Early Childhood Development And Education Research Articles

Effectiveness of Teacher Supervision Practices in the Implementation of the Early Years Education Program

Early Years Education (EYE) is the crucial stage in the child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. This study, therefore, sought to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher supervision practices in the implementation of the EYE program in the Khwisero Sub-county. The study which targeted key education stakeholders in EYE adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. Stratified random sampling and purposive sampling were used to select 10 schools, 10 head teachers, 10 teachers in charge, 1 program officer, 4 ward representatives and 50 assistant teachers. The questionnaire, interview guide and document analysis guide were used for data collection. Frequency of supervision is key to the effectiveness of teacher supervision practices because it affects the adequacy of teaching resources, the development of necessary learning skills, and effective time management. From the findings, it was noted that there are various areas of teacher supervision, which are not adequately addressed as indicated by some respondents, including teaching and learning resources, time management and teacher professional records. By implementing effective supervisory practices, schools can create an environment that supports high-quality education and fosters continuous improvement in learning outcomes. Preparedness ensures that teachers have the necessary skills, resources, and time management capabilities, hence directly influencing the adequacy of teaching resources, learning skills, and time management. Generally, respondents thought that supervisory practices in place were effective, though the degree or intensity of effectiveness varied. Therefore, the study recommended that Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) stakeholders support the supervision initiatives in place for effective curriculum implementation of the EYE program.

Early Childhood Development Programs in Nepal: Opportunities and Challenges

This article presents a comprehensive examination of the contemporary landscape of Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives in Nepal, focusing on both their quality and accessibility. Through a meticulous analysis of secondary data, this study scrutinizes the current state of Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) centers, the pivotal roles of educators, and the efficacy and caliber of ECD programs, thereby elucidating the prevailing opportunities and obstacles. A high-quality ECD program is fundamental in extending developmental prospects to all children, including those facing adversities, by furnishing them with requisite care, support, and safeguarding. Realizing this necessitates concerted efforts from diverse stakeholders, entailing heightened investments in ECD and the advocacy of its developmental imperatives. Paramount among these stakeholders is the family, serving as the primary gateway to ECD interventions, underscoring the imperative for tailored interventions within familial contexts. Moreover, communities wield significant potential in augmenting ECD initiatives. Thus, a decentralized approach to ECD delivery across all strata of governance emerges as imperative. The realization of quality ECD hinges upon the convergence of multifaceted inputs, harmonized across various domains. By fostering synergy among these inputs, ECD programs can achieve their utmost efficacy and impact, thereby fostering holistic child development.

Early Childhood Education and Development in Nepal: Status, Trends and Challenges

Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) is considered as foundations of modern education system in Nepal. It's the preparedness of children for school in terms of their physical growth, mental capacities, and social adjustment. Over the last two decades, some notable achievements have been achieved beside low investment by the government in ECED sectors in Nepal. The average ECED gross enrollment rate have reached at 89.62 per cent and achieved attractive progress in gender (0.92) parity in ECED. However, community-based ECEDs in geographically remote area are running without basic requirements. An execution of Local Government Operation Act-2017 (LGRG) and School Education Sector Plan (2022-32) contributing to strengthen the ECED in Nepal. Inadequate investment, insufficient ECEDs, absence of skilled and permanent ECED facilitator, dissimilarities between ECEDs, lack of friendlier infrastructure, complexities to implement bilingual curriculum, inaccessible and unaffordable education system, existence of dual education system, and structural discriminations are still observed as unsolved issues. This paper tries to review the status, trends and challenges associated to Early Childhood Education Development in Nepal.

Implanting Character Values Based On Local Culture (Tabea Culture) At Early Childhood Education And Development (ECED) Telkom In Ternate Municipality

Abstract: The rapidly development of technology and globalization can negatively affect characters. It is therefore necessary to perform various efforts optimally to strengthen the early childhood’s characters. This research aimed to figure out the character values of local culture (Tabae culture) and how they were implanted at ECED Telkom in Ternate Municipality. The research used a qualitative approach. Its subjects were Class-B students and teachers at ECED Telkom in Ternate Municipality who had provided information to answer the problems discussed in this research. The research data were collected using several research instruments before they were descriptively analyzed. The research results showed that the character values based on local culture (Tabea culture) were implanted through learning, habituation, and exemplification. The character values found in local culture (Tabea culture) were reflected in their attitudes, such as being respectful and polite, loving and caring, kind and humble, as well as tolerant and peace-loving.

