Early Practitioners Research Articles

Think before you buy

Early years practitioners are constantly being told that they need to plug the gaps in children's learning with a variety of ready-made solutions. But it's worth taking the time to reflect on what you already have and asking whether these gaps really exist?

REVIEWS

Professional books are enjoying a new premium as early years practitioners demonstrate their thirst for knowledge and guidance to help them navigate a world changed by Covid.

Outstanding Educator Performance: Professional Development in Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education as the main foundation of one's education is determined by the quality of teachers who can be seen through the performance of teachers and teachers, so the discourse of professional development is important. This study aims to determine how the performance of superior early childhood teachers and performance measurement as performance standards for outstanding teachers. Qualitative research is carried out with a psychological approach that is carried out directly on the object under study, to obtain data relating to aspects of teacher performance so that increased performance becomes an example for other teachers. Research data collection techniques using interviews, documentation, and observation. The results showed that the performance of outstanding early childhood teachers always tried to hone and control themselves by participating in outstanding teacher competitions to monitor their professional condition and performance. Early childhood teachers who have extraordinary grades also have strong scientific insight, understand learning, have broad social insights, are positive about their work, and show work performance according to the required performance criteria. The teacher's performance in the extraordinary category is the success and ability of the teacher in carrying out various learning tasks. Measuring the performance of early childhood teachers with achievement has two tasks as measurement standards, tasks related to the learning process and tasks related to structuring and planning learning tasks. Referring to these two tasks, there are three main criteria related to teacher performance in early childhood teacher professional development literacy, namely processes, teacher characteristics, and outcomes or products (changes in student attitudes). In the learning process, the performance of early childhood teachers who excel can be seen from the quality of work carried out related to professional teacher learning activities.
 Keywords: Early Childhood Education, Outstanding Educator Performance, Professional Development

Teaching moves and preschoolers’ arithmetical accuracy

Several teaching moves have been suggested to support young children’s simple addition and subtraction performance, including use of a number path, directly modeling addition and subtraction, using mathematical symbols, and modifying problem difficulty. In the present study, teacher-researchers implemented an early arithmetic activity, Big Fish Story, with dyads of 3 to 4-year-old students. As part of the implementation, the teacher-researchers used these teaching moves to support young children’s in-the-moment answers to simple addition and subtraction problems. We use session-level data (n = 94 sessions) nested in dyads to examine and compare the frequency with which the use of these teaching moves are associated with two types of student responses, in order to preliminarily identify teaching moves that may support young children’s performance on simple arithmetic tasks. We conclude with implications for the field and early childhood practitioners.

An examination of the factors influencing a cohort of post-graduate architecture students in the adoption of sustainable design practices that support health and well-being

Presented in this paper are the results of an interactive workshop undertaken with a cohort of international architecture students, which aimed to explore their approaches to sustainable decision-making and design, including biophilic and restorative environmental design. The intention of the research was to establish current barriers to the adoption of design strategies that support occupant health and well-being. An essential constituent of sustainable design, occupant health and well-being feeds into the overarching aim of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. A total of 68 international post-graduate architecture students took part in the study. The results of the research highlight a significant knowledge gap, with few students demonstrating an understanding of both the direct and indirect benefits of implementing holistic sustainable design strategies, and very few reporting a knowledge or well-developed understanding of biophilic or restorative environmental design. However, the research did highlight students’ propensity towards environmentally responsible behaviour. Indeed, environmental attitudes appear to be in place, but what is currently lacking in these early career practitioners are the knowledge and skills to implement holistic sustainable decision-making.

