Pandemic Childhoods Cultural Narratives of Developmental Change among Preschool Children in Central Europe

Abstract

In Central Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered cultural perceptions of early childhood. The disruptions experienced by preschool children—situated at the intersection of care, play, and learning—extended beyond educational impacts to affect the moral and emotional frameworks of the developmental process. This study examined how families and educators interpreted these changes by integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence. It identifies three developmental-cultural domains based on a nationally representative parental survey [N = 1,769] conducted by the XY Institute for Pediatrics and 18 international studies analysed using constructivist grounded theory coding. These domains include learning, associated with self-regulation and autonomy; sociability, linked to empathy and emotional control; and embodiment, related to movement, vitality and health. Consistent patterns emerged in the factor and cluster analyses, while Pareto filtering highlighted the most pertinent "red flags": reduced attention, emotional instability, and digital dependence. Culturally interpreted, these results suggest that COVID-19 has prompted a renegotiation of social expectations regarding what constitutes "normal" development. We applied grounded theory to statistical modelling to facilitate more interpretive perspectives on cultural change.