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

Abstract

This study examines the parents’ perspectives on the emotional and behavioral changes experienced by children in early childhood education during COVID-19 pandemic, their distance education experiences and adaption process to life without schools. As for the data collection tool, the study used the questionnaire titled “The perceptions of Parents regarding their Pre-school Children’s Adaptation to the Pandemic and Distance Education Practices during Covid-19 Crisis”. A total of 146 parents replied the questionnaire, which consists of 3 parts and 49 items. This descriptive study was supported through quantitative data analysis. The results of the study showed that parents believe distance education practices, which are largely carried out in front of a screen, are not productive enough for their children’s learning and development. 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 and insufficient interaction and communication in distance education trigger some behavioral and emotional reactions in children