Bonbonnieres in the gallery: (re)presenting sugar in a family gallery space

AbstractThis paper charts an on‐going process emerging from a collaborative project between Manchester Art Gallery, and early childhood researchers and practitioners, who are currently working together to develop a new learning space for families. It revolves around the potential of exhibiting a collection of bonbonnieres in this space. These little 18th Century pots, originally filled with sweets or breath mints, are colourful and depict fanciful animals that have an almost cartoon like quality that may resonate with younger children. Yet the contents that once lay inside would have been cut from plantations by the hands of enslaved people. Sugar, in all its sweetness, is intrinsically linked to Britain’s colonial history. Sections of a poem by Tina Otito Tamsho‐Thomas (http://revealinghistories.org.uk/smoking‐drinking‐and‐the‐british‐sweet‐tooth/objects/bonbonniere.html) are emplaced throughout to unambiguously contextualise the bonbonniere as a symbol of enslavement legacy, sugar trade history and British colonialism. Today, excess sugar consumption sits at the heart of the healthy eating agenda, a key priority area for local early years providers. In this paper, textual ‘fragments’ act as provocations in a series of interdisciplinary conversations that were initiated as a strategy to unsettle the positions of the institution and its curators, educators and practitioners, opening up discursive thinking about the potential of this particular object‐space ensemble. By considering these bonbonnieres as ‘vibrant matter’ (Bennett, 2010) that can affect and be affected within the gallery space (Tolia‐Kelly, 2016) we ask questions about how these objects might sit alongside the daily interactions that occur in the space in a way that opens up ‘discomfort zones’.

A ghost in my house

A ghost in my house

A comparative study of ECEC practitioners’ perceptions of children’s well-being and their roles in South Korea and Norway

ABSTRACT This comparative study investigated how early childhood education and care practitioners in South Korea and Norway perceive the concept of children’s well-being and their own roles in supporting and facilitating children’s well-being. Data were collected through online questionnaires from 198 practitioners and analysed utilising chi-square analyses. The results showed that South Korean practitioners perceived the cognitive and economic domains as more important than Norwegian practitioners. Meanwhile, the practitioners from Norway perceived the social domain as more important than South Korean practitioners. Norwegian practitioners perceived physical needs, need for affection, and enjoyment as more important than Korean practitioners. Norwegian practitioners also monitored every child’s well-being and more actively encouraged positive interactions and child-initiated activities. Meanwhile, Korean practitioners perceived the need for safety as important and believed that environments were not safe enough for children’s health and well-being. These findings suggest that the educational approaches and sociocultural contexts of the two countries influence children’s well-being.

English as an additional language: Professional development needs of early childhood practitioners in historically disadvantaged contexts

Background: Early childhood development (ECD) practitioners face tremendous challenges in supporting learners’ development in English as an additional language (EAL). The lack of a formal ECD curriculum in South Africa exacerbates this challenge for African learners from historically disadvantaged backgrounds as there is a lack of guidance on how to introduce EAL. Aim: This study investigated factors impacting on ECD practitioners’ ability to facilitate EAL, determine the professional development needs of ECD practitioners at historically disadvantaged ECD centres in facilitating the acquisition of EAL and used the results to make recommendations to be considered when developing support initiatives to ECD practitioners in this context. Setting: Ga-Rankuwa, a township north of Pretoria. Methods: A descriptive survey design was employed to collect mainly quantitative data and a limited amount of qualitative data. The data were descriptively analysed. Results: Prevalent factors that could impact ECD practitioners’ abilities to facilitate EAL included their English proficiency, qualifications and the language of learning and teaching used in the classroom. The participants communicated a need for assistance with (1) enhancing their knowledge on the acquisition of EAL, (2) materials to use in language lessons and (3) lesson planning. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to develop support structures to assist historically disadvantaged ECD practitioners in facilitating the acquisition of EAL. The results of the study can serve as a starting point for planning workshops where ECD practitioners can be trained to develop suitable lesson plans and resources as well as appropriate techniques to enhance preschool learners’ acquisition of EAL.

Social representation of PR activism: Perceptions of early career public relations professionals in South Africa

