A new study from Mary Immaculate College (MIC) has found that current classes of junior infants may not be faring as well as children born before the pandemic, according to their teachers.
The research, ‘Infants of the Pandemic: Teacher Perspectives on the Early Development and School Readiness of Children Starting School in September 2024’, conducted by MIC academics, Dr Suzanne Egan and Dr Jennifer Pope, revealed that the 81% of teachers surveyed said they have more pupils now with emotional and behavioural issues compared to pre-pandemic times.
The online survey was completed by 107 junior infant class teachers from around Ireland (teaching over 2,000 pupils overall) during December 2024. The survey aimed to find out if experiencing the pandemic during infancy might have influenced later development when starting school. The teachers were asked questions how their current class of junior infants (aged 4-6 years) were faring, and how they compared with previous classes they taught before the pandemic. These children spent the early months of their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the resulting lockdowns and social restrictions.
Overall, the findings suggest the teachers felt there may be differences in the skills and capabilities of children starting school in September 2024 compared with those who started school before the pandemic. Where differences were noted, they tended to highlight more difficulties for the children now, suggesting that the current cohort of junior infants were less ‘ready’ to start school than previous cohorts.
In relation to social and emotional issues, teachers described this academic year’s junior infants as having more separation anxiety from their parents, more anxiety in general and less emotional regulation. Around 42% of teachers also highlighted issues relating to more children starting school without being able to manage personal care. One teacher noted “Children are far less independent coming to school than before the pandemic”. Teachers also noted considerable speech, language and communication difficulties with the children, as well as some difficulties with fine motor control. According to one teacher: “it has been the most challenging class I have had in 27 years of teaching.”
Results also highlighted some of the challenging classroom circumstances that many junior infant teachers are currently facing. For example, over half of junior infant class teachers reported having three children or more in their class with an emotional or behavioural issue (73%), a learning or intellectual disability (52%) or a limited knowledge of the main language of instruction (56%). Many teachers reported having more than five children in their class with these difficulties, with a large percentage of teachers indicating numbers have increased since before the pandemic.
The schools involved represented a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas, with DEIS and non DEIS schools included. Some teachers had as much as 35 years teaching experience.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Suzanne Egan of the Department of Psychology at MIC said: “The issues the teachers have described are concerning, both in terms of child development, and the challenging classroom circumstances for the teachers. It may be that the changes in social contacts or family life in the early months of children’s lives, and since the pandemic, have contributed to the situation. Potentially, missed or delayed developmental checks could also mean that issues weren’t picked up as early as they might have been. More research is needed to fully understand the nature and extent of the issues, and to determine the causes.”
Report co-author, Dr Jennifer Pope of the Department of Reflective Pedagogy and Early Childhood Studies, noted that “these findings highlight the potential long lasting and wide-ranging effects of the pandemic and restrictions on our youngest citizens. We know that without early interventions and supports, that gaps can widen and developmental delays can worsen over the course of childhood. Through this research, teachers have expressed significant concerns and challenges that require further investment and supports to ensure that schools are also ‘ready’ for young children”.
More details of the study and key findings are available here.
Research undertaken by the two MIC academics was also featured in an award-winning book on children’s play during the COVID pandemic. Dr Egan was the principal investigator of the COVID-19 study Play and Learning in the Early Years (PLEY), which was featured in the book Play in a Covid Frame: Everyday Pandemic Creativity in a Time of Isolation—recently awarded the prestigious 2024 Iona and Peter Opie Prize by the American Folklore Society. The study included the contributory research of Dr Pope and recent PhD graduates from the Department of Psychology, Dr Clara Hoyne and Dr Chloe Beatty. This prize is awarded every two years to the best recently published scholarly book on children’s folklore. The title of the chapter by MIC researchers is ‘How Young Children Played during COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020 in Ireland: Findings from the Play and Learning in the Early Years (PLEY) Study’.
