Early Childhood Professionals Research Articles

Joy in Collaboration: Developing Early Childhood Teacher Professionalism through Lesson Study

ABSTRACT Early childhood professionals are sometimes referenced as caregivers and other times as educators. In order to empower them as professionals, it is important to provide professional development opportunities that deepen teachers’ knowledge. This qualitative case study explores the impact of Lesson Study on four early childhood teachers with no prior Lesson Study experience. Participants’ teaching experience ranged from a first-year teacher to a 20-year veteran. The professional development approach engaged teachers in conversations to collaborate, plan, observe instruction, and focus on students. Group meetings were audio recorded and transcribed, and observational notes were collected during teacher meetings and during the research lesson. At the conclusion of the experience, participants wrote a personal reflection paper and individual interviews were conducted. Findings suggest that Lesson Study supported the development of early childhood teachers’ professionalism through sharing of varied perspectives during student-focused collaboration. Another powerful finding is that teachers felt joy in this collaboration. They found pleasure in thinking deeply together and warmly described the trust that developed among them as they engaged in the process of improving practice through Lesson Study. Our findings suggest Lesson Study could empower a workforce that is in need of a unified professional identity.

What prompts early childhood professionals to proffer advice to multilingual families? Investigating the association between language policy and perceived self-efficacy

ABSTRACT Early childhood professionals can act as catalysts in encouraging home language maintenance in multilingual families. However, there is a dearth of research on whether these professionals advise parents to speak their home language(s) to their offspring, and furthermore, little is known about what prompts professionals to proffer language advice. To respond to these queries, we relied on two theoretical frameworks: Spolsky’s language policy model and Bandura’s perceived self-efficacy theory. We gathered data from professionals (N = 305) employed at infant welfare clinics in Belgium and examined whether a high sense of multilingual confidence (i.e. a form of perceived self-efficacy), together with positive multilingual beliefs and multilingual practices, would induce professionals to offer multilingual advice (i.e. a form of language management). Our logistic regression results revealed that multilingual practices and multilingual confidence were positively associated with multilingual advice. Additionally, multilingual training was found to be strongly related to advice-giving. Multilingual beliefs, however, were only connected with multilingual advice when they were considered without the inclusion of multilingual confidence, as multilingual beliefs seemed to operate via multilingual confidence. We, therefore, suggest an enrichment of Spolsky’s model by taking into account multilingual confidence when investigating individuals’ language policy dynamics.

‘Feeling a bit like a tsunami wave’: an exploratory study of early childhood professionals’ experiences during the COVID-19 crisis in the USA

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 crisis highlights how vital childcare is and demonstrates the importance of the often undervalued work of early childhood educators. This mixed methods exploratory study presents how early childhood professionals (n = 75) navigated alternate remote teaching formats and served young children and their families during the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. Key findings include the personal and professional challenges participants experienced supporting their students’ social-emotional development and serving children with disabilities. Participants also shared reflections on the resilience and adaptability of children, families, and themselves. Recommendations for interdisciplinary research, professional development that builds technological proficiency, and practice that supports children and families through inclusive early childhood models are discussed.

Early childhood teachers’ perceptions and management of parental concerns about their child’s digital technology use in kindergarten

Young children use, engage with, and experience digital technologies in their home and early childhood settings, yet their presence and use can be fraught with tensions and uncertainties. This paper reports on an Australian study focusing on how early childhood teachers perceive and manage parental concerns about their child’s digital technology use in kindergarten. Grounded theory was the methodological approach used to give insights into the early childhood teachers lived experiences. The findings revealed that early childhood teachers who taught kindergarten children, aged three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half years of age, experienced parents voicing concerns about their child’s digital technology use and made requests for mediation. Differences were identified between the children’s home environment and kindergarten setting regarding children’s access to digital devices, expectations for use and digital mediation practices. To manage the concerns parents raised, early childhood teachers endeavoured to educate and reassure parents about the nature of digital technology use in kindergarten. This paper invites early childhood professionals to reflect on how they respond to parental concerns about digital technology and to consider the role they play in educating parents about how digital technologies are used in kindergarten.

