Table 8.

Preschool teachers’ views of the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on preschool education (n = 30)

Theme	Category	Code	Quotations
Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on preschool education	Negative	Social development (n = 16)	“The pandemic has impacted social development.” Halil “My kid is sorry that he’s departed from his friends.”
		School adaptation (n = 10)	“Students were just getting used to school, but I feel like we are back to square one with the closure and all.” Filiz “My kid was growing a liking to school and getting used to it, but the pandemic’s put a halt to that.” Selver
		Student-student interaction (n = 10)	“My daughter was upset that she had to part from friends.” Gül “My kid loved going to school and spending time with his classmates, but the pandemic has changed that.” Naz
		Preparation for primary school (n = 9)	“Preschool education is critical for primary school preparation, but I think pandemic has affected that process profoundly.” Gülsüm
		Teaching basic concepts (n = 6)	“The most important aspect of preschool education is that kids get to learn basic concepts, but the pandemic has put a halt to that.” Nalan “My kid missed the chance of learning things she was supposed to learn, but she’s going to need those things in the future.” Eda
		Emotional development (n = 6)	“I think that pandemic affects children’s mental health a lot.” Nurhan “She is sorry that she’s been away from school and friends.” Sude
		Preschool teacher-student interaction (n = 5)	“My son misses his preschool teacher.” Demet “It was upsetting for my daughter to be separated from her teacher. We call her all the time.” Bilgin
		Core skills (n = 4)	“I think that the pandemic has prevented kids from learning the skills they were supposed to learn.” Emine “My kid was supposed to develop different skills during this period, but she can’t do that now.” Nil
		Face to face education (n = 2)	“Kids need to learn face to face, but the pandemic wouldn’t allow that to happen.” Sude “Preschoolers learn things together with their teachers. It’s hard for them to learn online.” Bilge
		Academic performance (n = 1)	“The pandemic has a negative impact on academic performance.” Beyza
	Positive	Parent-student interaction (n = 1)	“One perk of the pandemic is that we get to have fun together.” Nazlı