Early Childhood Field Research Articles

Pedagogy, knowledge and collaboration: towards a ground‐up perspective on professionalism†

ABSTRACT Drawing on a national survey of New Zealand early childhood teachers’ views on ethics and professionalism in their practice, this article discusses three key themes that emerged as core conceptual elements in how teachers in education and care settings defined professionalism. The three themes were: a distinct pedagogical style; specialist knowledge and practices; and collaborative relationships. Elements that were perceived as unprofessional or undesirable in an early childhood professional were also identified. It is argued that as the early childhood field debates the meaning of professionalism, teachers’ views can contribute a ‘ground‐up’ perspective that can enable the concept of professionalism to be reconceptualised in ways that reflect the reality of teachers’ work experiences. †This article is a development and expansion from a presentation at the 2005 EECERA annual conference and has been developed into an article for the Early Childhood Folio (Dalli 2006a). RÉSUMÉ: Cet article s’appuie sur une étude nationale des points de vue des enseignants de la petite enfance, en Nouvelle‐Zélande, sur l’éthique et le professionnalisme dans leur pratique. Il en discute trois thèmes – clés qui ont émergé et apparaissent comme des éléments conceptuels au centre de la façon dont les enseignants du secteur de l’accueil et de l’éducation de la petite enfance définissent le professionnalisme. Les trois thèmes sont les suivants : un style pédagogique différent ; des relations de collaboration ; une connaissance spécifique. Des éléments perçus comme non professionnels ou indésirables pour un professionnel de la petite enfance ont également été identifiés. Nous défendons que, puisque le champ de la petite enfance débat de la signification du professionnalisme, les points de vue des enseignants peuvent contribuer à une mise en perspectives, ancrée sur le terrain, permettant au concept de professionnalisme d’être reconceptualisé en reflêtant l’expérience professionnelle de ces derniers. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In einer nationalen Studie wurden die Sichtweisen von Neuseeländischen Frühpädagoginnen zu Ethik und Professionalität in ihrer Praxis erhoben. Ausgehend von den Ergebnissen der Studie erörtert der Beitrag drei Schlüsselthemen, die als konzeptionelle Kerne sichtbar werden, wenn Praktiker in Bildungs‐ und Betreuungseinrichtungen ihre Professionalität definieren. Die drei Themen sind: ein deutlich erkennbarer pädagogischer Stil, kollaborative Beziehungen, sowie das Verfügen über Expertenwissen und –praxen. Elemente, die als unprofessionelle oder unerwünschte Eigenschaften wahrgenommen werden, wurden ebenfalls identifiziert. Es wird argumentiert, dass die Sichtweisen von Praktikerinnen in der aktuellen Diskussion zur Bedeutung von Professionalität im Feld der Frühpädagogik einen wichtigen Beitrag leisten können: Die grundständige Praxisperspektive ermöglicht es, Professionalität in einer Weise zu re‐konzeptualisieren, die den real erfahrenen Arbeitserfahrungen entspricht. RESUMEN: Basado en una encuesta nacional acerca de las visiones éticas y profesionales de los profesores pre‐escolares de Nueva Zelanda, este articulo discute tres temas claves que surgen como elementos centrales acerca de como los profesores definen profesionalismo. Los tres temas son: un estilo pedagógico distinto; relaciones de colaboración; y posesión de conocimientos y prácticas especialistas. También fueron identificados elementos percibidos como no profesionales o no deseables en la educación pre‐escolar. Se argumenta que en tanto que en el campo de la educación pre‐escolar se debate el significado del profesionalismo, las visiones de los profesores pueden contribuir con una perspectiva de terreno que haga posible que el concepto de profesionalismo sea reconceptualizado en forma que refleje la realidad laboral de los profesores.

W(H)Ither the Early Childhood Teacher: Tensions for Early Childhood Professional Identity between the Policy Landscape and the Politics of Teacher Regulation

Over the last decade teachers, teachers' work and teacher education across all domains of education have been subject to increasing surveillance and regulation. Recent developments in the Australian regulatory context are signalling the emergence of a strengthening bifurcation between prior-to-school and schooling contexts that is forcing a narrowing construction of ‘teaching’ as work that is only undertaken in schooling contexts. This trend seems likely to have serious implications for the professional identity, status and professional preparation of early childhood teachers and the potential to reposition early childhood contexts as marginalised and non-pedagogical spaces. This article traces some recent developments in teacher regulation and locates an analysis of possible implications for the field of early childhood against a backdrop of emerging trends in the early childhood policy landscape. The emerging tensions invite questions about the potential gains and losses should the current trends become entrenched. The article concludes with a consideration of naming and framing as elements of possible action.

