Educating Young Children in the Time of COVID-19: A Biological Systems Theory Approach

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: COVID, Child Outcomes, and Home Learning Environments

Abstract

In 2020, schools around the U.S. and globally closed to in-person instruction in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study, embedded in ongoing research supported by the U.S. Department of Education, investigated changes in roles, relationships, and educational activities resulting from the pandemic as perceived by educators in one rural, low SES Appalachian primary school. Open-ended survey data were collected from 58 educators at 6 time points throughout the 2019-2021 school years. Results indicated teachers adapted to the changing environment by successfully developing proficiency in online forums and related skills. Additionally, teachers perceived the pandemic as adversely affecting student development, particularly for already at-risk students, and as differentially affecting parent development with some parents overcompensating and some undercompensating.

Authors

• Carla Brigandi, West Virginia University

• Nancy Spillane, West Virginia University

• Jana Stone, West Virginia University

• Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez, Texas A&M University - College Station