Assessment of the Influence of Teaching Methods on Learners Preparedness for Primary Education in Kenya

The purpose of this research was to compare and contrast the efficacy of different teaching methods in preparing pre-primary school students for success in elementary school. Participants in the study included Curricula Support Officers (CSOs), Section Heads, Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) center administrators, and educators. The study took a descriptive survey approach. The sample size of 215 was determined by Yamane's (1967) formula and was reached by the use of a systematic sampling technique. Focus group discussions (FGD), questionnaires, and in-depth interviews were all used to compile the data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the results were presented in tables, while qualitative data underwent content analysis and was presented narratively. Parametric and non-parametric tests were utilized in inferential statistics, and a 5% significance threshold was applied in a logistic regression analysis to assess the null hypothesis. The Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used to check for normality. Since the calculated p-value of 0.042 was less than the required significance threshold of 0.05, the null hypothesis was rejected, suggesting that teaching practices had a sizeable impact on students' readiness for academic success. These results can be used by the County Government to provide better Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs. The National Government can use this information in policymaking and regulation to better track and control schools, which will improve students' readiness for the classroom. The results of this study may prove useful to teachers because they provide a variety of suggestions for improving the educational preparation of their students through ECDE programs.

The role of early childhood development and education (ECDE) in supporting learning and well-being in rural early childhood and primary schools in South Africa

ABSTRACT This paper examines how early childhood and primary schools can be constructed as enabling spaces to improve the learning and well-being of children aged six to nine who live in multidimensionally poor, low-resourced rural communities in South Africa. Quality early childhood development and education (ECDE) can be the catalyst to break the cycle of poverty for many young children in rural areas. A systematic review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flowchart. A comprehensive search strategy using electronic databases and hand searches systematically whittled down an initial database of 30,080 articles to 16 articles for this study. A thematic analysis identified enablers and constraints for supporting children’s learning and well-being across three themes: (1) infrastructure, educational resources and child agency (2) initial teacher education (ITE) and (3) socioeconomic status. The findings and discussion highlight child agency as an enabler to learning and well-being and the structural and pedagogical challenges of implementing ITE curricula specific to rural educational contexts.

Relationship Between Improvised Instructional Resources and Teaching of Literacy Skills Among Early Childhood Development and Education Learners in Public Institutions

Resources play an important role in the instructional process especially among young learners with the need to develop manipulative skills. In emerging economies such as Kenya where lack of adequate financial resources especially among public institutions limit provision of sufficient resources, teachers have been advised to improvise in order to compliment for the inadequacies. Limited empirical literature on the extent as well as the relationship between use of improvised instructional resources limits a discourse on efficacy of use of such resources especially in the instruction of literacy. The purpose of this study was therefore to establish the relationship between improvised instructional resources and teaching of Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) literacy skills. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. A census survey was conducted to collect data from 130 ECDE teachers using questionnaires and classroom observation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data with the aid of SPSS version 25.0 while qualitative data was analyzed thematically. Findings indicated that most learners were aided to interact freely with improvised instructional resources (IIR), the most accessible IIR being visual aids such as charts and flash cards. Regression results (t=10.511, p<0.001) indicated a significant positive relationship between IIR and teaching of literacy skills. The study therefore recommends that ECDE teachers utilize a variety of IIR during teaching and learning of literacy skills to provide multi-sensory learning experiences to the young leaners.

A Study of Parents' Perceptions about Early Childhood Education and Development in the Pakistani Context

Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) is an emergingfield focusing on a child's holistic development and learning. The role ofadults, particularly parents, are very significant in ECED. The main aimof this study was to explore the perception of parents about ECED in termsof how early enrolment in ECED provides benefits to the children. Further,this study also identified the development and learning of children inECED programs, the time and equal opportunity that children get, and thelikeness and happiness of children in ECED setups. This research wasbased on a quantitative study. A survey questionnaire was used to find theperception of randomly selected 100 parents. SPSS was used to analyzethe data by finding Frequencies, Percentages, Mean and Standarddeviation. The results portrayed that most parents have a favorable opinionabout ECED and parents endorsed the benefits that provide ECED to thechildren. Parents also indicated family involvement in the learning ofchildren. Further, ECED helped develop the values and morals of thechildren. Parents also shared that children got sufficient time and equalopportunity for play and acknowledged children's likeness to attend theECED.

