Early childhood education teachers and administrators experices of Covid-19 pandemic: Interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the distance education experiences of early childhood education teachers and administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The participants of the study consisted of 32 preschool teachers and eight school principals. A qualitative phenomenological design was used as a research method and the data was collected through online interview forms and semi- structured phone interviews with the participants. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze interview data. The findings were presented within the framework of the themes of pandemic perception, being a teacher and administrator in this process, and the vision of distance education. According to the findings from this study, the participants experienced the pandemic in the form of contrasting emotions replaced by "relaxation-excessive anxiety". The research results showed that some of the participants put forward three different visions in the context of the sustainability of distance education: using it as support for formal education, enriching distance education platforms in terms of access and content, improving teachers' technology and distance education competencies.