Tales from the River's Edge: A Narrative Inquiry into ECED Facilitators' Experiences of Flood Disrupted Early Learning, Coping and Resilience

Abstract

There has been an increasing threat posed by floods on the educational experiences of children in resource-limited communities, where schools play significant roles in teaching, learning, care, and protection. Despite earlier studies having mostly addressed issues related to the restoration of infrastructure and educational access following disasters, there has been little emphasis on early childhood learning experiences and on the adaptation practices of both educators and children to disruptions in their learning environments. Thus, this study examined how floods had affected early childhood learning through narratives of educators working in flood affected community schools in Godawari Municipality, Lalitpur. I applied interpretivist framework in my study and generated the information through narrative inquiry. I selected six participants through purposive sampling, including head teachers and ECED facilitators from flood-affected community schools. I did thematic narrative analysis to analyze the generated information from the participants. The findings were substantiated by using Michael Ungar’s socio ecological resilience theory which viewed resilience as a dynamic process of positive adaptation amidst challenging environments, recognizing socio-ecological relationships among them. The study showed that the effects of floods extended beyond disrupting learning by interrupting formal classes. Classrooms and learning materials were destroyed by the flooding, disrupting children’s learning spaces, routine and playtime. The results show that developing resilience in schools is a team process. The flooding has made it harder for the kids to learn, follow rules, play and feel safe. In response to this challenge the teachers were there to protect the kids, help them make friends and help them grow. They contributed to making the setting safe by adapting their teaching, seeking help from family and neighbors and using what was available. The study concluded that the problems with learning after the floods were influenced by a number of factors, including academic, emotional, social and environmental.The study further showed that resilience was not simply an individual feature but was supported by relationships and pedagogies. This study contributed to the existing body of literature on disaster and early childhood education by redefining educational recovery as a multifaceted process rather than a purely physical one. The study suggests that resilience building, disaster preparedness, and psychosocial support need to be integrated within early childhood education policy and practice to increase learning quality in the disaster situation.