Polish teachers of early education in the face of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic - the difficulties experienced and suggestions for the future

Over 1.5 billion children from around the world were affected by school or university closures during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and distance learning was introduced for many pupils. The article presents the results of a survey conducted among Polish teachers of early education (N= 239), which aimed at answering an important question: To what extent and in what ways did Polish teachers cope with distance learning during the pandemic? The results of the survey revealed the many problems that teachers faced during 'remote education'. It was found, that in some cases: there was a lack of information technology equipment in the pupils' homes, a lack of communication with the pupils and their parents, a lack of motivation among pupils, and health problems had begun emerge amongst children. Nonetheless, teachers noted some positive aspects of this form of education, which enabled them to conduct classes during the pandemic. It was noted that many teachers indicated that the experience they had gained in remote working provided important indications for the further development of distance learning approaches with young children that may help to ameliorate the potential social inequalities that may arise in such a crisis situation.

Automated summary

This article presents the challenges faced by Polish teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic when implementing distance learning, including lack of technology equipment, communication barriers, lack of student motivation, and emerging health issues among children. Despite the challenges, teachers also identified some positive aspects and highlighted the importance of remote education for future development of learning approaches.