Early Childhood Development Teachers Research Articles

Factors that Affect the Implementation of Early Childhood Development Programmes in Zimbabwe

This study investigates the factors that affect the implementation of Early Childhood Development Programes (ECD). The random sample consisted of 12 primary school heads and 12 Early Childhood Development teachers in the Chiwundura Circuit. The research used a descriptive survey design. Random sampling was used to select respondents. Data was collected through questionnaires and semi- structured interviews. Frequency tables and descriptive statistics were used to present, analyse and interpret data. The results of the study indicated that the qualifications of teachers affected their ability to deliver effective lessons. Large classes reduced teacher-pupil interaction. The study also revealed that teachers and parents had positive attitudes towards Early Childhood Development programmes. This benefited learners when they received support from teachers and parents. Furthermore, the study revealed that lack of resources affected teaching and learning processes. Lack of qualified teachers affected professional conduct of Early Childhood Development programmes. The children were vulnerable to deprivation of appropriate experiences because ECD centres were not well equipped. Major recommendations were that para-professionals engaged in ECD programmes should have 5 O level passes. Furthermore para professionals should be paid salaries similar to those of temporary teachers.

Implementing the early childhood development teacher training framework in Uganda: Gains and challenges

Training of quality early childhood development (ECD) teachers is paramount in ensuring quality ECD service provision. This exploratory study focuses on the gains and challenges met in the implementation of the Uganda ECD teacher training framework. Data were obtained using questionnaires and interviews from principals and tutors of ECD teacher training institutions ( n = 106) who participated in a framework familiarization workshop. Results indicated some gains in use of the framework, while other areas still need more support for it to be effectively implemented. Major challenges were found in institutional management and administrative set ups, tutor competencies, and trainee assessment. The article concludes with specific recommendations for technical assistance to promote effective implementation of framework so as to produce better ECD teachers in Uganda.

Factors Influencing Early Childhood Development Teachers’ Motivation in Thika District, Kenya

Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres comprise one of the immediate social and physical environments influencing children’s development, that Bronfenbrenner (1986, 1989) terms Microsystems. The Microsystems are made up of personal qualities of the people therein (particularly teachers) and the physical environments. In order for ECD centres to provide the necessary conditions for children’s holistic development, teachers should be well motivated and physical facilities conducive for working and learning. The sample of the study was comprised of 40 ECD centres and 46 ECD teachers. Preschool Teachers’ Motivation Questionnaire and an observation checklist were used to collect the primary data. Secondary data were obtained from various records in the ECD centres. Among the key findings was the revelation that the motivation levels of more than 50% of the teachers were below average. The study recommended that the Ministry of Education and communities work together to improve ECD teachers’ terms and conditions of service as well as the learning/teaching environment.

Project ASTER III: A Model for Teacher Professional Development Integrating Science Museum Exhibits with State and National Science Education Content Standards

Abstract This article describes Project ASTER III (Active Science Teaching Encourages Reform), a science professional development program for early elementary teachers, which is based on the premise that people learn best by doing. Very few professional development programs focus on early childhood teacher development and how best to integrate informal science centers into teaching. In ASTER III, development teams—consisting of university scientists, science educators, K-3 teachers, and educators from a hands-on science museum—developed 5E lesson plans aligned with the Ohio Academic Content Standards and the National Science Education Standards in conjunction with the museum’s exhibits. This study explores the impact of the ASTER III model on teacher perceptions about the role and effect informal science museum visits have on subsequent teaching and student learning.

Confronting the Contradictions: A Case Study of Early Childhood Teacher Development in Neoliberal Times

As neoliberal polices that emphasize governing the modern state through market-based principles expand across the globe, they are altering the training of early childhood teacher candidates. This creates a range of challenges for those teacher educators who are critical of this reform process. This article presents an instrumental case study that examined the impact of neoliberal education reforms on the development of a sample of early education teacher candidates. Analyzing this case of teacher development offers teacher educators the opportunity to consider the practical and critical steps they might take to better prepare their candidates for these reforms. Doing so will help teacher candidates develop early learning experiences for their children that teach them to become engaged democratic citizens rather than compliant consumers within the neoliberal state.

Differing Discourses on Early Childhood Teacher Development

While there appears to be growing consensus among researchers and national policy advisors about what a preschool teacher is expected to know and be able to do, little is known about the views of those who are expected to enact these standards. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of key stakeholders involved in one state's efforts to create a system of early childhood teacher preparation and professional development. Our aim was to understand both the similarities and differences between current standards and the views of those in the field. The findings reveal several tensions between current policy expectations and what stakeholders view as important for teachers to be able to know and do.

Narrowing the Digital Divide

The Digital Divide originates with inequalities in children’s access to computers. It is deepened by disparities in teacher readiness to use computers for educational purposes. This article describes a computer training program designed to help Head Start teachers develop attitudes, skills, and practices that maximize the educational benefits children gain from computer use in the classroom. Guided by a set of pedagogical principles, the training program achieved its goals. Program teachers gained more confidence, developed more sophisticated computer skills, and applied more extensive classroom practices than teachers who did not participate in the program. Lessons learned from the training program point to key issues in supporting early childhood teacher development in computer technology. Corresponding recommendations for program design are discussed.

Marketised Positioning of Early Childhood: New Contexts for Curriculum and Professional Development in Queensland, Australia

The field of early childhood education is experiencing similar conditions to the rest of the Australian public sector, characterised by a climate of accountability for quality outcomes, emphasis on management at the local level and strong centralisation of control over curriculum and teacher appraisal within a context of significant reduction in public sector government spending. The ideology of the market underpins many of these reform directions, with particular consequences and effects in the early childhood area. This article uses as a focal case study the newly mandated Preschool Curriculum Guidelines for the state of Queensland, Australia, and their accompanying professional development of early childhood teachers and school principals. The outcomes for the professional development have been highly controlled and pre-specified through government departmental scrutiny by a competitive tendering process among potential private providers — all of whom include publicly funded universities as they themselves compete for additional money to justify their new role as entrepreneurs in an increasingly marketised system of higher education. The study focuses on the processes of control for the professional development associated with the new curriculum, with an emphasis on exploring the rhetoric and practices of ‘partnership’ underlying the approved models. The findings of the early phases of the study indicate a limited range of positioning available for early childhood teachers, school principals, and those involved in the delivery of the professional development. The guidelines and professional development activities appear to have expanded the relationships within the care and education sector while constraining the range of positions and relative autonomy of early childhood teachers. This is a significant finding in that this is the first time there have been statewide mandated Curriculum Guidelines and statewide professional development required of early childhood teachers.

The Professional Development of Early Childhood Teachers

The Professional Development of Early Childhood Teachers

Developmental Stages of Preschool Teachers

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).