Supporting Family Choice

Supporting family choice in the decision-making process is recommended practice in the field of early childhood and early childhood special education. These decisions may relate to the medical, educational, social, recreational, therapeutic/rehabilitative, and community aspects of the child's disability. Although this practice conveys the message that families are the primary decision-makers for their children, families are not always adequately supported by professionals through the decision-making process. This manuscript calls for a renewed focus on family choice from the parents’ perspective by offering vignettes from parents who have had both positive and negative experiences with parent choice. To explore family choice, this manuscript includes discussions of (a) ethical, societal, and legislative rationales for families making choices, (b) benefits and challenges of family informed choice in practice, and (c) clarification of the professionals’ roles. This manuscript provides recommendations and strategies for assisting professionals in facilitating and optimizing the choice process for families.

Teaching respect for cultural diversity in Australian early childhood programs

Early childhood teachers in Victoria, Australia face increasing cultural and `racial' diversity among the children and families with whom they work. A small-scale exploratory study found that many teachers were uncertain about how best to respond to such diversity and a mismatch between social expectations that teachers would encourage children to respect cultural diversity and teachers' practice. These findings suggest strongly that the `one-off' isolated session that is the dominant form of professional training in the Australian early childhood field has been ineffective in promoting respect for diversity amongst teachers.

Richness or Rigour? A Discussion of Systematic Reviews and Evidence-Based Policy in Early Childhood

In this article, the authors report on the experiences of the Early Years Review Group, one of a number of education groups contracted to carry out systematic reviews for the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating (EPPI) Centre in the United Kingdom. The Early Years Review Group has carried out three systematic reviews: one on the impact of integration of care and education in the early years; one on providing support to young children affected by war and armed conflict; and one on the long-term cost benefits of early childhood interventions. Using the evidence from the third review, the authors address the issue of what constitutes useful evidence for policy makers in the field of early childhood and whether certain kinds of evidence are privileged. They conclude that the systematic review process is an independent and useful tool for analysing and critiquing existing studies.

Early Childhood Development and E-Learning in Africa: The Early Childhood Development Virtual University Programme

This article explores the development and evaluation of the graduate-level Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU) programme in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2001 through to 2004. It outlines the history of the ECDVU and the establishing of a Sub-Saharan programme for future leaders in the early childhood field guided by the key principle of community capacity building, developed through the author's involvement in an undergraduate educational programme in aboriginal communities of western Canada. The article explores the role of online technologies in the design, implementation and assessment of the ECDVU programme. A complex mix of online and face-to-face engagement was seen to underpin the programme's success in supporting students to enhance their contribution to the development of early childhood programmes in their respective communities.

(Re)Positioning the Child in the Policy/Politics of Early Childhood

How a community constructs the notion of childhood and the child is fundamentally implicated in the practices and policies of that community. This article explores the positioning of the child in historical, contemporary and emerging trends in the provision and practices of Australian early childhood education and care. It argues that if left uncontested, emerging contemporary constructions have the potential to normalise policies, practices and pedagogies derived from a commercialised view of childhood. Drawing on the experiences and practices of early childhood pedagogues and policy actors both in Australia and overseas the authors posit an alternative construction of the child as citizen and the possibility of the early childhood field as a site for the practice of democracy.

The Changing Nature of Management in Child Care Centres in Queensland: A Review of Directors’ Perspectives

The aim of this paper is to produce an understanding of directors’ work; perceptions of their role as managers in the centre; their experiences; and the nature of management within the context of the child care field in a complex social, legislative and economic climate. In the current context of the delivery of child care services in a market-driven climate, the language of business and organisational theory has entered the lexicon of the early childhood field. The findings indicate that the director of a child care centre needs to have knowledge, skills and experience in business management to enhance their competencies for management of centres in today's competitive environment.

