Perceptions of teachers on children’s learning outcomes in post-COVID-19 hard lockdown: a case of early childhood centres in Umjindi township.

Abstract

The COVID-19 hard lockdown resulted in prolonged closures of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres, leading to significant disruption in teaching and learning processes. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of children’s learning outcomes post COVID-19 hard lockdown in selected early childhood centres in Umjindi, Mpumalanga Province. Anchored within an interpretive qualitative research paradigm, the sought to understand how teachers perceived changes in children’s cognitive, social, and emotional learning outcomes following the resumption of face-to-face teaching. A qualitative case study design was employed, and data were generated through semi-structured interviews with purposively selected ECD teachers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, allowing for the identification of recurring patterns and meanings drawn from participants’ lived experiences. The findings revealed that teachers perceived noticeable learning gaps, delayed language development, reduced concentration, and challenges in social interaction among children following the lockdown period. Teachers further indicated that curriculum streamlining, remedial teaching strategies, and play-based learning approaches were to address lost instructional time and content gaps, although these strategies were perceived as only partially effective due to limited resources and increased learner needs. This study concludes that while teachers demonstrated resilience and adaptability in responding to post-lockdown challenges, sustained support in the form of professional development, curriculum guidance, and resource provision is essential to improve learning outcomes in ECD centres. The findings contribute to existing knowledge on post-pandemic early childhood education and provide insights that may guide pedagogical approaches and practices, curriculum planners, policymakers and other education stakeholders in strengthening learning recovery strategies in early childhood learning contexts.