TEACHING EXPERIENCES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS IN THE NEW NORMAL: THE MULTI-FACETED ENDEAVOR THEORY

Abstract

Early childhood is considered to be the fastest developmental stage in human life and is essential for the formation of the physical, intellectual, social and emotional domains. Early childhood educators are expected to provide quality education to all young learners because of their high impact. However, before the COVID-19 pandemic, moderate to high levels of psychological burnout already existed among early childhood educators (Al-Adwan, Zaid, Al-Khayat, Mohammad, 2017). The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread concern globally, posing unprecedented challenges to various parts of society and education, considered one of the most vulnerable sectors (Lansangan & Gonzales, 2020 ). All the demands, expectations, and other concerns in this new normal have made teaching and learning an important and popular research topic (Sut & So, 2021). However, little is known about the teaching experiences of the early childhood educators. In this study, it sought to generate a theory in the teaching experiences of early childhood educators in the new normal. With this purpose, this paper utilized the deductive axiomatic approach in theory generation following the steps provided by Padua (2012). There are five axioms construed:
 (1) the teaching experiences of early childhood educators in the new normal echo the educators' process of development in adjusting to environmental changes; (2) the teaching experiences of the early childhood educators in the new normal involve a learning cycle on how to teach during a pandemic; (3) the teaching experiences of the early childhood educators in the new normal cultivate survival behaviors for overcoming personal and occupational challenges; (4) the teaching experiences of the early childhood educators in the new normal emphasize the fundamental roles of educators in supporting the cognitive, social and emotional needs of children and their families; and (5) the teaching experiences of the early childhood educators in the new normal point out the motivation to achieve a goal. From these five axioms, five propositions were formulated:
 (1) government agencies and academic institutions should provide substantial supports to early childhood educators to adjust with the environmental changes in teaching during this new normal; (2) professional learning communities of early childhood educators should be encouraged to reflect and share on the teaching experiences during the new normal; (3) trainings cultivating survival behaviors for overcoming personal and occupational challenges should be implemented as part of the early childhood education capability enhancement program; (4 teacher-led guidance and counseling activities for parents and children's wellness should be enhanced to support their cognitive, social and emotional needs; and(5) early childhood educators should continue to stay focus and motivated in achieving their goal by giving them opportunities for reflective narratives. With these papers, a multi-faceted Endeavor theory emerged from the classroom experiences of early childhood educators in the new normal. This theory highlights the multiple challenges and struggles early childhood educators experience in teaching in the new normal.