Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Education

Supervisor

Kim, Mi Song

Abstract

This thesis is a systematic literature review focused on educators using multimodality in the early childhood classroom during COVID-19. This thesis collected data from 26 empirical studies published between 2020 to 2024. The research questions are: 1) What are the teachers’ preferences for modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) within early childhood education during COVID-19? 2) What are the effects of multimodality adopted in early childhood classrooms during COVID-19? 3) What challenges do early childhood educators encounter in integrating multimodality into their teaching during COVID-19? Through thematic analyses, this review identified the visual mode that emerged as the most popular modality for teachers in COVID-19. Multimodality was found to enhance meaning expansion, capture students’ attention, and facilitate language learning. The review also found that challenges of integrating multimodality into the classroom can be categorized into three main areas: insufficient resources; inadequate teacher preparation; and children being excluded from technology-based communication. The study concludes with recommendations for future research and practices that aim to support educators’ multimodality practice in early childhood classrooms.

Summary for Lay Audience

This study is a systematic literature review that focused on empirical studies that investigated early childhood education teachers who used multimodality in their classrooms during COVID-19. The research questions are: 1) What are the teachers’ preferences for modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) within early childhood education during COVID-19? 2) What are the effects of multimodality adopted in early childhood classrooms during COVID-19? 3) What challenges do early childhood educators encounter in integrating multimodality into their teaching during COVID-19? Guided by literature search strategies and selecting criteria, this review included 26 studies published in English between 2020 to 2024 from two educational databases. The findings showed that many teachers prefer to use visual material, such as picture books, drawings and images, as part of their practice. The integration of the multimodality showed several benefits. For example, using multiple modes of expression improved meaning-making. Engaging multiple senses and modes of communication simultaneously captured students’ attention and multimodality helped with language learning. The findings also highlighted three main challenges: lack of resources such as technology devices and online learning apps; teacher preparedness prior to the shift in teaching during the pandemic; and trouble with parents, teachers and students’ cooperation. This review intends to provide insights for researchers and educators into multimodality as a pedagogical tool for young children.

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Available for download on Thursday, December 31, 2026

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