A critical, socio-cultural turn in the public relations research agenda has shifted attention away from a predominately organisational focus to include the individual practitioner, and their symbolic power relationships (Curtin & Gaither, 2005). This has resulted in critical interrogation of issues such as dissent, power and activism in professional role enactment with an emergent, activist stance that actively questions and resists existing power structures and normative practices (Holtzhausen, 2012). This turn requires PR as well as in a diverse range of other disciplines to find new forms of addressing some of the wicked problems of our time, such as the social and cultural influences that public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice. The positioning of the critical-cultural and postmodern paradigms lends itself to the application of social representation theory (SRT) as a framework for analysis and understanding (Bauer & Gaskell, 2008; p. 351). However, to date limited research has been conducted on the social influences public relations practitioners are subject to in enacting culturally sensitive public relations roles in their practice, especially in respect of public relations practitioners who occupy junior to mid-level positions in formal employment contexts. In particular, individual influence and agency of entry level or early career public relations practitioners in South Africa has been under researched. It is against this background that this study aims to determine the perceptions of early-mid career South African PRPs on how they socially represent their activism in a poly-contextual and diverse cultural context. This is especially important in a context where PRPs are required to justify the value their actions have in achieving social change. The findings suggest that South African activist public relations practitioner (PRP) role enactment may not only entail promoting the interests of those who are marginalised and excluded from social contexts, but also requires advocating for the legitimacy of their own activist role in their contexts of practice.

Relationships between family-centred practices and parent involvement in early childhood intervention

ABSTRACT Findings from two studies investigating the relationships between two types of family-centred practices (relational and participatory) and parent involvement in early childhood intervention are described. We tested the hypothesis that participatory practices would be more strongly related to parent involvement compared to relational practices because the former and not the later emphasise active parent participation in obtaining child, parent, and family resources and supports. We also determined if the pattern of results were the same or different in the two studies. Both studies were conducted in Spain in nine early childhood intervention programmes working with young children with identified disabilities or developmental delays and their parents. Participants completed a family-centred practices scale and parent involvement scale as part of their participation in the studies. Results from different kinds of statistical and effect size analyses provided converging evidence that participatory family-centred practices were a more robust predictor of parent involvement in early childhood intervention compared to relational family-centred practices. Implications for professional development to promote early childhood intervention practitioners’ understanding and use of participatory practices to improve parent involvement in their children’s intervention are described.

How ‘inner setting factors’ affect the implementation of early years communication strategies: evaluation of the Language Lead Approach

ABSTRACT Language and communication improvement approaches designed by SLT services for delivery by early years practitioners can be effective in principle, but what helps or hinders initial and ongoing success? In this implementation study, we investigated the experiences of 10 practitioners who became Language Leads (LLs) and delivered the Language Lead Approach (LLA) in early years settings. Our participants were highly invested in the LLA and praised its benefits for children and for their emotional and professional development. However, within their settings, practitioners found staff attitudes and engagement and resource limitations were significant barriers to implementation. Managerial support was perceived as less important for implementation than anticipated from previous literature. LLs often felt frustration at time and staffing constraints and felt personally responsible when implementation was not complete. LLs experienced confusion in their first year delivering the LLA, needing more guidance and support from speech and language therapists (SLTs). Practical implications are explored to help services design and improve the implementation, and therefore effectiveness, of similar strategies.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Early Care and Education Professionals’ Social and Emotional Well-being

ABSTRACT Early care and education (ECE) professionals’ social and emotional well-being has emerged as an area of focus for improving program quality. ECE professionals are experiencing increasing levels of stress and burnout, which is threatening the quality of early childhood education and care. This article introduces the special issue devoted to understanding early childhood professionals’ social and emotional competence and well-being and their relationship to program quality and child outcomes. The purposes of this special issue are to (a) describe the nature of ECE professionals’ social and emotional competence and well-being, (b) understand the factors that contribute to ECE professionals’ social and emotional competence and well-being, (c) understand to what extent and how ECE professionals’ social and emotional competence and well-being impacts classroom quality as well as children’s developmental outcomes, and (d) present evidence-based approaches that support ECE professionals’ social and emotional competence and well-being. For the purposes of this issue, ECE professionals include early childhood educators (e.g., teachers or home-based child care providers), practitioners (e.g., home visitors, mental health consultants, specialists, etc.) and early childhood leaders (e.g., directors, principals, or administrators) who serve children from birth to third grade. In this introductory article we conclude with a discussion of implications of this research for future research, policy, and practice.

