Early Childhood Teachers’ Attitudes and Aptitudes Toward Online Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: Pros and Cons

The COVID-19 pandemic shocked the world. Education was one of the sectors that found it most difficult to transition from face-to-face to online interaction, especially in the early childhood field. Early childhood education is hands-on, physical, and playful learning, which requires in-school participation. The Saudi Ministry of Education took major steps to ensure the continuity of education. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with three early childhood teachers. Thematic analysis of the data revealed five major themes: 1) teachers’ knowledge of online learning; 2) teachers’ self-efficacy in online learning; 3) teachers’ pros of online learning; 4) teachers’ cons of online learning; and 5) teachers’ beliefs about online learning. Early childhood teachers reported many pros and cons of online learning. Their difficulties included dealing with parents’ online participation, dealing with children’s attention, and dealing with their modest understanding and experiences regarding digital technology. The participants highlighted the positives of online learning and technology in education as a result of this unique experience of school lockdown. However, the participants conveyed the crucial need for a pedagogy of digital technology in early childhood education.