Learning losses of middle school students during the pandemic according to teachers' views

This qualitative case study aims to investigate the learning losses that emerged among middle school students during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the transition to face-to-face education, learning losses have begun to be observed among students. As part of this study, interviews were conducted with 32 middle school teachers who were at the forefront during this period to investigate the presence of learning losses, their underlying causes, and consequences. In addition, in the interviews conducted with teachers, the measures that had already been implemented and those that were deemed necessary by the teachers for the compensation of learning losses were investigated. Among the findings, it is observed that learning losses vary among students and occur for various reasons, that remote education is one of the main reasons for learning losses, and that the inequality of opportunity among students is an important factor in the differentiation of these losses. Additionally, it was found out that teachers were also negatively affected by the delay in the curriculum, regression in previous educational levels, lack of motivation, and additional workload. The findings of this study, which aim to identify suitable solutions for compensating learning losses in order to ensure the continued quality of education, are considered of utmost importance. Keywords: Learning loss, Covid-19 pandemic, distance education