Placement during a Pandemic? : Exploring the Experiences & Perspectives of Students Completing Educational Placement during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt on a global scale in nearly every aspect of life, but disruption was particularly observable within the sphere of education. Students engaged in initial teacher education at this time commonly experienced major upheavals within both their academic studies and their practical teaching placements in schools at the community level. This paper presents data collected from a small-scale study conducted at a higher education institution in Ireland and provides insights regarding students’ experiences of completing educational placement requirements in early childhood and primary school settings during the pandemic. A total of 204 participants took part in the study by responding to an online questionnaire. Findings revealed both the challenges and opportunities they faced in their own academic learning, the impact of public health regulations on their teaching practice and performance, and the challenges of work-life imbalance. These insights are examined considering previous research, and the paper concludes with suggestions for future practice