Distance Education in Early Childhood Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Teachers’ and Parents’ Perspectives and Experiences in Greece

Abstract

The unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 inflicted all spheres of social life and especially education, to which Early Childhood Education (ECE) belongs. ECE had to adapt to an entirely new and unknown situation, including teachers, parents, and children. We qualitatively explored through semi-structured interviews both teachers’ and parents’ perspectives toward the implementation of distance educa- tion in ECE in Greece. Data were triangulated. The aims of this research were to examine: (1) The reactions of teachers and children/parents toward distance edu- cation; (2) Advantages and disadvantages of distance education in ECE; (3) Method preferred; (4) Parental involvement. Results indicated that although the shift to online teaching was abrupt, they managed to respond effectively by apply- ing digital tools and teaching strategies to motivate the participation of children. However, they also highlighted the increased demand for teacher’s training in ICT, the social impact, the implementation of a holistic approach, material and psycho- logical support to parents and children, and finally, post-pandemic implications.