Using preschoolers to improve caregivers' knowledge, attitude, and practices relating to biofortified crops: Evidence from a randomized nutrition education trial in Kenya.

This 2018 randomized controlled trial examined the role behavioral nudges can play in improving caregivers' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) relating to biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). The experiment involved 431 preschooler-caregiver pairs in 15 villages. The preschoolers were enrolled in public-run Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centers in the respective villages. Caregivers were first exposed to the routine OFSP promotion activities in the area - invited to cooking demonstration workshops and issued with free OFSP vines to plant. A baseline survey followed. Next, the 15 villages were randomized into four study groups (a control and three treatments). The interventions were deployed for 30 days as follows: Treatment 1 - preschoolers issued OFSP-branded exercise books, class posters, and poems; Treatment 2 - caregivers received phone-mediated text messages; and Treatment 3 - received the full suite of interventions. This study analyzed the endline and baseline data and finds that, in general, changes in KAP scores were negatively associated with control group (p=.005) and positively associated with Treatment 3 (p=.02). Specifically, Treatment 3 significantly increased caregivers' knowledge of OFSP production, consumption, and vitamin A. Treatment 2 significantly improved their attitude too. It concludes that an integrated complementary nutrition education approach targeting preschooler-caregiver pairs is more effective in increasing knowledge of cultivation and consumption of OFSP. It discusses the implications for the design of more effective nutrition programs targeting households with preschoolers to accelerate the fight against vitamin A deficiency (VAD).

Teacher Engagement with Young Children: A Case Study on Early Childhood Development Center of Nepal

The Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has a provision for an Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) center in each school. Accordingly, schools are managing early childhood education and development centers in order to provide a better early learning and development environment for young children. However, the availability of quality human resources is still a critical issue. Keeping the existing reality in view, this study explored how early childhood teachers engaged with their young children (students) by implementing varied early learning activities. We deployed a case study approach and analyzed the cases of two teachers who have worked as early childhood teachers for more than five years. Observation and in-person in-depth interviews were conducted for both cases in this study. Single unit analysis for two cases was applied to analyze and draw meaning and implications of the study. This study finds that in order to engage young children in early learning, the teacher-directed approach could be useful, with the teacher taking multiple roles: as a planner, as an environment creator, as a decision maker and as a transformative practitioner.

Inclusion of children living with disability in early childhood development and education: construction of a stakeholder‐informed framework

School‐level data shows that a large number of Children living with Disability (ClwD) are not accessing Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) services in Nepal (Department of Education, 2020). This research explores the factors affecting the inclusion of ClwD in ECDE programs aiming at informing policy, plans and strategies about existing barriers to early intervention and education services for ClwD. Through interviews, focus group discussions with key stakeholders and document reviews, the research identified the interconnection of several organisational and contextual factors created multiple barriers to successful inclusion. Organisational factors were: policy, attitudes, teacher efficacy, resources, coordination, communication processes and parental engagement. Contextual factors were: spirituality, caste, ethnicity, language, economic status, and geographic location. The very interactive nature of organisational and contextual factors resulted in the development of an inclusive education framework to inform future policies.

Spillover effects of investment in Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) centers: evidence from Indonesia

ABSTRACT This paper estimates spillover effects of investing in new early childhood education centers on the outcomes of children that did not attend those centers. I find positive and economically significant spillover effects in the EDI domain of communication skills and general knowledge. Furthermore, never-enrolled children have also experienced an improvement in physical health and well-being. There is no evidence of significant effects on parenting practices and reduction in behavioral problems. The evidence suggests that spillovers are driven by individual interactions instead of interaction between centers.