Early childhood education pioneers and their curriculum programs

ABSTRACT Educational pioneers believed that the early childhood curriculum was inappropriate for most of the children. It needed to be modified to meet each child’s maturing needs, abilities, and interests. The pioneers advocated that education should be more hands-on and assist children to function successfully in society. They recommended the initiation of project learning, which would be a preparation for the children’s roles in life and creation of kindergartens. The practices in early childhood education have changed gradually. Numerous practices reemerge with novel materials that appear to indicate they are actually original. When present-day practices surface, early childhood professionals respond by generating other practices. Therefore, current practices in early childhood education appear to be associated to past early childhood educators, which are the pioneers. This article describes a few examples.

An examination of the relationships between adverse childhood experiences, personality traits, and job-related burnout in early childhood educators

Early childhood professionals experience more adverse childhood trauma than other populations. How this trauma impacts job-related burnout, and is mediated by personality, is not known. This study explored the relationship between adverse childhood experiences, personality, and job-related burnout, and whether personality mediates between adverse childhood experiences and job-related burnout. Participants included 207 early childhood educators from the U.S. Results revealed a significant, positive correlation between adverse childhood experiences, and neuroticism and openness. Neuroticism and openness were found to mediate between adverse childhood experiences and burnout. Understanding this relationship has implications for the design of supportive infrastructures and professional development initiatives.

Early Childhood Educators\u2019 Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The importance of Early Childhood (EC) educators’ wellbeing has been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, as educators have navigated numerous additional stressors while providing education and care services for some children and ongoing support for many others learning at home. This study aimed to explore the impact of the pandemic on EC educators’ wellbeing and educator-child relationships, as growing evidence shows the influence of these factors on children’s developmental outcomes.In July 2020, members of a Research Network of EC Professionals—who previously identified educator wellbeing as a priority issue—were invited to participate in an online survey. The survey included two published, validated scales: the Early Childhood Professional Wellbeing scale (ECPW) and the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale (modified). Survey items about educators’ experiences during the pandemic were also included. Two hundred and thirty-two EC educators from across Australia completed the survey, mostly from Victoria where lockdowns were most severe. Linear regression analysis demonstrated stronger professional wellbeing was associated with less conflict in educator-child relationships and lower risk of staff turnover. This was more likely to be experienced by senior or more experienced staff. Although a negative impact of COVID-19 was reported, ECPW scores were relatively high, and organizational structures supporting professional wellbeing were most strongly associated with lower risk of turnover (r = 0.63, p < 0.001). Findings highlight that supporting EC educators’ wellbeing is essential for workforce retention, and for promoting quality educator-child relationships which are central to young children’s learning and development.

A randomized control trial of a child abuse mandated reporter training: Knowledge and attitudes

BackgroundDespite being well-positioned to identify maltreatment in the children that they provide care for and being legally required to report suspected child maltreatment, early childhood professionals (ECPs) make a limited proportion of reports to child protective services. It is critical to identify evidence-based interventions to improve the reporting practices of this group of mandated reporters allowing for the better protection of children from maltreatment. ObjectiveThe goal of the present study was to determine if iLookOut, an online child abuse identification and reporting training for ECPs, results in differential gains in knowledge and attitudes towards child abuse and its reporting among ECPs, as compared to an online standard training. Participants and settingBoth interventions were completed online by participants recruited from licensed child care programs in Southern Maine from October 2017 to January 2020. Eligibility criteria included being at least 18 years of age, English-speaking, and working as paid or volunteer staff at a licensed child care program taking care of children 5 years of age or younger. Of the 1152 enrolled individuals, 1094 provided complete pre- and post-intervention data. MethodsA randomized controlled trial comparing iLookOut with an online standard training. ResultsECPs who completed iLookOut significantly outperformed those who completed Standard mandated reporter training in terms of both knowledge (d=1.09 vs. 0.67) and attitudes (d=0.67 vs. 0.54) relative to pre-test scores. ConclusionsiLookOut is a promising candidate for widespread use in meeting the need for evidence-based training on child abuse and its reporting.

Inherent Presence Of Children In Society "Proposed Criteria And Indicators."

