A Grounded Theory on Creativity, Collaboration, and Innovation in Preschool Education

The purpose of this paper is to focus on approaches that could build a didactic framework for School-Age Educare Centres (SAECs). As a theoretical basis and a research field, didactics exists within many disciplines (e.g., education in natural sciences and preschool). This is not the case within the SAEC. While a lot of research has been devoted to subject didactics, there is a lack of research on didactics in SAECs, and the marginal research that exists shows a fragmented picture of what it could consist of. However, researchers in the field agree that didactics in SAECs is something else than subject didactics and differs from general didactics. Our aim in this paper is to suggest and discuss how a didactic framework in SAECs could be conceptualized with an intention in the near future to find the specific didactics that distinguishes the work in SAECs. The proposed design involves theory building/testing with a bottom-up perspective and various data collection methods. Because building a didactic theory for SAECs is the intention, the research process will take informed grounded theory (GT) as its methodological starting point. The empirical material will be related to the two dominant didactic frameworks: the German and the Anglo-Saxon. This framework will also be critically reviewed in relation to the activities in SAECs. The results will contribute important knowledge to the development of a relevant and useful didactic theory for SAECs. The practical implications are directly relevant to every stakeholder affected by the SAECs’ activities: policy actors, staff, students, and researchers. In the long term, we will be able to find a legitimate platform for didactics in SAECs, which will have concrete importance for professionals and researchers in particular. The purpose of this paper is to focus on approaches that could build a didactic framework for School-Age Educare Centres (SAECs). As a theoretical basis and a research field, didactics exists within many disciplines (e.g., education in natural sciences and preschool). This is not the case within the SAEC. While a lot of research has been devoted to subject didactics, there is a lack of research on didactics in SAECs, and the marginal research that exists shows a fragmented picture of what it could consist of. However, researchers in the field agree that didactics in SAECs is something else than subject didactics and differs from general didactics. Our aim in this paper is to suggest and discuss how a didactic framework in SAECs could be conceptualized with an intention in the near future to find the specific didactics that distinguishes the work in SAECs. The proposed design involves theory building/testing with a bottom-up perspective and various data collection methods. Because building a didactic theory for SAECs is the intention, the research process will take informed grounded theory (GT) as its methodological starting point. The empirical material will be related to the two dominant didactic frameworks: the German and the Anglo-Saxon. This framework will also be critically reviewed in relation to the activities in SAECs. The results will contribute important knowledge to the development of a relevant and useful didactic theory for SAECs. The practical implications are directly relevant to every stakeholder affected by the SAECs’ activities: policy actors, staff, students, and researchers. In the long term, we will be able to find a legitimate platform for didactics in SAECs, which will have concrete importance for professionals and researchers in particular.

Parental preschool choices and challenges when young children and their families experience homelessness

The purpose of this study is to analyze pedagogical experiences of a playful nature implemented by Preschool Educators at the level of learning and development of socio-emotional skills in early childhood in the province of Osorno, Chile. From the methodological point of view, the research is carried out under a qualitative research approach, with a descriptive and interpretive analysis perspective, producing information through an open questionnaire and a focus group with Preschool Educators belonging to educational institutions with some degree of state funding. The methodological perspective of analysis is the Grounded Theory of Glaser and Strauss with contributions from Corbin (Schettini & Cortazzo, 2015). The research has been structured in phases; the first of them is a theoretical and conceptual approach, a second, of a contextual descriptive nature and the third, of analysis of results and discussion. In conclusion, the importance and benefits of the Playful Pedagogical Experience (EPL) within the teaching and learning process of girls and boys are evidenced, responding to their characteristics and needs, which generates various benefits to enhance curiosity, development , the willingness to learn, socialization, creativity and imagination in a learning context and the comprehensive development of socio-emotional skills, which allow learning to be protagonists in a playful context.

To investigate the influencing factors and model construction of preschool teachers’ safety and emergency literacy. Methods: Using grounded theory methods to perform three-level coding and analysis of 12-person interview data, extract the factors that affect the safety and emergency literacy of preschool teachers, and construct a framework with four dimensions of individual factors, kindergarten factors, preschool teacher education factors, and social factors. The theoretical model is based on the ten core qualities of personal safety emergency awareness, personal safety emergency knowledge, personal safety emergency capability, assessment management, garden training, homeland cooperation, curriculum settings, excellent teachers, special training, and media orientation. Conclusion: Under the guidance of preschool teachers’ safety and emergency literacy, preschool education personnel training should create a good atmosphere of respecting and advocating the safety and emergency spirit in practice, build talent training goals based on ten core literacy, and implement preschool centered on the learning field The concept of educational curriculum development, the implementation of learning and education organized by practice groups, and the improvement of the project teaching system of deep integration of pre-service education and post-service education.

Several studies have identified the nature and characteristics of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) in primary and secondary education teachers, but research in the field of preschool education is almost non-existent. Empirical evidence of the impact that this type of behavior has on the functioning of any organization and the particularities of the roles of preschool teachers in relation to those of other teachers, justify conducting studies on this topic with early childhood education professionals. This paper presents the conclusions of a qualitative study carried out with public and private preschool teachers. The organizational citizenship behaviors performed by these professionals are identified, as well as personal and contextual factors that influence them. The data was collected in interviews with preschool teachers and was analyzed following the Grounded Theory procedures, in particular the constant comparison technique (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). In a second moment, the data was discussed with different participants in a focus group. Data analysis indicates that although preschool teachers tend to view most of the activities they develop as central dimensions of their specific professionality, therefore not describing them as OCBs, it is possible to identify some forms of OCBs specific to preschool teachers, either at the professional level (pedagogical and/or organizational) and at the interpersonal level (activities focused on the relationship with children and families). Major divergences were identified in the dimension of providing care.

As a key component of educational modernization, the core of enhancing preschool education quality lies in the professional development of teachers. Although the current kindergarten teacher training system in China plays an important role in building the teaching workforce, its theoretical framework still lags behind practical exploration. In contrast, developed countries, with their mature education systems and advanced educational philosophies, have accumulated rich experience in kindergarten teacher training. Therefore, this study uses the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore as case studies and applies grounded theory methods along with Nvivo 11 Plus software to code and analyze literature, systematically deconstructing the content system and organizational models of kindergarten teacher training in developed countries. The study finds that the five countries generally construct curriculum frameworks oriented around core competencies, emphasizing the deep integration of practical skills and theoretical knowledge. Additionally, they adopt phased, multi-subject collaborative training models that effectively meet the professional development needs of teachers. Based on these findings, the study proposes four recommendations: (1) constructing a "competency-based" content system; (2) promoting a "multi-cooperative" organizational model; (3) improving the "dynamic closed-loop" quality assurance mechanism; and (4) focusing on "special groups" and "emerging fields," to provide theoretical and practical paths for the systematic reform of kindergarten teacher training in China.