The effect of mandatory distance education on primary read and write education during the COVID-19 epidemic

As a result of the covid-19 epidemic, which is experienced all over the world and can be described as a crisis, social movements have been restricted and life has come to a standstill. The covid-19 epidemic, which spread to all cells of social life and negatively affected them, also affected education very significantly. As a solution, the "distance education system" has been a method that has been started to be implemented almost all over the world. In this research, it is aimed to examine the effect of compulsory distance education, which emerged as a result of the covid-19 epidemic, on primary literacy teaching according to the views of primary school first grade teachers. In the study, the qualitative research method and accordingly case study (descriptive) design were preferred. The typical case sampling method was used as the sampling method in the study. The datas were collected from first grade teachers working in public schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the city center and districts of Tunceli in the 2020-2021 academic year by using a semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher. The collected data were analyzed by content analysis method and the results were discussed and interpreted within the scope of the study. According to the results obtained in the research, the first literacy teaching with distance education can be considered successful in academic sense, but this method cannot be an appropriate method in social and emotional terms, and this aspect is very lacking; It was concluded that the inequality of opportunity due to socioeconomic status and geographical conditions affected the process negatively, and the necessary infrastructure and equipment should be provided for students to access distance education.