education in old normal. Also, parents opine that increasing amount of screen watching time, insufficient interaction and communication in distance education trigger some behavioral and emotional reactions in children. The findings highlight the re-examination of the functionality of distance education approaches and implementations in early childhood and the determination of their content and target audience intently.