Views of teachers in the Prefecture of Attica on the implementation of distance education in Preschool studies

Abstract

The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic brought about rapid changes in the field of education, where life-long learning was abruptly suspended and multi-month distance education was universally implemented at all levels. The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of teachers of Preschool Education in the Prefecture of Attica on the benefits and obstacles of the implementation of distance education in preschool students in the school year 2020 – 2021. To investigate the issue, a quality service was conducted with nine semi-structured interviews, which demonstrated a general negative view of the implementation of the Distance Learning in Kindergarten. The main difficulty encountered by teachers in implementing it, was the unwillingness of schools and families to support infants’ participation in new learning environments, which exacerbated pre-existing educational inequalities. The main benefit of the implementation was the cultivation of digital skills of students and teachers. In conclusion, it is necessary to ensure the provision of technological equipment to schools and students and the continuous training of teachers to update their knowledge, in order to promote the educational process of an independent learning environment.