This study shows that achieving the child's inherent presence is a vital requirement for a life he deserves, as the child's inherent existence is the extent to which the child gets a sense of satisfaction with life. This is according to key components such as integration in mutual relationships and opportunities to develop life skills and develop children's right to express their views and create a healthy and child-friendly climate.&#x0D; The research supports enabling early childhood professionals to work together with children's families to achieve common outcomes for all children. Promote all learning and development outcomes. The results confirm the importance of sensitive practice and responding to children's desires and need to support their real presence in society.&#x0D; The study resulted in indicators and practices carried out by the child and his teachers in all five areas of the feeling of original existence which are developing children's strong sense of identity, developing children's connection to and participation in their world, improving children's sense of personal happiness, development and improvement of self-confidence in children, and developing and refining effective dialogue with children.&#x0D; The novelty of the study is shown from the achieving the child's original existence is a vital requirement for a life he deserves, as the child's original presence is that extent to which the child gets a sense of satisfaction with life according to key ingredients such as integration in mutual relationships and opportunities to develop life skills and develop children's right to express their own views Create a healthy environment for children.

An empirical validation study of Spolsky's language policy model

ABSTRACT This study investigates Spolsky's conception of language policy as the amalgam of language beliefs, language practices and language management. To the best of our knowledge, no quantitative evidence has ever been produced for his theoretical model. The current paper addressed this void, albeit specifically in the domain of Early Childhood Care and Education – scarce in terms of language policy research, but vital for children's (multilingual) language development. An Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded three valid and reliable scales that capture language policy from the perspective of early childhood professionals (N = 305) associated with infant welfare clinics in the Flemish Community of Belgium. Furthermore, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the three components are ‘independent’ as well as ‘interconnected,’ thereby quantitatively corroborating Spolsky's theory. We conclude that language policy is no unitary concept; therefore, if one intends to study language policy holistically, the three indispensable components are to be identified. As a corollary, one simply cannot investigate management without considering beliefs and practices, and vice versa.

Monitoring children’s development in early childhood education settings to promote early detection of autism

Autism is a developmental condition that can be detected in early childhood. Early intervention can improve outcomes, though many children are not identified until they reach primary school. Early childhood educators are well placed to monitor children’s development and identify those who may benefit from additional supports, though implementation of standardised tools and processes is limited. The National Disability Insurance Scheme in Australia has increased the onus on educators to support families to access funded services. A workshop on evidence-informed practice in early detection for autism was provided for early childhood professionals. The theory of practice architectures informed development and analysis of pre- and post-workshop surveys to explore changes in early childhood educators’ perspectives on factors influencing universal developmental monitoring and referrals to early intervention supports using an evidence-based tool, the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance-Revised (SACS-R). Post-workshop increases in early childhood educators’ perceived knowledge and confidence are evident, though recent policy reforms present challenges. Population surveillance using SACS-R in early childhood education is effective for identification and referral for children who have autism, and capacity building for professionals to use SACS-R is recommended.

Early childhood educators’ qualifications: a framework for change

ABSTRACT In the context of an ongoing policy crisis in relation to the qualifications of the early childhood workforce in England, this paper first rehearses the context and long overdue need for reform before presenting a framework for career structure and professional early childhood education qualifications in England. This framework is designed to address difficulties of recruitment, retention, and progression, and thereby raise the status of qualifications and the roles they enable early years practitioners to undertake. The paper ends by reiterating the importance of qualifications for those working in early childhood education, what they need to study and how what they study equips them for their various roles.

“I Need You to Show Me:” Coaching Early Childhood Professionals

In most states, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) with a Birth-Kindergarten teaching license serve as both the general education teacher and special education teacher for children and their families in inclusive early childhood education (ECE) settings. Prior research suggests that inclusive programming does not guarantee these ECE settings are high-quality. Although evidence-based practices (EBP) and the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices (RPs) have been established, a research-to-practice gap still exists in the inclusive, ECE classroom. Additional research indicates that coaching teachers may influence their implementation of EBPs in classrooms. This study provided early childhood educators (ECEs) the opportunity to share their perceptions about the support they receive from mentors and evaluators, as well as report the specific aspects of coaching needed to be successful while working in inclusive pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) classrooms. Qualitative research methods using an ethnomethodological framework were used to examine ECEs’ responses to semi-structured questions. Findings from this study can inform a prospective coaching model that includes explicit modeling, a deeply reflective component, and an array of professional development (PD) opportunities.

