Pre-Service Preschool Teachers' Views and Metaphorical Perceptions Towards Distance Education in The Covid-19 Pandemic Process

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel

The Covid-19 pandemic process, during which courses were delivered online or remotely, significantly influenced pre-service preschool teachers and other students. This study investigates pre-service preschool teachers by examining their metaphorical perceptions and views of distance education. Using a phenomenology design with 150 participants from Afyon Kocatepe University, content analysis was applied. Results show that most teachers employed negative metaphors for compulsory distance education, while fewer used positive metaphors. The study recommends approaches that raise intrinsic motivation to prevent motivational loss in distance learning, supported by guidance and psychological assistance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

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Pre-Service Preschool Teachers' Views and Metaphorical Perceptions Towards Distance Education in The Covid-19 Pandemic Process Merve Arabacı, Umit Unsal Kaya, Nezahat Hamiden Karaca Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic process, in which some courses are given online, and some courses are given remotely, have undoubtedly deeply affected pre-service preschool teachers as well as other students. In this sense, the findings of studies that determine the views and perceptions of all stakeholders affected by the distance education system are still of great importance in terms of taking measures to change these perceptions. The focus of this study is on pre-service preschool teachers. The main difference that distinguishes the current study from other studies is that it aims to comprehensively understand the perspectives of pre-service preschool teachers by addressing their metaphorical perceptions and views on distance education. In this study, phenomenology design was used. The study group of the research consisted of 150 pre-service teachers studying at Afyon Kocatepe University-Türkiye, Department of Early Childhood Education in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the views and metaphorical perceptions of pre-service preschool teachers towards distance education in the Covid-19 pandemic process. As a result, while most of the pre-service teachers used negative metaphors to describe the compulsory distance education process due to the pandemic, fewer pre-service teachers used positive metaphors. Considering the results of the findings obtained in the study , it is recommended to increase the efficiency of education by including practices that increase intrinsic motivation in order to prevent the loss of motivation of faculty members and students in order to increase the efficiency in the distance education process. Keywords: Covid-19, distance education, preservice preschool teachers, metaphors. Highlights What is already known about this topic: • during the pandemic period, pre-service teachers were away from communication and interaction with peers and academics and could not socialize easily because of compulsory distance education. • it has been found that students were generally satisfied with distance education in terms of saving time and money, but they mentioned problems such as the quality of online courses, technical problems, and lack of social interaction. What this paper contributes: • It aims toexplore the perspectives of pre-service preschool teachers by addressing their metaphorical perceptions • As a result while most of the pre-service teachers used negative metaphores to describe the compulsory distance education process due to the pandemic, fewer pre-service teachers used positive metaphores. Implications for theory, practice and/or policy: • It is recommended to increase intrinsic motivation of the stakeholders in order to prevent the loss of motivation of faculty members and students in order to increase the efficiency in the distance education process. • Distance guidance and psychological support can be provided to pre-service teachers in order to prevent the isolation of the individuals. Introduction The Covid-19 virus outbreak, which emerged in 2019 and deeply affected the whole world and was called a pandemic, has also closely affected the education community. Affecting more than 1.5 billion students, the pandemic has caused a major disruption in education systems (Barrot et al. , 2021) . In order to control the spread of the virus, measures such as part-time or full-time curfews, flexible working hours at workplaces, working from home or rotating shifts have been taken worldwide. In educational institutions, practices such as interrupting face-to-face education and continuing education through distance education have been implemented (Doghonadze et al. , 2020; Gupta & Goplani, 2020; Atiles et al. 2021) . These events h

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study comprehensively examines pre-service preschool teachers’ perspectives on distance education through their metaphorical perceptions and views during the Covid-19 pandemic process.

How was the research designed and analyzed?

A phenomenology design was used. The study group consisted of 150 pre-service teachers from Afyon Kocatepe University (2020–2021 fall semester), and content analysis was applied to their views and metaphorical perceptions.

What metaphors did most participants use to describe compulsory distance education?

Most pre-service teachers used negative metaphors to describe the compulsory distance education process caused by the pandemic, while fewer teachers used positive metaphors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel