Examining the Impact of Instructional Approaches on Pre-Kindergarten Students Following COVID-19’s Disruption to Schooling

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Solicited Content: COVID-19 Related

Abstract

Background. Following a disaster (e.g., Hurricane Katrina), some children can adapt effectively while some face academic and social-emotional challenges, including inattention, fear, and anxiety (Goenjian et al., 2005). Long-term impacts might include emerging mental health concerns and trouble managing typical developmental tasks (Moore & Varela, 2010). In the aftermath of crises, children who already face personal or academic challenges are at greater risk of experiencing negative outcomes, including poor school readiness (Howard, 2015). The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more than 90% of children experiencing long-term disruption to formal schooling (UNESCO, 2020). Although schools typically serve as stable, predictable environments for children and offer a sense of safety following disasters (CDC, 2007), outside school contexts (e.g., homes) are likely more variable and can compound children’s stressors. Given the unprecedented nature of COVID-19, understanding how COVID-19 - and specifically the disruption to in-person instruction - impacts children’s school readiness, whether impacts are the same for all children, and how the responses of schools and teachers support children’s recovery is critical. In this first wave of data collection, we investigated the associations between teacher practices and child academic, social, and behavioral outcomes at the conclusion of pre-kindergarten. A second wave of data collection will occur in Fall 2020 to investigate pre- and post-COVID differences in skills as well as associations between teacher practices and training and these differences.

Procedures. Data were collected from pre-kindergarten teachers across 23 classrooms. A total of 144 children (52% female, 30% African American) were included in the first round of data collection. Teachers reported on children’s academic skills (literacy, mathematics, and general knowledge), social skills (communication, cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, engagement, and self-control), and behavior problems (externalizing and internalizing problems, bullying, and hyperactivity/inattention). Relational experiences, including closeness and conflict, were assessed. Teachers responded to questions regarding distance learning and the frequency and quality of their engagement with children during COVID-19. Finally, COVID-19 practices and experiences were assessed with a set of investigator-developed questions about teachers’ perceptions of preparedness to transition to distance learning, perceptions of district/school support, and overall levels of stress.

Results and Discussion. See Figure 1 for a summary of results. Controlling for child sex and ethnic minority status, children whose teachers reported having no interaction with the child following the disruption to in-person instruction demonstrated significantly lower language and social skills. Notably, children of teachers who reported having inconsistent interactions demonstrated lower language and mathematics skills, indicating that inconsistent contact appears to have no benefit for children’s school readiness while frequent contact might serve as a protective factor for children’s development. Of the types of interactions teachers had with children following the disruption to in-person instruction, only in-person and recorded video were associated with children’s school readiness outcomes. Children who experienced in-person video demonstrated significantly higher language skills than did children who did not experience in-person video and children who experienced recorded video demonstrated higher social skills. These results have many implications for teachers and can be used to inform distance learning practices.

Authors

• Erica Smolinski, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Sofia Hirt, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stacey Michelle Neuharth-Pritchett, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristen L Bub, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author