Australian Early Childhood Education Research Articles

Theory-informed beliefs in early childhood education: contradictions in child development theories and models of play

ABSTRACT Theory-informed practice has a long tradition within the profession of early childhood education in Australia and internationally. Aligned with longstanding policy and curriculum in Australia, the profession has seen a prominence of resources informed by biological, behaviourism/socio-behaviourist, social learning, psycho-genetic, cultural-historical, critical and poststructuralist theories. Despite the plethora of theories being supported within early childhood education and care, little research has been directed to determining if and how educators use theory to inform their play practices. This paper takes up the challenge by surveying 200 Australian early childhood educators about the theories that were most relevant to their practices and the models of play that informed their day-to-day work in centres. Higher qualified educators were informed most by cultural-historical theory whilst technically qualified educators were more guided by social learning theory. Playwork was the model of play found to be most familiar to all educators. However, the results also show a limited alignment between theories of learning and development and models of play, suggesting an interesting contradiction in understandings of educators that is worthy of further research.

Profiles of Professional Wellbeing and Turnover Intentions Among Australian Early Childhood Educators

ABSTRACT Research Findings: To explore distinct professional-wellbeing subgroups and variations in turnover intentions, we examined the factor structure of the Early Childhood Professional Wellbeing Questionnaire (McMullen et al., 2020), which was completed online by 368 Australian early childhood educators. Based on educators’ scores on the Belonging and Connection, Impact Evaluation and Safety factors, we identified five professional-wellbeing subgroups who varied in job satisfaction, consideration of resigning, and intention to leave the field. Subgroup differences suggest that a decreased sense of safety from high to average as well as a below-average sense of belonging, connection and safety contribute to turnover intentions. Also, educators with low professional wellbeing have a poor sense of belonging and connection, a negative view of their professional impact and weak job satisfaction. Practice or Policy: Further studies exploring early childhood educator wellbeing subgroup differences in psychological health and attitudes to teaching and learning, the impact of external factors including professional roles and leadership support and broader systemic influences, as well as variation in the effects of wellbeing interventions are needed. Such research will provide a useful framework for developing policies and practices that address the complex, multifaceted nature of educators’ wellbeing and help combat threats to their wellbeing.

Opening up and closing down teachers’ political dialogues: Dialectic and dialogic strategic orientations

This paper employs Mikhail Bakhtin for a dialogic reading of dialectics, conceptualising how early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ political dialogues are opened up and closed down. Explorations of ‘political dialogue’, or how teachers respond to issues they deem of political concern, is pertinent for teaching’s inherently political nature. How such encounters are opened and closed has special significance for ECE teachers, who have expressed feeling professionally and politically silenced. Guided by a philosophical framing of the contradictions and jostling interplays between dialogism’s in-betweenness and dialectic’s one-ness, excerpts are analysed from a doctoral study involving 10 Victorian, Australian ECE teachers. This framing and analysis signal the potential ramifications of a dialectical closing down of ECE teachers’ political dialogues in addition to how dialogism’s in-betweenness fosters openness. Contemplating these language strategies, the paper highlights how a silencing divisiveness may transpire, prompting a need for genuine listening in the threshold in-between the self and other.

Australian early childhood educators’ perspectives on digital teaching of geometry: The pedagogical enablers and barriers

Although studies have investigated the enablers and barriers of digital teaching and learning of STEM, the integration of digital technologies into teaching geometry – one of the main mathematical concepts, is frequently ignored and does not garner much scholarly attention. To fill this specific gap, this small-scale qualitative study explored the perspectives of four early childhood educators who have successful experience in using digital technologies in the teaching and learning of geometry with preschool-age children. The analysis of data uncovered early childhood educators’ effective pedagogical practices of digital geometry teaching while discussing the pedagogical benefits and challenges of embedding digital educational materials in geometric teaching. The findings of this research can particularly contribute to a qualitative lens of practically utilising digital technologies in engaging children in explorative geometric learning, which thereby provides valuable information for early childhood stakeholders to take into consideration in digital pedagogies of geometry education.

Professional Learning Supporting Multilingual Children’s Social and Emotional Development in Diverse Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings

AbstractThis research examined the conditions under which codesigned approaches to educator professional learning in multilingual, birth to five settings were accessible and supportive of children’s social and emotional development across diverse types of Australian early childhood services. The research sites, in the suburbs of a capital city, comprised a long day childcare center, two short term informal community creches for birth to 5-year-old children of migrants and refugees attending English classes, and a family hub short term informal community creche for children of Afghan refugees. Professional learning mentors visited the participating sites eight times for 2 h every 2 weeks for 16 Weeks in 2021, demonstrating resources and strategies to assist young children to identify their own and others’ emotions and engage with social settings. Over 20 weeks, 97 participants provided data, commencing before and extending after the professional learning program. Participants included professional learning mentors, staff and volunteers, parents, and children via observation. Using Reggio Emilia principles, the research identified that professional learning, flexibly delivered over time, enabled educators and volunteers to build their social and emotional development knowledge, and to try resources and strategies with children in their care. Recruiting educators who shared children’s home or community languages, in addition to professional learning, supported multilingual children to engage with emotional literacy resources, while still developing spoken English. The research affirmed that educators, volunteers, parents, and children benefitted from a sustained focus on children’s social and emotional development in the early childhood education and care settings.

