Early Childhood Practitioners Research Articles

Waldorf early childhood care and education in the 21st century

Many of the elements of the Waldorf approach featured 100 years ago, with the opening of the first Waldorf early childhood groups, are now supported by current evidence and research into child development. Waldorf practitioners are developing stronger and better-informed practice based on the founding principles, contemporary resources and an ever-deepening understanding of young children today. In this paper I intend to explore five of the significant themes which have received additional impetus in recent years. 1. In the Waldorf approach a foundation of social and emotional development is prioritised as a support for later cognitive development. 2. A key features of the Waldorf early childhood environment is that it is a sensorily-friendly and unhurried microcosm of everyday life. 3. Waldorf practitioners and teachers have been actively promoting for the past century the importance of building up children’s connections with nature. 4. As a result of increased academicization and the pressures of 21st century life, child-initiated, free, creative play is under threat and needs protection and support. 5. One aspect of the Waldorf approach viewed as key is that the inner development of the practitioner or teacher is just, if not more, important than their outer work. Following this review of some essential aspects of the Waldorf approach in the light of recent development, the paper concludes by looking into the future and pinpointing three aspects at the forefront of developments and research among Waldorf early childhood practitioners today.

Mechanisms underlying the relations between parents' perfectionistic tendencies and young children's mathematical abilities.

Parents' high academic expectations are positively associated with young children's mathematical abilities. However, minimal attention has been devoted to whether, and how, different ways of conveying the performance targets would result in different outcomes. The current study investigated whether and how parents' perfectionistic strivings and concerns were associated with young children's mathematical abilities through home mathematical activities, children's approach motivation to learn mathematics, and children's avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Participants included 211 kindergarteners in Hong Kong and their parents. Data were collected through individual child tests and parent questionnaires. Structural equation modelling revealed that parents' perfectionistic strivings had a direct positive link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via home mathematical activities, and then approach motivation. Parents' perfectionistic concerns had a direct negative link with children's mathematical abilities, an indirect link via approach motivation to learn mathematics, and an indirect link via avoidance motivation to learn mathematics. Early childhood practitioners are recommended to raise parents' awareness of how to communicate high-performance targets to children in a constructive manner.

Centering Autistic Perspectives: Social Acceptability of Goals, Learning Contexts, and Procedures for Young Autistic Children.

Despite the importance of centering autistic perspectives in educational decision-making for autistic children, few studies have directly assessed autistic perspectives on the social acceptability of early childhood practices. We conducted an online survey to recruit perspectives of autistic adults on a current, comprehensive range of educational practices typically employed with autistic children. We also extended the survey to caregivers and early childhood practitioners, to identify commonalities and discrepancies between shareholder groups. We conducted a descriptive survey study to assess social acceptability of goals, learning contexts, and procedures typically implemented with young autistic children. We received responses from 660 individuals, 226 of whom identified as autistic. For Likert scale and ranked items, we reported median rating and ranking for each item, by shareholder group. For open-ended questions, we conducted open and axial coding, to determine consistent themes within and across shareholder groups. Respondents reported (a) high acceptability for goals promoting self-determination and low social validity for goals promoting masking; (b) high acceptability for antecedent interventions and low social validity for some forms of extinction; (c) that appropriate learning environments are highly context dependent, varying with individual needs; and (d) that the child is the most important shareholder in educational decision-making. We make recommendations to practitioners in response to survey results, including (a) respecting autistic culture and characteristics in selecting goals; (b) considering social, emotional, and psychological needs in selecting procedures; and (c) individualizing goals, learning contexts, and procedures based on the child's perspectives and unique needs.