Ethics and Evidence in Consultation

The evidence-based practice movement in the early childhood field has stimulated efforts to synthesize and disseminate research findings related to direct services, such as child interventions and classroom teaching practices. This article describes the need to use an evidence-based process to make decisions about indirect services, specifically consultation, that include not only the best available scientific research but also professional and family wisdom and values as sources of evidence. Three scenarios are presented that illustrate various ethical issues related to early childhood consultation. Among four concluding recommendations for the early childhood field is the need to amend codes of ethics in general and special early childhood education to reflect values and practices related to indirect service delivery models involving collaborative relationships with other adults.

Framework for Developing Leadership Skills in Child Care Centres in Queensland, Australia

There has been minimal Australian research focused on leadership and management aspects of directors' work in centre-based child care to date. In Australia, practices in early education have been drawn largely from studies in other cultural contexts, particularly research undertaken in the United States. It is timely that Australian research informs social policy about quality child care programs. The data in this article is part of a larger doctoral study where case studies of directors of child care centres were developed through interviews with the directors. The interview methodology focused on exploratory semi-structured, open-ended questions in relation to management and leadership in centre-based child care. Directors were interviewed on two occasions within a three-month period. This article concentrates on the second interview which explored directors' perspectives on leadership. In the current context of the delivery of child care services in a market-driven climate, the language of business and organisational theory has entered the lexicon of the early childhood field. The findings indicate that directors of child care centres need to have training and experience in business management and leadership to enhance their competencies for management of centres in today's competitive environment.

Service‐learning: mentoring leadership skills in the experienced teacher

Growth in the field of early childhood education has placed emphasis on improving quality through leadership and teacher education. With the advancement of the early childhood field, teacher education programs are called upon to develop leaders, challenge experienced teachers and meet professional standards through advanced degree programs. Developing leadership skills in experienced teachers holds promise for diversifying educational leadership and engaging in collaborative experiences. The state of educational leadership and the changing context of teacher education, support the use of service‐learning in advanced field experiences as a means to mentor experienced teachers. Reflections of three experienced female teachers who develop leadership skills in the areas of public policy/advocacy, administration and teacher education, through service‐learning are analyzed. Implications for preparing advanced teachers to be leaders in the field of early childhood education are discussed.

Responsible Eclecticism: Using a Structured Analysis Process to Facilitate Curriculum Discourse with Graduate Preservice Early Childhood Students

Teaching from an informed and culturally responsive philosophy of education is critical for teaching in the 21st century and engagement in reconceptualizing the field of early childhood. This article describes a process used with graduate preservice early childhood education students over a two-course sequence, to generate a personal philosophy through structured synthesis of (a) personal beliefs, (b) major schools of Western thought, (c) non-Western educational traditions, and (d) widely known and used early childhood curriculum models. Five key questions, numerous graphic organizers, criterion-referenced rubrics, and examples of student work are provided to illustrate the process used for content analysis and reflective activities.

Looking back, looking forward: three decades of early childhood curriculum development in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract In this reflection on early childhood curriculum development in Aotearoa New Zealand since the mid-1980s, the author identifies some of the factors that were influential in the genesis, and subsequent implementation, of Te Whariki. The article concludes with a discussion of possible future directions in early childhood curriculum, including issues in policy and practice that remain unresolved. ********** There is a Maori proverb that states that in order for the canoe to know where it is going it has to understand where it has come from. This is an apt metaphor for understanding the last 20 years, and thinking about the next 10 years, in early childhood curriculum development in Aotearoa New Zealand. The release of Te Whariki: He whariki mataranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1996) marked a turning point for early childhood education in New Zealand, but the development of Te Whariki had been preceded by at least 10 years of rapid development in early childhood provision. These developments had, in their own right, flowed from decades of debate about the nature and purpose of early childhood services in New Zealand and elsewhere (May, 1997, 2001). Almost 10 years after the publication of Te Whuriki, 2005 has been marked by another milestone in early childhood education in New Zealand: the release of Kei tua o to pae: Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars (Ministry of Education, 2004). In the first part of this article I describe where the canoe has come from, tracing the genesis of Te Whariki, particularly from 1986 onwards. Next, I reflect on the period from 1986 until today, and the present status of early childhood curriculum development in New Zealand, including the place of Kei tua o to pae. In the final part of the article I speculate on future directions, highlighting those questions that, in my view, remain unresolved. The origins of Te Wharki The story of how Te Whariki was conceptualised, drafted, written, and consulted upon remains one of the great unwritten PhD theses in education in New Zealand. Te One (2003) gives an article-length account of the process of Te Whariki's development, and the thinking of the leader writers of the document has been well documented (Carr & May, 1991, 1993a, 1993b, 1994, 2000; May & Carr, 2000; Reedy, 2003). Less is recorded about the context for the development of Te Whariki provided by the years prior to the writing of the early childhood curriculum framework (begun under contract to the Ministry of Education by the University of Waikato in 1990). In this section, I reflect on a number of key influences in the early childhood field which, with the benefit of hindsight, help explain the nature of Te Whariki, as well as subsequent developments in the field. The 1980s were characterised by renewed interest in the educational potential of good-quality early childhood education, following on from the calls of second wave feminists of the 1970s who had largely subsumed early childhood services into a wider vision for the emancipation of women. Anne Meade was particularly influential in examining and creating policy surrounding early childhood education in New Zealand, both as a bureaucrat and as an academic (see Meade, 1981, 1990, 2000). At the same time, Helen May (then Cook) was consistently re-emphasising the political dimension of early childhood services, particularly their impact on women's lives (Cook, 1983, 1985a, 1985b, 19850. (1) argue that the work of May, Meade, and others during the 1980s, by persistently focusing on the scope and quality of early childhood provision, provided an important platform for the subsequent development of Te Whariki. At the same time, the galloping development off e Kohanga Reo movement ... [and] ... the development of Pacific Islands language nests ... had a massive impact on government policy and on education generally (Cooper & Tangaere, 1994, p. …