Photographs of Play: Narratives of Teaching

Research affirms positive results between children’s play and academic success. While play is heavily featured within the early childhood curriculum, limited studies have explored how play is actually implemented within early years settings. The aim of this study was to enhance children’s play and learning by using photographs to explore play-related pedagogical practices of early childhood teachers in Australia over time. Using visual narrative inquiry, three families participated (mother and child) and shared school photos of the mother in an early childhood context and the current child in an early childhood context. The photos were analysed with a visual analysis approach to understand play and teaching across the two time periods. Key findings revealed what has changed and what has become part of the foundation of play in Australian early childhood education. Findings are important to expand the current understanding of play and the historical perspectives of play.

Forms of disrespect: Toddler's peer conflicts in early childhood education and care

This article discusses the ways in which toddlers carry out forms of disrespect during peer conflicts in Australian and Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. We investigate forms of disrespect in naturally occurring peer interactions by applying interaction analysis and Honneth’s theory of recognition. Drawing on Honneth , our study provides an empirical foundation for examining what leads to toddlers’ disrespectful acts. Our analysis shows that, especially outside adults’ view, disrespect in peer conflicts disrupts the fundamental preferences for peer agreement, alignment and affiliation. It threatens the norms of peaceable conduct, and so can be seen as a challenge to the social and moral order. A toddler's struggles for recognition arise from exclusion from play and the violation of the toddler's body. Implications arising from this research highlight the role of adults in identifying different forms of disrespect that occur in peer groups.

STEM in Australian Early Childhood Education

STEM in Australian Early Childhood Education

Irreconcilable knowledges?: A way forward

This article considers the realm of knowledge in early childhood education (ECE); what knowledge is valued, and how different types of knowledge position children and educators. To this end, two different examples of practice informed by different types of knowledge are provided: one from an educator working in a long day care service (Duncan) and a second, a national assessment of young children’s development, the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). The two examples reflect practices that one might see in Australian ECE settings, and due to governance and regulations, both illustrations could be evident in the same context. Using a dialogic approach we provide an insight into the requirements of the everyday work of educators and the disparate and often irreconcilable understandings of knowledge that inform their everyday work. We conclude with some suggestions for more equitable approaches and identify some of the challenges of attempting to do this.

Understanding reform discourses in complex times of change: Positions and practices of early childhood professionals from Victorian kindergarten settings

Australian early childhood education and care [ECEC] has faced a series of change and reform since 2009, including the introduction and later revisions of key curriculum and qualify frameworks, increased qualifications, shifting theoretical knowledge and pedagogies, and challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, early childhood professionals [ECPs] have been confronted with a succession of substantial changes impacting their professional practice. This paper reports on a qualitative, post-structural study identifying workplace and learning discourses as key influences for the reform engagement of eleven ECPs from kindergarten settings in Victoria, Australia. Foucauldian Discourse Analysis [FDA] revealed specific subjective positions and discursive practices among participants. Recommendations are offered to address issues related to the uptake of reform initiatives. It is anticipated that these findings may generate greater opportunities to support our existing, emerging and future generations of ECPs as they lead the transformation of ECEC and transition through complex times of uncertainty.

Dissemination of public health research evidence and guidelines to Australian Early Childhood Education and Care staff: Views about source, content and format.

Effective dissemination of public health research and evidence-based guidelines to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) staff is critical for promoting research transfer and uptake and achieving positive outcomes for children. A cross-sectional study was conducted during August 2021 to March 2022, with a sub-sample of Australian ECEC services participating in a larger survey completed online and via Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview. Survey items assessed: influential source for receiving research, type of content that would influence decisions to adopt research and preferred formats for receiving research. Overall, 993 service managers or staff from 1984 (50.0%) invited and eligible services completed the larger survey. Of these, 463 randomly allocated services (46.7%) had staff complete the dissemination items. The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, ECEC agencies and Government Departments were most frequently selected as influential sources of research evidence. Staff were most interested in content providing evidence-based recommendations for future actions and descriptions of health issues addressed. Workshops or conferences and webinars were the preferred format for receiving research. Findings highlight the importance of tailoring dissemination strategies to meet ECEC staff needs and engaging influential sources to disseminate research evidence. SO WHAT?: Understanding dissemination preferences of ECEC staff is crucial for supporting uptake of evidence-based health promotion in this setting. By developing tailored strategies based on ECEC preferences, research transfer and evidence-based decision making can be supported more effectively. These findings contribute to bridging the evidence-practice gap and improving the quality of care and health outcomes for children in ECEC settings.