Is Coaching Home Visitors an Evidence-Based Professional Development Approach? A Review of the Literature

Coaching is becoming a common professional development strategy to support early childhood (EC) professionals to use evidence-based practices. However, most of the research on coaching professionals in EC settings has been conducted in classroom or center-based EC settings. The authors of this review sought to summarize the current empirical literature on coaching of EC home visitors. Seven studies were identified and coded to determine common factors. Additional research is greatly needed to identify whether coaching home visitors is an evidence-based professional development strategy and the effective components of coaching in home-based programs.

Impact of pedagogical intervention on early childhood professionals’ emotional availability to children with different temperament characteristics

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of pedagogical intervention on early childhood education professionals’ emotional availability to children with different temperament characteristics. Participants were 136 children (intervention group = 87; control group = 49) aged 1–6 years from 16 early childhood and care centres in Finland. The PedaSens intervention was a 9-month programme that included theory and video-based training for the professionals. Adult–child interaction was assessed with the Emotional Availability Scales before and after the intervention, and children’s temperament was assessed with the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire. According to results, early childhood professionals’ emotional availability increased in the intervention group, especially to children with high levels of activity and pleasure seeking and with low levels of attentional focusing. We argue that the quality of interaction in early childhood education and care can be increased by targeting professional trainings to support children with different temperament characteristics.

International responses to COVID-19: challenges faced by early childhood professionals

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a world crisis of an unprecedented nature. In March 2020, due to closing of non-essential private and public educational institutions, early childhood professionals had to quickly adapt and respond to the demands for social distancing, hygiene, new protocols and transition to online education. Alternatively, educators engaged in distance teaching and learning, when the families they serve lacked technological resources for online modalities. The present study examines how early childhood teachers in the United States and several Latin American countries are facing the challenges presented by COVID-19. The study clearly reflects the relevancy of the challenges faced by educators of young children, such as lack of preparation for distance teaching and learning, deficiencies in the pre-and in-service trainings to address the educational needs of young children distantly, and the need to work differently with caregivers. Teacher training and development should include the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to successfully reconsider and participate in distance teaching and learning.

Percepcije vaspitača o uključivanju stručnjaka različitog profila u tim za inkluzivno obrazovanje

The past decade has witnessed the expansion of educators' competencies and their larger concern for children with developmental delays, i.e. inclusive education. The inclusion of developmentally delayed children into education is determined by the following: early detection of developmental conditions, timely intervention, an individualized education plan (IEP) and its practical application. The IEP is developed and implemented by the inclusive education team. The team members responsible for the development of the IEP for children with developmental delays in regular preschool education are: parents or caregivers, teachers and educators, early childhood professionals, personal assistants for developmentally delayed children, special education teachers or dialectologists, pedagogical assistants and other professionals. The goal of this research was to determine educators' opinion about the necessity of an early intervention as well as about the application of the IEP and the involvement of professional support in inclusive kindergarten programmes and practice. The sample was comprised of 70 early childhood educators with experience in teaching children with developmental delays. The research results showed that the participants were predominantly inclined towards the involvement of a music pedagogue into inclusive kindergarten education (51of them or 71%). Therefore, this paper analyses the possibilities of supporting children with developmental delays through music teaching classes.