Response to ‘The Normalised Child’, L. Grebennikov

Grebennikov has chosen to present to the contemporary gaze, the so-called 'absolute' concepts of Maria Montessori regarding normalisation and deviation in childhood. A courageous move indeed, in times when few would dare to postulate such a singular interpretation of 'truth'. The issue of deviancy, however, was a significant topic in the early part of the twentieth century, as researchers in the new social sciences sought to establish causes for differences in behaviour. Montessori was an active researcher in this field and her expertise ranged through medicine, psychology, anthropology, and education. She began, in 1900, to work with children who were then known as 'deficients' and had previously been relegated to a miserable life on the streets or in adult asylums. Montessori had campaigned to set up a teaching and research institute, where she would have the chance to work with and draw out the potentialities of these children. Her hypothesis was that if such work could be carried out early on, then avoidance of later criminal or deviant tendencies would be achieved. A little later, Montessori had the opportunity to work with children in the early childhood field and applied somewhat similar methods with the result that the 'deviations' described by Grebennikov began to fall away and the possibility of what she termed the 'new' or 'normalised' child was realised. Grebennikov has focussed on the issue of challenging behaviour and the 'deviations' identified by Montessori 100 years ago. His discursive treatment of the topic complicates Montessori's simple point: that it is adults who largely create the problems of deviancy when they place obstacles in the way of the child (O'Shaughnessy, 2004; Zener, 1999). Zener suggests the term 'deviancy' means a deviation or detour from the path of development. The solution for Montessori (1936/1989) lies both in the adult facing their mistakes and in the environment we prepare for the child. In attending to these crucial matters, the child is thus freed to construct self in a holistic framework. Campbell (2002) suggests that the transactional-ecological view is now the accepted framework from which to interpret the psychopathology of young children. That is, the view that incorporates families, communities and other external influences along with the interior life and development of the child. In a detailed exploration of preschool child behaviour problems, she outlines the clusters of behaviour that help us to define typologies of behaviour disorder. In the same vein as Montessori (1949/1988), Campbell notes two major divisions, those relating to under-control--externalising behaviours that are expressed outwards in tantrums, fighting, destructive behaviour and disobedience; and those relating to over-control--expressed in internalising behaviour such as social withdrawal, fearfulness, unhappiness, anxiety and self-focussed expressions of distress. She notes that hundreds of studies have confirmed these clusters. …

Globalising early childhood teacher education: A study of student life histories and course experience in teacher education

Globalisation in early childhood teacher education is examined in light of a study of the life histories and course experience of students in early childhood teacher education in Queensland, Australia. Contemporary teacher education is embedded in global economies, new technologies and marketisation, which, in turn, may contribute to students feeling unrecognized and alienated. This study highlights the need for communities of learners that recognize the life histories, experiences and aspirations of its students to work as teachers with young children and families. The paucity of research in early childhood teacher education and the pervasiveness of these issues for students, for universities and for the field of early childhood are causing teacher educators to examine the impact of globalisation on students in their early childhood teacher education programs.