An Examination of Communities of Practice in a Disadvantaged Context in South Africa: The Shared Experiences From Early Childhood Practitioners

As early childhood rises on state agendas in low and middle-income countries, the concern for building a quality workforce continues to be a challenge due to many epistemic injustices. South Africa is in the process of professionalising its early years. It is thus timely and critical to examine issues of practitioner knowledge and context-responsiveness. This article thus used the notions of Funds of Knowledge and Community of Practice as an asset-based lens. The conceptual framework was used to understand how practitioners operate as a Community of Practice to inform their work in early childhood centres in a vulnerable context with three- and four-year-olds. A qualitative case study using semi-structured interviews with eight under-qualified practitioners informed the study. The findings suggested that practitioners use informal and personal sources of knowledge while working as Communities of Practice to navigate sustainable outcomes for young children. These illustrative sources function both as enablers and disablers for shaping inclusive and quality practices. Practitioners are able to use their knowledge to be responsive, but they also have unexamined assumptions which are in need of disruption. The article concluded with a call for a more bottom-up model of professionalism that speaks to context-responsiveness, intentionality development and fostering of an ethic of care. Keywords: Funds of Knowledge, Sustainability, Early Childhood Practitioners, South Africa, Disadvantaged Context, Professional Development

Early childhood practitioners’ awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines

Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners are essential in governing foundational aspects, such as gross motor development and participation in physical movement.Aim: This study aimed to determine ECD practitioners in Vanderbijlpark’s awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines for children birth to 4 years. Associations between these ECD practitioners’ demographic aspects and their determined awareness were also explored.Setting: This study included 50 ECD practitioners (M = 36.9 years) from nine ECD Centres (ECDCs) in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.Methods: A descriptive quantitative, cross-sectional design was followed. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and associations between practitioners’ demographic aspects and their awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines.Results: Correct awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition was mainly observed for milestones acquired during the first year of life. Participants’ awareness of screen time guidelines was relatively good, while their awareness of movement and sleep guidelines was poor. Having children, as well as the age of these children, respectively, correlated significantly with practitioners’ knowledge of standing alone (p = 0.007) and jumping 2 feet (p = 0.046). Participants’ work experience or training was not significantly associated with their determined awareness.Conclusion: The sample of ECD practitioners in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa, did not have adequate awareness of gross motor milestones and recommended movement guidelines for children birth to 4 years.Contribution: Limited awareness of gross motor milestone acquisition and movement guidelines amongst ECD practitioners’ warrants development of knowledge through ECD-related training, CPD opportunities, and short courses.

Father involvement in centre-based early childhood programs: A systematic review

In the last two decades, there has been an increasing trend in educational research to focus on father involvement in early childhood programs (ECPs). In this review, the focus is on centre-based ECPs since the area has received little attention and requires further exploration. This systematic review synthesised past qualitative studies on the approaches and strategies employed to promote father involvement in centre-based ECPs. The review identified 13 articles which were published between January 2000 and June 2022. Thematic synthesis was used for data analysis, resulting in two superordinate themes, namely relational and structural approaches, which promote father involvement in centre-based ECPs. Specifically, the relational approach recommends the values of respectful interactions between fathers and program staff, and emotional support from peers and partners. The structural approach can best be used to consider both the “what” and “how” aspects of activity development. Both the relational and structural approaches highlight gender-differentiated approaches in promoting father involvement in ECPs. Early childhood practitioners could adopt these approaches and strategies in future program development and professional training.

The math talk learning environment: Testing an early childhood math intervention

Given the importance attributed to math talk, this study sought to test the effects of a Math Talk Learning Environment for exposing children to math talk and whether this effort would improve children's early math skills. The intervention used guided play in small group math games focused on numeracy skills. The analytic sample comprised 95 racially and ethnically diverse children enrolled in Head Start classrooms randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups or the counterfactual. Students in one group engaged in math games while being encouraged to use math language, whereas the other group engaged in the same math games without any explicit math language encouragement. Linear mixed modeling was used to regress children's residualized math gains on condition. Results showed a significant difference in the general math skills and the specific numeracy skills gained by children who participated in the two treatment groups compared to the counterfactual. No significant differences could be detected between the treatment groups; yet, there are indicators that the intervention warrants further investigation. This research parallels prior research and contributes new findings that will inform early childhood practitioners, developmental psychologists, and others interested in applying cognitive science to the classroom. The discussion includes descriptions of the supports required and challenges to fostering young children's mathematical thinking.