Differences in School-readiness among Pre-school Children in Rural and Urban areas of Kisumu County, Kenya

This study compared primary school preparedness of urban and rural preschool children in Kisumu county, Kenya. Children were assessed on their level of learning and development in the following domains: pre-academic skills (pre-literacy and pre-mathematics, executive function, and socioemotional cognition. The sample consisted of 390 preschool children who had completed their curriculum and were transitioning to Grade One. Children were assessed using an adapted and validated form of the Measurement of Development and Early Learning (MODEL) global item set. We hypothesized that urban children would score higher on all domains of learning and development than rural children. Results showed that indeed urban children were more prepared for primary school than were rural children in all the domains of learning examined in this study. In order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 on equitable quality education that ensures life-long learning for all, county and national government should invest in early childhood development and education (ECDE) in both rural and urban so that all boys and girls can be ready for primary education and improve future outcomes for all children.

Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Development Programs in Nepal: Construction of a Stakeholder Informed Framework

Nepal’s Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) programs are designed to support young children’s holistic development including a focus on physical, emotional, social, moral and intellectual development. They are also designed to support children’s successful transition to school. As such, inclusion of children with disabilities in these ECED programs would appear to be an important early intervention strategy for this already marginalised group. However, while inclusion of these children in ECED programs is viewed as desirable by the government and communities, in reality, it is not widespread. This research examined the reasons for the lack of inclusion of children with disabilities in the ECED programs with the aim of constructing a stakeholder-informed framework that would serve as a foundation for increasing enrolment of children in ECED programs. Through interviews, focus group discussions with key stakeholders and document reviews, it became evident that several contextual and organisational factors interacted to create multiple barriers to successful inclusion. Contextual factors included spirituality, caste, ethnicity, language, economic status and geographic location. Organisational factors included policy, attitudes, teacher efficacy, resources, coordination and communication processes and parental engagement. The identification of these factors by stakeholders provides an opportunity to develop a framework in which these factors can be explicitly addressed, and policy and strategic resourcing to address current barriers to the inclusion of children with disabilities in ECED programs in Nepal. This action is critical to ensuring increased numbers of young children with disabilities access early intervention and education programs to support their holistic development and the opportunities that education affords.

The Role and Influence of Vihiga County Government in the Implementation of the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Curriculum

The involvement of devolved government in the implementation of an ECDE curriculum is critical to the academic future of preschoolers. The ECDE centers require improvement which calls for enhanced support, financial or otherwise, not only from the county government but from other stakeholders as well. In the wake of a new political dispensation that saw most of hitherto centralized functions of the national government being devolved to county governments, the implementation of ECDE curricula across Kenya too became a devolved function. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to establish the role and influence of Vihiga County government in the implementation of the Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Curriculum. Gross’s Theory of Curriculum Implementation guided this study. The study applied a descriptive survey as the central design targeting ECDE teachers, ECDE curriculum implementation stakeholders, Curriculum Staff Officers, and Quality Assurance Officers in Vihiga County. Stratified random sampling was employed to raise a study sample of 20%. The questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection, but an interview schedule was used too. The study established that the devolved government plays a pivotal role in the process of ECDE curriculum implementation. Furthermore, the study found that the County government of Vihiga has registered significant success in as far as the provision of teaching and learning materials goes, but more effort is required to ensure human resource development which is key in the ECDE curriculum implementation process. Keywords : QUASO, ECDE, Curriculum Implementation, CSO, ECDE Curricula. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-28-07 Publication date: October 31 st 2020

Teacher’s Perception on Father’s Involvement in Early Childhood Education and Development

Father have important role in young child’s development. Active and regular involvement from father could give positive impacts to child development. In order to understand general description of father’s involvement in Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) in Kota Kupang, the authors used teacher’s perception as primary data source in this study. The objective of the study is to identify teacher’s perception on fathers’ involvement in ECED in Kupang City. Method used was qualitative with interviews as main data gathering technique. The results showed that father’s involvement in ECED were still limited, proved by statements showing that mother has more active role in ECED compared to father. This is due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of father and other related stakeholders about the importance of father’s involvement in development of their young children. Therefore there are some intervention that need to be applied by teachers in order to improve father’s involvement in ECED that is to give counselling, home visit program, connecting book and also parenting program for fathers.