Implementation of healthy eating and physical activity practices in Australian early childhood education and care services: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe monitoring of healthy eating and physical activity environments is recommended to support population health. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are a key setting to deliver obesity prevention strategies as they reach the majority of children aged under five years and have existing supporting infrastructure. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to i) describe the prevalence of implementation of evidence-based healthy eating and physical activity practices in an Australian sample of ECEC services, and ii) examine associations between implementation of practices and service characteristics. MethodsA random sample of 2,100 centre-based ECEC services across Australia were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey online or via telephone (August 2021-April 2022). Service characteristics and implementation of 18 evidence-based healthy eating and physical activity practices were assessed. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed regression analyses were performed. ResultsA total of 1,028 (51.8%) eligible services participated. The healthy eating and physical activity practices with the lowest prevalence of implementation were related to encouraging children to consume age-appropriate beverages (17.9%) and providing families with child physical activity education via workshops or meetings (14.6%), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the implementation of healthy eating practices by service characteristics, with long day care services implementing significantly more practices than preschools (p < 0.01). ConclusionThere is room to improve the implementation of evidence-based healthy eating and physical activity practices ECEC services. Implementation efforts should be directed towards preschools.

Outdoor Time, Space, and Restrictions Imposed on Children's Play in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings during the COVID Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Educators' Perspective.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on children's access to the outdoors in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. An online survey comprised of a standardised scale and questions used in previous related studies was completed by 143 early childhood educators across Australia. Participants were asked to report children's time spent outdoors, access to outdoor space, and restrictions imposed on children's play during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. The survey responses were imported into SPSS for descriptive, correlation, and ordinal regression analyses. We examined the relationship between children's outdoor time, space, restrictions imposed on children's play, and educators' characteristics, such as qualifications, professional development, and tolerance of risk or staff-child ratios during the pandemic in Australia. Most educators reported that children's outdoor time and access to outdoor space remained the same compared to before the pandemic, while imposed restrictions on children's outdoor play increased. The results of ordinal regressions indicated that educators with a higher tolerance of risk were less likely to impose additional restrictions on children's outdoor play. The findings contribute to the understanding of how educators' tolerance of risk influences children's outdoor play opportunities and provide directions for future risk-reframing interventions.

Teacher Planning and Curriculum Frameworks: A Case Study of ECEC Practice in Australia

AbstractResearch indicates an uneasy fit between curriculum frameworks and practice. In this paper, we explore the more subtle practices of context, providing insights into why teachers plan the way they do. Specifically, we examine the Australian early childhood education and care curriculum framework and local practices by analysing teacher planning templates and interviews. Using Bourdieusian tools of field and habitus, we investigate how early childhood teachers plan their programs by selectively adapting curriculum frameworks. Our case study approach uncovers a range of influences on teacher planning and how local practices reflect broader national agendas for young children.

Relations between early childhood educators’ qualifications and experience and their beliefs about mathematics education for babies and toddlers

Cognition research has demonstrated that babies, from birth, can detect numerical correspondences and abstract properties of objects and events. However, this limited existing research is often distant from educational practice, and thus, this information may be inaccessible to early childhood educators; most of whom hold pre-Bachelor level qualifications. This quantitative study reports on a survey of 466 Australian early childhood educators to examine what relationships may exist between educators’ qualifications and experience in the profession, and their beliefs about mathematics education for babies and toddlers. Findings show that although most educators have strong, positive beliefs about mathematics education for very young children, there are significant differences in beliefs about when mathematical ideas develop in children found between educators without Bachelor level qualifications and those with Bachelor and post-graduate qualifications. Our findings lend support to Australia’s sustained quality improvement agenda for the early childhood educator sector and point to the benefits of Bachelor level teaching qualifications for establishing strong foundations in mathematics education.