‘We cry together every day’ – expressing complex emotion in research with early childhood practitioners

ABSTRACT This article uses selected findings from a small-scale research project entitled ‘Exploring early childhood practitioners’ perceptions of empathic interactions with children and families’. The project used an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology to explore data from a small number of early childhood practitioners working in nurseries and preschools in the UK. Participants completed diaries, reflecting on empathy throughout their working week; this was followed by a semi-structured interview to further discuss the diary content. This article focuses on findings demonstrating emotion within close empathic relationships with children, indicating that the inherent emotional labour has the potential to cause stress and burnout, although empathic satisfaction can counter this to some extent. The findings of the project call for improved reflective supervision for early childhood practitioners who report an impact upon their own well-being daily. There are potential opportunities for applying findings to international contexts and to parallel roles in working with children.

Integral education and Ubuntu: A participatory action research project in South Africa

Background: South Africa is beset with violent, antisocial practices and ways of life hindering peaceful co-existence and participatory democracy. This makes a targeted early education programme to develop a socially responsible generation imperative.Aim: Based on a larger research project, this study aimed to highlight the value of participatory action research in determining the outcomes of an early childhood development (ECD) Integral Education (IE) and Ubuntu approach for incorporation in the education and training of practitioners.Setting: Three ECD practitioners were selected to participate in this study, which was located in a township in the south of Durban in three preschools (urban, semi-urban and rural).Methods: Lewin’s PAR method was used to explore, develop and evaluate an intervention for change. Data were collected through focus group and participant interviews, observations and journal entries and then analysed thematically.Results: The findings revealed that, personally and professionally, the practitioners experienced positive changes through adopting an integral approach that included becoming more introspective and reflective in their practice.Conclusion: Educating and training early childhood practitioners to develop the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to adopt and implement an ECD IE and Ubuntu approach are essential for developing a new generation of socially responsible citizens for participatory democracy in South Africa.Contribution: The findings highlighted key components of an ECD IE practitioner training programme based on the integrality of the mind, body, heart, spirit and community. Thus, the development of a caring, compassionate and humane society in democratic South Africa can be enabled.

Femininity, class & status: the societal devaluation of the female early years workforce

ABSTRACT This thesis responds to contemporary debates about early childhood education and the gendered nature of the workforce, drawing on feminist theory, interpretive methodologies and practitioner accounts. This project amplifies the female voice of practitioners in the workforce, using data drawn from semi- structured interviews with 11 early years practitioners. Drawing on intersectional feminist theories surrounding women’s liberation from misogyny, and Foucauldian conceptualisations of power, this project will highlight the role of femininity on predominantly working-class early childhood practitioners, and how it distorts their identity and their relationships with colleagues under the current neoliberal regulation of the sector. Through analysing the qualitative data, this thesis will explore the impact of the assumption that women are the traditional caregivers on practitioners themselves; how the patriarchy reproduces this norm by perpetuating misogyny and marginalisation; and how this notion affects women’s oppression and the consequent movements towards liberation. This thesis offers two conceptual and empirical contributions to the field of early childhood education research. Firstly, the theoretical underpinnings of Foucauldian and feminist theory with interpretive methodologies to explore women’s oppression in the early childhood workforce. Secondly, in exploring the role of gendered language and gossip in interactions between early childhood professionals, this thesis analyses the extent to which patriarchal language surrounding gossip is used to trivialise and devalue the female voice and probes the extent to which gossip is a form of power for women. This study contributes important perspectives on how current drives towards the ‘educationalization’ of early years settings can have harmful consequences for the professional development of early childhood educators, rather than raising the standards of childcare in the UK.

