‚Uncharted Territory‘

Teachers` Perspectives on Play in Early Childhood Classrooms in Ireland during the Pandemic

Kurzbeschreibung

School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the education of 91% of students worldwide. As a critical process in supporting young children's resilience, play is increasingly recognised as a valuable pedagogical strategy within a shifting educational landscape during the pandemic. This study reports on findings from a survey on play in early childhood education of 310 early childhood teachers during primary school closures in Ireland. Eighty-two per cent of teachers recommended play strategies to parents during remote teaching and home schooling and almost all teachers (99%) intended to use play as a pedagogical strategy upon school reopening. Teachers believed play was an especially important pedagogical tool in supporting young children's social-emotional development, learning and transition back to school. Over a third highlighted uncertainty surrounding capacity to use play upon school reopening given COVID-19 regulations, emphasising the need for greater guidance to support teachers' commitment to play-based pedagogical strategies.

Schlagwörter

Distance-Schooling, International, Irland, Kinder im Vorschulalter, Lehrpersonen, Quantitative Studie

Quellenangabe

O'Keeffe, Christina, McNally, Sinead (2021). 'Uncharted Territory'. Teachers` Perspectives on Play in Early Childhood Classrooms in Ireland during the Pandemic, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 29, 79–95.