Tracing the interconnectedness of early childhood educators’ professional capital

PurposeSince the early 2000s there has been increased attention on the professionalisation of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce in many OECD countries. This study focuses on what Australian early childhood educators holding the lowest level of qualification – Certificate III are experiencing in relation to their professional capital in a sector that is experiencing wide-spread and ongoing reform. The study identifies the human capital, social capital and decisional capital of these educators, then explores the interconnections.Design/methodology/approachThis paper was funded by the Australian Research Council. The qualitative data consider the capabilities of certificate-qualified educators and how these are enabled or constrained within the workplace. The corpus of data for this study consists of 14 interviews with Certificate III-qualified educators from three locations across Victoria, Australia. Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) forms of professional capital (human, social and decisional) act as organisers for the themes identified through a thematic analysis.FindingsThemes identified in the data speak to inequity in access to professional learning, the valuing of life experiences, clear divisions of labour that impact what knowledge is valued, and differences in educator agency in the decision-making process. Many certificate-qualified educators experience a workplace culture that lacks trust in an individual’s professional competence and does not appreciate collegial knowledge and skill building as a collective enterprise.Originality/valueThe conceptual framing of this study provides a unique way to explore the experiences of certificate-trained educators. The study introduces the idea of using exploratory categories and the identification of levels of human, social and decisional capital. This type of study involving this cohort of educators is unique.

Feasibility and Potential Benefits of the Observe, Reflect, Improve Children’s Learning (ORICL) Tool: Perspectives of Infant–Toddler Educators

This article discusses infant–toddler educators’ perspectives of using the Observe, Reflect, Improve Children’s Learning tool (ORICL) in practice. ORICL is a new tool informed by implementation science and co-designed with Australian early childhood education and care policy-makers, practitioners, and service providers. It aims to support infant–toddler educators to observe, reflect on, assess, and improve the quality of individual children’s learning experiences. Twenty-one educators working in Australian long day care and family day care services participated in the study, with a total of 66 ORICLs being completed for children ranging from 7 to 33 months of age. Educators also participated in an interview to share their experiences of using ORICL in practice. Findings show that ORICL enhanced educators’ understandings of infants’ and toddlers’ learning, development and wellbeing, and educators’ critical reflection. ORICL also helped educators to notice interactions, document and plan for children’s learning, and communicate children’s learning to others.

Early Childhood Educators' Professional Learning for Sustainability Through Action Research in Australian Immersive Nature Play Programmes

In this paper, I provide insights into how action research influenced the movement of Australian early childhood educators' worldviews, identities, and their agency in relation to education for sustainability (EfS) in natural outdoor settings. This was integral to a larger study that explored early childhood educators' understandings of a nature-sustainability nexus and its influence on their pedagogies in Australian immersive nature play programmes. The findings indicated personal transformations for some participants as individuals and as teams of early childhood professionals, resulting in new discourses for EfS-with others engaging in an ongoing journey of disrupting dominant anthropocentric ways of thinking.

Educator perspectives on embedding Acknowledgement to Country practices in early learning centres in Australia

This article explores the practices of ‘Acknowledgement to Country’ in Australian early childhood education contexts. Acknowledgement is a process of seeking out and honouring local Aboriginal Country and knowledge and investing in local resources of language, art, stories, nature and songs. Twenty educators across six early learning centres participated in semi-structured interviews to explore the experience, processes and resources that supported the implementation of Acknowledgement practices. Acknowledgement practices were not limited to a daily protocol but embedded in each centre’s physical place and programming. Wanting to be respectful yet fearing offending Aboriginal people, most educators expressed feelings of uncertainty and under-confidence about what to do. Developing relationships with local Aboriginal people and identifying resources were also concerns. Acting from the heart with good intentions was regarded as a way forward together, with commitment, resources and a strong distributed pedagogical leadership culture, where educators felt supported to take small yet foundational steps.

The role of digital technologies in supporting quality improvement in Australian early childhood education and care settings

This national study explored the role of digital technologies in early childhood education and care settings and whether they could contribute to quality improvement as reported by educators and assessors of quality in Australia. In this paper, data from Stage 2 of the Quality Improvement Research Project were used, which comprised 60 Quality Improvement Plans from educators linked with 60 Assessment and Rating reports from the assessors who visited early childhood centres as part of the administration of the National Quality Standards by each of Australia’s State and Territory jurisdictions. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory ( Bronfenbrenner, U. (1995).Developmental ecology through space and time: A future perspective. In P. Moen, G.H. Elder, Jr., & K. Lüscher (Eds.), Examining lives in context: Perspectives on the ecologyof human development (pp. 619–647). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10176-018; Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, Bronfenbrenner and Ceci, Psychological Review 101:568–586, 1994) was adopted to facilitate a systemic and dynamic view on the use of digital technologies in these 60 ECEC settings. References (e.g. comments/ suggestions/ examples) made by the educators about the implementation of digital technologies were counted and thematically analysed. Results revealed the strong role new technologies (e.g. documentation and management platforms, tablets, apps, etc.) play in the majority of ECEC settings and especially in relation to three of the seven Quality Areas: Educational programme and practice (Quality Area 1); Collaborative partnerships with families and communities (Quality Area 6) and Governance and leadership (Quality Area 7). Future directions for research are suggested and implications for embracing a more holistic, integrated and broad view on the use of digital technologies are discussed.