Preschool Environment: Teacher Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ghana

Cecilia Obeng, Salome Amissah-Essel, Frederica Jackson and Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi
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Cecilia Obeng: Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Heath, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Salome Amissah-Essel: Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast TF0494, Ghana
Frederica Jackson: Department of Applied Health Science, School of Public Heath, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi: Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Background: In Ghana, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the government’s decision to shut down schools for nearly nine months. This study explores the experiences of preschool teachers in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was carried out using the Qualitative Description approach and aspects of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Twenty-five teachers agreed to carry out face-to-face interviews with the researchers. An audio recorder device was used to record the interviews, with each interview lasting between 35–55 min. The analysis was carried out by two researchers who served as coders, and MAXQDA 2022 (VERBI Software GmbH) was used to do the analysis. Results: All twenty-five participants indicated their awareness of COVID-19. Participants said they were so “Scared” when they heard about COVID-19 that it could spell the doom for all humanity. Participants also talked about the extra workload that came upon them as a result of the pandemic and the “financial challenges” that they went through during the pandemic because they had no income since they were not teaching. Study participants indicated that one benefit of the pandemic was the heightened awareness of the need to practice hygienic behavior in their classroom. Conclusion: Participants’ beliefs about the virus being lethal led to mask wearing and the practice of hygienic behavior. Thus, although the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the emotional and financial status of the studied participants, a positive outcome was the participants’ awareness of the need to practice positive health behavior, which will contribute to the overall health and safety of everyone in the preschool environment.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ghana; preschool; pandemic; health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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