An Overnight Educational Transformation: How did the Pandemic Turn Early Childhood Education Upside Down?

Authors

  • Sinem Aslan Intel Corporation
  • Qi Li Open University of China
  • Curtis J. Bonk Indiana University
  • Lama Nachman Intel Corporation

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v26i2.2748

Keywords:

Early childhood education, technology integration, online learning, COVID-19 pandemic, distance education

Abstract

Since the spring of 2020, many early childhood education programs (pre-K, K, 1st, and 2nd grades) had to close as governments around the world took serious measures to slow down the transmission of COVID-19. As a result, the pandemic forced many early childhood teachers to start teaching online and continue supporting their students remotely. Unfortunately, there were few lessons that these teachers could learn from experience to cope with this change since online learning in early childhood settings had been scarce until the outbreak of the pandemic. In response, the goal of this interview study was to investigate how early childhood teachers in public and private schools implemented online learning during the pandemic, the challenges they encountered when teaching online, and their suggestions to address these challenges. The results showed that the teachers did not sit still and patiently wait for the re-opening of the schools. Instead, they took assorted initiatives to support their students’ learning and development remotely. They faced several challenges on the way but also suggested various methods to address these challenges through developmentally appropriate technology use. The results of this study have implications for teachers when early childhood programs return to normal. The study creates opportunities for future research to gain greater understanding of the design and implementation of online learning activities with young learners.

Author Biographies

Sinem Aslan, Intel Corporation

Sinem Aslan (Ph.D.) is a research scientist at Intel Corporation. Her research focuses on exploring the intersection between machine learning and human learning to enable personalized learning experiences.

Qi Li, Open University of China

Qi Li (Ph.D.) is a lecturer at Open University of China. Her research focuses on technology-enhanced language learning, project-based learning with young learners, and computer-assisted language learning in teacher education.

Curtis J. Bonk, Indiana University

Curtis J. Bonk (Ph.D.) is Professor of Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University and adjunct in the School of Informatics as well as a former educational psychologist and former CPA and corporate controller. He researches MOOCs and open education, online and blended learning, and informal and nontraditional learning.

Lama Nachman, Intel Corporation

Lama Nachman is an Intel Fellow and director of the Human & AI Systems research lab.  Her research is focused on creating contextually aware experiences that understand users through sensing and sense making, anticipate their needs, and act on their behalf.  These experiences span different verticals including education, manufacturing, and assistive computing for people with disabilities.

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Published

2022-06-01

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 2 (2022)

Section

Empirical Studies

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