Diagnosing Learning Losses and Developing Effective Strategies: Insights from Educators

Learning loss indicates reduced knowledge and abilities, or delays in academic advancement, resulting from prolonged breaks or disruptions. Several individual and environmental factors affecting the educational process constitute an essential cause of learning loss in students. In recent years, crises such as the pandemic and earthquake in our country have profoundly affected the educational process and caused severe student learning losses. This study aims to evaluate whether teachers' awareness of learning losses at the primary school level and the intervention strategies they apply to identify and eliminate them. In this research, a case study approach was implemented as one of the qualitative research methods, with data gathered through an open-ended interview. This study used a mixed-purpose sampling method. In this context, convenience and maximum diversity sampling techniques were used to determine the participants. 29 primary school teachers from different regions of Türkiye who teach at different grade levels participated in the study. Descriptive and content analysis techniques were employed for data analysis. The study's findings showed that teachers had superficial knowledge about learning losses. Still, they did not have enough knowledge about the intervention strategies that should be implemented for students facing learning challenges. It was revealed that teachers needed more professional training in terms of preparing and implementing intervention programs to prevent learning losses.