Use of child development assessment in early childhood education: early childhood practitioner and student attitudes toward formal and informal testing

Twenty early childhood practitioners (ECPs) and final‐year Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies students completed a questionnaire about their use (or planned use) of formal and informal child development assessment instruments, their choice of specific instruments, and factors influencing decisions to conduct child development assessments within their early childhood programmes. While most ECPs and all students indicated use (or planned use) of informal assessment, 70% of students and only 10% of ECPs indicated use of formal assessment. Whereas ECPs identified ‘ease of use’ as most important, ‘accuracy of the instrument’ was most important to students. In deciding to use any assessment, students ranked ‘identifies children at risk’ as most important, compared with ECPs who ranked ‘provides a good picture of children's development’ as most important. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the early childhood field and for pre‐service training in child development assessment.

Curriculum issues in national policy-making

SUMMARY This discussion of curriculum issues in national policy making is based on the findings of thematic reviews of early childhood education and care, carried out by expert teams in twenty OECD countries. Much consensus is found across the countries reviewed in terms of curricular principles and aspirations, and with regard to official content, Differences emerge, however, in the practice of curriculum, especially with respect to the emphasis placed on broad developmental goals or on focused cognitive skills. From this and other characteristic differences, two broad approaches to curriculum and pedagogy can be discerned: the approach adopted in the social pedagogy tradition and the traditional pre-primary school approach. The broad features of each system are described, but a caveat is raised about excessive contrasts being drawn as exceptions to the rule are found in each tradition. Major obstacles to curriculum quality and implementation met commonly across countries are structural failings (lack of financing, unfavourable child/staff ratios, poorly qualified and poorly remunerated staff…) and inadequate pedagogical theory and practice. Against this background, three emerging issues are discussed: accountability and the new learning standards; the expansion of literacy practices and the re-positioning of educators in the early childhood field. Some options for progress are proposed for consideration.

Conceptualising the early childhood pedagogue: Policy approaches and issues of professionalism

SUMMARY Despite common moves in a number of countries to raise the quality and visibility of early childhood services (for example, through the introduction of curricular frameworks), both professionalisation policies and understandings of the professional role remain distinctly variegated across Europe and beyond. Whereas early childhood systems with separate childcare and education sectors tend to generate a differential and fragmented approach towards staffing and training and an inequitable division between sectors, conceptually and administratively integrated systems tend to opt for a core professional for work in all education and care services up to compulsory schooling (and sometimes beyond). The paper starts by outlining illustrative policy models and analysing associated chances and constraints in terms of the professionalisation project. In a second step, two high-profile developments in Germany are foregrounded in order to illustrate some of the changing demands on the professional role and the tensions and challenges arising from new sets of expectations. The contribution concludes with reflections on professionalism in the early childhood field. It is suggested that the concept of ‘democratic professionalism’ may help us to situate the role of early childhood pedagogues within ever changing societal, economic and knowledge contexts.

How Do they Manage?

This article presents the findings from a review of literature on leadership in early childhood (EC). It identifies a paucity of research, despite a high potential for leadership activity in the early childhood field. It concludes that there is a clear need to identify what effective leadership practice is in terms of processes and outcomes within this field. It also concludes that theoretically based studies that allow different models and characteristics to be empirically tested are long overdue. The serious lack of leadership training is also highlighted by the literature review, which means that many early childhood managers could be significantly under-prepared for their role.

Children’s readiness for school: Issues in assessment

Assessing children’s readiness for school, like defining readiness itself, should be an easy task. In reality, it is more complex than meets the eye. In this commentary, I delineate what is meant by readiness and tease out some of the most trenchant issues associated with it. Specifically, this Commentary considers the purpose, content, and process of assessing children’s readiness for school. In the field of early childhood, assessment is typically undertaken for a variety of purposes: to improve children’s instructional program; to evaluate program effectiveness; to identify children for special services; and to monitor trends in service delivery. Unfortunately, these different purposes of assessment are not always clear. Moreover, the kinds of data each purpose evokes are also confounded. This article delineates the different purposes for collecting data and discusses critical principles that could be used to guide the construction of an assessment system that captures and uses data efficiently and appropriately.