Relationship between Teachers’ Demographic Characteristics and Levels of Utilization of Instructional Materials in Pre-Primary Schools in Kenya

Research indicates that children who obtain quality pre-primary education have a head start in life. It is also evident that early exposure and good use of instructional materials (IM) prepare children to be well adjusted later in life. Children are also well equipped with problem-solving skills that are important in Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE). Instructional materials are core to effective teaching and learning in the formative years. The purpose of this research was to establish whether there was a significant relationship between teachers’ demographic characteristics and levels of utilization of instructional materials in pre-primary schools in Kenya. The study adopted the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Framework (CTML) and Ecological Systems Theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner. Besides, the study applied a cross-sectional survey research design. A random sample of 168 teachers comprising of 76.2% females and 23.8% males participated in the study. The Chi-Square test results indicated that gender (x2= 1.335; d.f. =1; p= 0.030), level of education (x2=8.165; d.f. =5; p=0.024) and professional training status (x2= 13.620; d.f. =5; p= 0.020) had a statistically significant linear relationship with the level of utilization of instructional materials. These results implied that female teachers were more likely to use instructional materials than their male counterparts and teachers who were more educated and highly trained were more likely to use instructional materials than their less trained counterparts. However, age, marital status, and duration of teaching experience had no statistically significant relationship with the utilization of instructional materials in pre-primary schools. It was concluded that professional training of pre-primary school teachers is critical for effective teaching and learning at the foundational level. It was recommended that teachers should promote the utilization of instructional materials in their classrooms for interactive and experiential learning of pupils.

Pengelolaan Lingkungan Kelas Sebagai Sarana Bermain Sambil Belajar Bagi Anak TK

Competent teacher can improve their abilities in managing classroom according to their students’ needs. Classroom management in early childhood education and development (ECED) post really depends on the teacher. This article aims to understand classroom management as tools of playing and studying for children in kindergarten. This study used qualitative descriptibe approach and triangulation was used to ensure the data quality. Between for class observed, class B1 was identified as the most ideal. Good ventilation and lighting, neat placement of equipments and class tools, not blocking air circulation, according to area and not blocking children play zone, also neat class decoration and clean and comfort class describe this overall class management quality.

Development of Child Worksheets Based on the Story as Subtheme “My Body” to Improve Students' Speaking Abilities at Al-Ikhlas Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Medan Amplas

the aim of this research is to development of child worksheets based on the Story as Subtheme “My Body” to Improve Students' Speaking Abilities at Al-Ikhlas Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Medan Amplas. this research is included as a Developmental Research. In this study developed in the form of learning tools and instruments needed. This research was conducted at Al-Ikhlas Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) Medan Amplas even semester in 2018/2019 academic year. Based on the results of the assessment of linguists at the first meeting, a score of 40 was obtained with a percentage of 71% and according to valid qualifications. in the second meeting the total score was 53 with a percentage of 95% or according to qualifications, it meant that Child Worksheet was based on a story that no longer needed revision.

Determinants of Maternal and Child Health Handbook Utilization in Surabaya, Indonesia

Mothers and child health (MCH) are one of the main issues in family medicine. Related to this practice, Indonesian government issued mother and child health (MCH) handbook for monitoring child development due to various child developmental problems in Indonesia. However, there are reports of improper MCH handbook utilization. This study aimed to analyze factors related to the utilization of MCH handbook by mothers in Indonesia. Cross sectional observational study was conducted from March to May 2018. This study involved mothers with children aged 3 to 72 months old in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. Specific population of mothers who had children attending Early Childhood Education and Development (ECED) and Integrated Health Post (IHP) (Indonesia: Pos Pelayanan Terpadu-Posyandu) were included as inclusion criteria. Maternal characteristics, child health status, employment status, and utilization of MCH handbook were recorded through questionnaire. Association between variables then analyzed statistically using Spearman correlation test. As many as 288 participants were enrolled in this study. We found that mothers’ participation of Posyandu was positively correlated with MCH handbook utilization (p&lt;0.05). Meanwhile, mother’s occupation (p&gt;0.05), mothers’ education (p&gt;0.05), and maternal age (p&gt;0.05) were found to be unrelated to the utilization of MCH handbook. Mothers’ age, education, and employment were found to be uncorrelated with utilization of MCH handbook. Whereas, mothers’ participation in Posyandu was a determinant factor correlated with utilization of MCH handbook.