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The Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta presented five reports to the University’s Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella in an event held today at the Common Room.

The ECPE Research Group, composed of five female academics, Dr Charmaine Bonello, Dr Rosienne Camilleri, Dr Josephine Deguara, Dr Josephine Milton, and Dr Tania Muscat, presented the reports which are related to studies based on the impact of COVID-19 on the educational system in Malta, otherwise known as Cov-EM.

The five studies took place through surveys in September 2020 and repeated in September 2021, with University students in Initial Teacher Education, educators in early years and primary schools, educational leaders in schools or centres and parents of children in childcare, early and primary education. The study outcomes resulted in five research reports offering perspectives from the key stakeholders in Maltese early, primary and higher education with a focus on three main concepts: teaching and learning, learning spaces, and well-being and relationships.

The reports presented were:

1. The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) Study: Perspectives of University Students in Initial Teacher Education. Research Report 1. Milton, J., Bonello, C., Camilleri, R., Deguara, J. & Muscat, T. (2022)

2. The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) Study: Perspectives of Early Childhood Educators. Research Report 2. Bonello, C., Camilleri, R., Deguara, J., Milton, J. & Muscat, T. (2022).
3. The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) Study: Perspectives of Primary Educators. Research Report 3. Camilleri, R., Bonello, C., Deguara, J., Milton, J. & Muscat, T. (2022).
4. The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) Study: Perspectives of Parents with Children in Early and Primary Education. Research Report 4. Deguara, J., Bonello, C., Camilleri, R., Milton, J. & Muscat, T. (2022).
5. The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) Study: Perspectives of Leaders in Primary Schools, Kindergartens and Childcare Centres. Research Report 5. Muscat, T., Bonello, C., Camilleri, R., Deguara, J., & Milton, J. (2022).

In reaction to this presentation the Rector of the University expressed his gratitude to the efforts taken in exploring the effects of the pandemic on education, which not only affected the local, microenvironment, but also the global scene. “At University, research plays a key role in helping us understand better how various practices function in our daily lives. Education, being one of the pillars of society, was greatly affected during this turbulent time, but it has also proved to be dynamic in its response to the various lockdowns and other negative impacts brought by COVID-19.” Prof. Vella concluded by thanking the ECPE Research Group for the seminal work conducted and looks forward to more research being done in the field of education.