A home-based longitudinal study of vocalization behaviors across infants at low and elevated risk of autism.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to expand existing literature on prelinguistic vocalizations by reporting results of the first home-based longitudinal study examining a wide variety of behaviors and characteristics, including early vocalizations, across infants at low and elevated risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study of vocalizations and vocalization changes across early developmental periods shows promise in reflecting early clinically significant differences across infants at low and elevated risk of ASD. Observations of early vocalizations and their differences during infancy could provide a reliable and essential component of an early developmental profile that would lower the average diagnostic age for ASD. However, studies employing observation of vocalization behaviors have been limited and often conducted in laboratory settings, reducing the external generalization of the findings. The present study was conducted to determine the consistency of previous findings with longitudinal data collected in home environments. Infants in the present study represented elevated risk from two etiological backgrounds, (a) infants born prematurely and with low birth weight and (b) infants who had an older sibling diagnosed with ASD. All data were collected in the infants' homes and compared with data collected from infants with low likelihood of ASD. The study included 44 participants (31 in the low-risk sample, 13 in the high-risk sample) with vocalization behaviors observed at 6- and 12-months through 20-min semi-structured play interactions with caregivers. Observations were video-recorded and later coded for speech and non-speech vocalizations. Differences in the 6-month vocalization behaviors were not statistically significant across risk levels of ASD. By 12 months; however, risk group differences were evident in the total number of vocalizations overall with specific differences across groups representing moderate to large, clinically relevant effects. Infants at low risk of ASD demonstrated significantly greater developmental change between 6- and 12-months than did the infants at high risk. Data were also reviewed for differences across high-risk group etiologies. The present study was unique and innovative in a number of ways as the first home-based longitudinal study examining infant vocal behaviors across low and high risk of ASD. Many of the present study findings were consistent with previous cross-sectional investigations of infants at elevated risk for ASD, indicating support for further home-based longitudinal study in this area. Findings also indicated some preliminary subgroup differences between high-risk etiologies of ASD. Vocalization differences across high risk groups had not been previously addressed in the literature. Vocalization differences are notable by 12-months of age between infants at low and elevated risk of ASD and infants at high risk demonstrated reduced developmental changes between 6- and 12-months compared to the infants at low risk. Observation of early infant vocalization behaviors may reasonably occur in the home, providing early childhood professionals and researchers with empirical support for data collection of child-caregiver interactions in this setting. Potential differences across high-risk etiologies warrant further investigation.

Accompagner le développement langagier du très jeune enfant : Une recherche-action-formation dans les structures de petite enfance

Language acquisition in toddlers constitutes a major concern for professionals working in daycare centres. They have knowledge about the main stage s of language development but they often reflect upon how to support this process in an efficient manner. This article presents an action and training research programme conducted in Parisian childcare centres. In this project, interactionist linguists and early childhood professionals collaborate to describe specific features of adult-child interactions. We work together to highlight language practices which enhance child language development. Our analyses are based on video data recorded in daily activi ties. The discussion deals with the development and awareness of these professional support practices.

Specialised education makes a difference in preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in the teaching of mathematics and science: A case of Botswana and Sweden

Background: Education in mathematics and science is important at all school levels and should ideally start in the preschool, which implies that preschool teachers should have an adequate knowledge base in these subjects.Aim: This study aimed to investigate preschool teachers’ knowledge bases, including their subject matter knowledge (SMK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in mathematics and science.Setting: The study presents an account of preschool teachers’ knowledge bases in mathematics and science in Botswana and Sweden and how they influence their teaching choices and strategies.Methods: A pragmatic paradigm with a survey design and a mixed-methods mode with quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. Using a purposive sampling procedure, 64 preschool teachers from Botswana and 67 from Sweden participated in the study. Questionnaires and observation schedules were used to collect the data.Results: The findings showed that the Swedish preschool teachers had SMK and PCK in the two subjects. The Botswana teachers had SMK but lacked PCK. The early childhood educated preschool teachers from Sweden with developed PCK highlighted the daily routine situations as teaching or learning situations, whereas the primary school teachers from Botswana had SMK but found it difficult to teach at the preschool level.Conclusion: The preschool teachers’ knowledge bases included a play-based approach and knowledge about didactic considerations in spontaneous situations that made them teachable. The findings also showed the importance of a framework for specialised and professional early childhood education (ECE) training and acquiring SMK and PCK that contributed to the preschool teachers’ knowledge bases and practices in their teaching of mathematics and science. Early childhood education teachers’ educational experiences, their specialised and professional training profiles and the knowledge they acquired determined their knowledge bases and the SMK and PCK that minimised the constraints and challenges faced by them in the teaching of mathematics and science in ECE classrooms.