Challenges to literacy after the COVID-19 pandemic

three moments of school reopening

Abstract

This article presents findings from a qualitative study conducted through an online questionnaire and focus groups with teachers of the early years of elementary education (1st to 3rd grades), focusing on the return to in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is part of the AlfaRede project and, in this article, includes data from the Southern Region of Brazil, particularly the state of Rio Grande do Sul, aiming to analyze how teachers experienced the return to in-person teaching between May 2021 and March 2022. The questionnaire data reveal that teachers perceived student attendance to be satisfactory but assessed children’s reading and writing skills as average. The analysis of the experiences of five teachers from the municipality of Rio Grande made it possible to identify aspects related to three significant moments in the return to in-person learning: the first, when attendance was optional, with the continuation of emergency remote teaching; the second, when in-person activities became mandatory in the state of Rio Grande do Sul; and the third, when student attendance at schools was compulsory. These phases were marked by student absenteeism, work overload, lack of teacher training, and heightened heterogeneity among students. The data underscore a lack of public policy support, and teachers had to develop strategies and actions – alone or with peers – to promote student well-being and address learning recovery. In doing so, they assumed the responsibility of ensuring children’s right to literacy.