Amplifying young children’s voices: Educational experiences of 3- to 7-year-olds in Wales during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chicken, Sarah; Tyrie, Jacky; Parnell, Jade; Tur Porre, Gisselle; Knight, Cathy; Waters-Davis, Jane

Abstract

This Welsh Government-funded study aimed to capture the voices of young children during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding their educational experiences. Longitudinal research suggests young children’s early educational experiences shape their development in later years (Goodman & Sianesi, 2005). Given the significance for longer-term development, it is important to understand the educational experiences of children during COVID-19. However, few studies have centred children’s voices when exploring the impact of COVID-19 within education (Pascal & Bertram, 2021).  Four schools in the South of Wales participated with 34 children being involved in the study, using a multiple site case study approach. Each school was visited on three occasions by two researchers to complete data collection. The research was qualitative and utilised creative and child-friendly methods of data collection (Clarke, 2017). Additionally a series of interviews were also conducted with the children’s teachers and caregivers. Data collected has been analysed using inductive qualitative analysis approaches, through coding and examining the data for themes (Roberts-Holmes, 2018). Early analysis of the data suggests themes around social isolation from peers, difficulty with daily routines and accessing information, and increased outdoor playtime and family time.  Conclusions from the research will aid education practice and policy in their understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children’s educational experiences in Wales, helping build interventions and provisions to reduce adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children’s early education.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: WISERD Annual Conference 2022
• Start Date: Jul 6, 2022
• End Date: Jul 7, 2022
• Deposit Date: Nov 3, 2022
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10117416
• Related Public URLs: https://wiserd.ac.uk/events/annual-conference-2022/; ; https://wiserd.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/WISERD-Annual-Conference-Programme-_2022..pdf; ; https://wiserd.ac.uk/