Early Childhood Practitioners’ Perceptions of Children’s Risky Play Based on Childhood and Present Practice: A Questionnaire Survey in Japan

AbstractSimilar to countries in Europe and the Americas, risky play is a feature in Japanese early childhood education and care. This study investigated the perceptions and practices of Japanese early childhood education specialists with respect to risky play in order to ascertain whether their childhood experiences influenced their attitudes toward preschoolers’ risky play. Data were collected from a survey, and findings showed that childhood experiences influenced respondents’ practices regarding restricting risky or unsafe play. Among the various types of risky play, play at great heights received the most references regarding both childhood play and current activity restrictions. The research concluded that 1) regular and ongoing discussions among practitioners are crucial given their diverse experiences and the disparity of perceived risks between players and supervisors; 2) policy is required to provide children with rich experiences of risky play because of insufficient opportunities in their early childhood environments. Overall, the research highlights the importance of cultural and environmental backgrounds in practitioners’ perception of risky play.

From Stuck in a Dark Tunnel to Shining New Light: The Stories of Early Childhood Practitioners During the Pandemic

From Stuck in a Dark Tunnel to Shining New Light: The Stories of Early Childhood Practitioners During the Pandemic

Early childhood practicum students’ perceptions and experiences of a remote directed fieldwork course during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Early childhood (EC) education has usually involved in-person teaching and learning. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed remote teaching on EC practitioners and complicated practicum students’ fieldwork experiences. This study explored EC practicum students’ fieldwork experiences in the U.S. during the pandemic and their preparedness for online teaching and technology employment and integration. Participants included 28 students enrolled in Directed Field Experience in Spring 2021. A mixed-methods approach incorporating multiple sources of data, including reflection papers, interviews, and questionnaires, was used. The findings showed that the EC practicum students changed their perceptions of and attitudes toward a remote field experience course and online teaching with young children over the semester. Additionally, EC practicum students’ challenges and professional and academic growth were evident in their reporting. These findings have implications for the development of effective strategies for alleviating EC practicum students’ challenges, facilitating their professional growth, and providing resources to integrate digital technology in their teaching in developmentally appropriate ways.

Exploring early childhood practitioners’ perceptions of empathy with children and families: initial findings

ABSTRACT This paper explores initial results from phase one of a research project examining early childhood practitioners’ (ECP) perceptions of empathy within their practice. Empathy is widely understood as the ability to understand others’ feelings, to see things through other people’s eyes, imagining what it would be like to be that person in that situation. It is widely accepted that anyone working with young children should have excellent empathy skills. However, although there is an abundance of published research on the role of empathy within nursing and social work, and limited research in the education profession, there is scarcely any research of empathy within ECP practice. This paper presents initial findings from Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) research with a sample of nine ECPs working in the UK, research which is derived from ongoing PhD study. Participants were asked to keep reflective diaries of their empathic interactions, and these were followed up with semi-structured interviews to further investigate responses. The study has revealed a range of definitions of empathy and found evidence of high levels of empathy and emotion within the practice. A second phase of research aims to examine types of empathy and the effect of emotional labour on practitioners.

Roadmaps for Reflection: Implementation Drivers to Bridge the Research-to-Practice Gap in Early Childhood Intervention

Training alone will not enable early childhood practitioners to operationalize evidence-based practices. When newly learned practices do not immediately work as intended, the temptation to return to old ways can be great. Moving an innovation from research to practice may require the use of implementation drivers. The field of implementation science informs us of the need for ongoing support during the implementation process. Implementation guides using a flow chart design may assist practitioners to implement evidence-based practices with fidelity immediately after training. This article provides a framework for developing implementation guides to move quickly from knowledge to utilization after a training occurs as well as a means to consider the usefulness of flowcharts for driving implementation efforts.