Knowing them best

Early years practitioners are in a unique position to advocate support for an individual child but in

The Culture of Ambiguity: Ma in Japanese Culture and Design Movement Posters

In a literal sense, the word ma (間) means “interval” or “gap.” With considerable enthusiasm, since the early 1960s, Japanese thinkers and design practitioners have developed ma into an abstract and spiritual concept. With the use of interpretive research and ethnographic methods, this article explores how ma, commonly understood as ambiguity, has been deeply appreciated in Japanese culture. To find out more about ma, the author interviewed Nagai Kazumasa and Sugiura Kohei, the two eminent Japanese Design Movement (JDM) poster designers, in their Tokyo design offices in 2008. Specifically, from a case study research of one of Sugiura's renowned works, the author found that the concept of ma has been elevated by Sugiura to a religio-aesthetic and spiritual status. Sugiura has used ma as both medium and message in maintaining his intellectual and artistic position in Japan and Asia.

‘Settling In’: Exploring the complexities of observing and responding to young children’s communications of distress as they start day care

ABSTRACT This paper uses material from two psychoanalytic observations of children in day care to illustrate ways in which young children communicate their feelings on separating from their parents. It discusses how early years practitioners respond to children's distress as they form a Key Person relationship. Points are raised about how difficult it can be for practitioners to respond to children in the early days of them getting used to the new environment, especially in the absence of a robust, reflective work culture. The child's Key Person may avoid understanding children's distress and even misinterpret the child's communication. The paper presents detailed observations of a young girl, who in the absence of an available and receptive adult, finds ways to distance herself from or to cut off from missing her mother and longing to go home. Her defensive, or self protective response, arguably leads to more difficulty for her Key Person, to notice, understand and respond sensitively to her expressions of distress. The paper argues for better, supportive, reflective systems for early years practitioners working in day care, in order to improve the emotional experience for them and for the children.

Interactive Graphics in Industry: The Early Days.

Computer graphics has a long history. Industrial organizations and laboratories drove significant improvements as they adapted and assembled basic capabilities into complex interactive applications. Of particular concern in the early days was providing interactive 3-D applications for computer-aided design and engineering. This article describes the experience of two early industry practitioners who built successful 1970s interactive 3-D systems.

Culture in Early Childhood Mathematics

Early childhood practitioners consider practical strategies to innovate mathematics through cultural responsiveness and funds of knowledge.

Predictors of Practitioners’ Use of Recommended Early Childhood Intervention Practices

Findings from research syntheses of adult learning and in-service training studies identified the importance of professional development as a factor influencing practitioner use of recommended and evidence-based intervention practices. These relationships were used to test the hypothesis that practice-specific evidence-based capacity-building professional development would be related to early childhood practitioners’ reported use of recommended early childhood intervention practices. The participants were practitioners working with birth to 3-year-old, 3- to 5-year-old, or birth to 5-year-old children with identified disabilities, developmental delays, or at-risk conditions in home-based or center-based programs or both. The predictors included three practitioner background variables (e.g., years of professional experience) and three professional development variables (e.g., evidence-based professional development practices). Results indicated that the three professional development practice variables accounted for significant amounts of variance in the practitioners’ reported use of 10 different practices beyond that accounted for by the three background variables. The findings highlight the importance of evidence-based capacity-building professional development as a factor influencing practitioners’ judgments of their use of recommended practices.

Articulating outdoor risky play in early childhood education: voices of forest and nature school practitioners

ABSTRACT Outdoor risky play provides developmental and health benefits for children, such as risk-assessment skills, increased physical activity and well-being and promoting social competencies and resilience. Modern Western society is highly risk-averse and many children are protected from risks more commonly experienced by previous generations. Forest and nature schools (FS) are one approach encouraging unstructured outdoor play in natural environments including the inherent risks; falling, cuts and bruises, sun exposure, etc. Ten early childhood education FS practitioners were interviewed to explore their articulation of outdoor risky play, pedagogical practices pertaining to risk and how they navigate tensions between regulatory policies and idealized practice. This research serves to bring practitioners’ voices to the literature on how the risk associated with outdoor play is being defined, rationalized, and enacted in FS programs. Findings from this study inform recommendations for practice and further inquiry into risky play and its benefits.