A Bourdieusian Analysis of Good Practice Partnerships: Implications for Private, Voluntary and Independent Early Childcare Leaders

This article applies the theoretical lens of Bourdieu to explore leadership and the distribution of power between teachers and early childhood practitioners in the private voluntary and independent (PVI) sector in a good practice partnership. It questions the effectiveness of such partnerships in bringing about sustained improvements to practice in this sector. Data were collected in three focus groups with practitioners from 10 settings that were recruited by a consortium of schools to the partnership to take part in a 10-week intervention. The findings showed that the power imbalance between teachers and early childhood practitioners cancelled out collaborative pedagogical models of leadership intended to underpin the good practice partnership. Furthermore, this power imbalance contributed to the lack of sustainability of the intervention. In conclusion, leadership practices need to be more closely aligned between early childhood practitioners and teachers by drawing on ideas of moral leadership elicited from a symbolic frame. The article has relevance for leaders operating in collaborative contexts where existing power imbalances are evident.

Participatory story-sharing practices in the early years with Central and Eastern European families in Scotland

ABSTRACT Since 2004 and the enlargement of the EU, increased migration from Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to the UK necessitates sustained research on the implications for children, their families and practitioners in the early years. This paper draws upon a sociocultural approach to bring into focus family story-sharing practices. We report findings from an interpretivist study to foreground the experiences of two families living in Scotland. The findings indicate that story-sharing practices can potentially be a meeting place for early childhood practitioners to engage with children’s linguistic and cultural heritage and can provide opportunities to listen to and build upon diverse cultural traditions. The findings also highlight that children’s sense of their cultural and individual identities, as well as their sense of belonging, entail a complex set of interactions and that embedding them into curricula and pedagogy requires a sensitive criticality and open dialogue between practitioners, children and families. As a result of the findings, it is recommended that early years practitioners build upon story-sharing practices as a means to engage critically with issues of culture and identity and to facilitate the participation of CEE children and families in early years settings.

The role of practice-based experiences in undergraduates’ infant/toddler caregiving competencies

ABSTRACT Practice-based coursework in higher education programs is considered a critical aspect of early childhood practitioner preparation. Many undergraduates also have formal (e.g., childcare) or informal (e.g., nannying, babysitting) work experience outside of their degree programs, which may influence their caregiving competencies. In this study we used an online survey to investigate how undergraduates’ practice-based experiences, both educational and work-related, influence their knowledge about young children’s development and aspects of their infant/toddler (I/T) caregiving skills over the course of an academic term (e.g., semester). At the beginning of the term, we found that both formal and informal work experience supported undergraduates’ (N = 1302) knowledge of I/T development, and that prior practicum coursework was significantly associated with both knowledge of I/T development and caregiving skills, as assessed by responses to caregiving vignettes. At the end of the term, predictors of change in undergraduates’ (N = 952) skills for working with young children were enrollment in a second or later practicum course and formal work experience. In contrast, informal work experience was associated with change in knowledge of I/T development. Implications for I/T teacher preparation within higher education are discussed.

Research Roundup, Student Edition: Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Early Childhood

This list features freely accessible links to research and resources on social-emotional learning (SEL) in early childhood. The resources can help children’s librarians and early childhood practitioners expand their knowledge and equip them with practical skills to promote SEL practices at libraries and/or other childcare settings.

Evaluating a Model for Developing Cognitively Diagnostic Adaptive Assessments: The Case of Young Children’s Length Measurement

ABSTRACT We report on an innovative computer-adaptive assessment, the Comprehensive Research-based Early Math Ability Test (CREMAT), using the case of 1st- and 2nd-graders’ understanding of geometric measurement. CREMAT was developed with multiple aims in mind, including: (1) be administered with a reasonable number of items, (2) identify the level(s) of thinking at which the child is operating for each developmental progression (domain) of significant mathematics, and (3) provide information about specific concepts and skills that constitute the cognitive components of thinking involved in various tasks. CREMAT relies on Q-Matrix theory and a resulting blend of sophisticated psychometric and statistical techniques (Rule Space Method, poset models) to determine not only students’ overall performance but also their specific level of thinking along developmental progressions. Results indicated that the current tests range from satisfactory to excellent in their ability to diagnose 1st- and 2nd-graders’ understanding of measurement, but also suggest revisions and implications for the approach. We conclude with a description of why CREMAT is important for early childhood practitioners’ ability to formatively assess and document children’s progress in learning math.