Infant Teachers Research Articles

Infant teachers have a major impact on children's self‐awareness

SUMMARY. A conclusion of a study into ‘the ability of young children to rank themselves for academic ability’ was that very young children were able to rank, their own and each other's academic ability with a high degree of agreement. The hypothesis was developed that the teacher's beliefs were the influencing factor. This article uses further analysis of the data to show a very strong relationship between peer and teacher estimates of ability, in contrast with the relatively lower co‐relation between peer estimates and measured intelligence

Behavior Profiles of Experienced Teachers of Infants and Toddlers

ABC checklists (Adults Behaviors in Caregiving) have been created in three versions to assess caregivers of younger and older infants and caregivers of preschoolers. Two master teachers of younger infants were observed with ABC I during 46 half‐hours of observation, across daycare settings, time of day and day of week. Two master caregivers of toddlers were observed with ABC II during 59 half‐hours of observation. Piagetian activities were provided for younger infants during 1/5 of times sampled, and for older infants during 1/10 of times sampled. Master teachers practically never ignored babies who needed attention. Verbal criticisms or scolds were emitted in fewer than 1% of the times sampled. Isolation as a behavior modification technique was very rare with younger babies but occurred in 1/6 of sampled intervals with toddlers. Positive socioemotional interaction comprised 1/4 of teacher repertoire with younger babies. Language interactions represented 1/3 of the teachers’ repertoire with younger babies...

Nursery and Infant School Play Patterns: sex‐related differences

A large proportion of the work done up to now on gender differentiation in schools has had a secondary school emphasis, (Delamont, 1980; Mahony, 1973), and it would seem logical to ask whether or not some of the gender differentiation manifest at this stage is not, at least in part, the outcome of differences which have become established much earlier in the children's educational career. The need to investigate this possibility has led in the last few years to more interest in gender differences in the primary school (Clarricoates, 1978; French & French, 1984; Hartley, 1980; May & Ruddock, 1983). The research reported here forms part of a wider study of gender differentiation in the early years of schooling. The provision for play, and the way in which children make use of the facilities provided, were among a number of aspects of nursery and infant education observed and analysed. We came to the view that there were important differences in the play patterns of girls and boys, and that these had possible long-term educational implications. Play is widely recognised as a major component in early education and so forms an important part of the school day for young children (Armstrong, 1980; Marriott, 1985). It is argued that it helps them to develop a wide range of social and intellectual skills, and for this reason a variety of types of play materials is normally provided in their classrooms. As well as this, the physical environment is often planned to facilitate play activities, and infant teachers are encouraged to develop techniques to help children to interact creatively and imaginatively with the classroom environment (Bennett, 1984).

Teachers' Sense of Efficacy: An Important Factor in School Improvement

Teachers' Sense of Efficacy: An Important Factor in School Improvement

Training of Primary Teachers at University Level: the Italian case

Abstract At present in Italy a primary teacher training course lasts four years at upper high school level. At the end of this the student is awarded a diploma enabling him once he has passed a state examination to be included in the school rolls. The considerable changes in society in recent years have had a strong influence on the schools, thus it has become urgent to change teacher training systems so that teachers can better come to grips with new educational methods. Nowadays the primary school teacher must be a very understanding person as well as professionally well prepared so that he can get a deep insight into the personality of each pupil, and be able to grasp the significance of wide‐reaching social and cultural changes. It therefore seems to be necessary to give aspiring infant and primary teachers a four‐year university training which is the focal point of the proposals so far made by the various professional associations and by the Ministry of Education too, both of whom during meetings and...

‘Educating rita’: Is an academic science course for prospective infant and primary teachers appropriate

Our decision to choose the Open University S101 Science: A Foundation Course represents a direct attempt on our part to provide a background in science for our prospective infant and primary teachers. Our objective that this course achieve parity with first year Faculty of Science courses may appear to be an unattainable goal, given the methodological problems that have to be faced for such a general purpose course. It would certainly not be feasible for a lecture staff of four persons were it not for the printed readers, texts, assignments, examinations, and audio-visual software purchased, with approval, from the Open University in the United Kingdom.

Temperament Ratings by Parents and Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children

FIELD, TIFFANY, and GREENBERG, REENA. Temperament Ratings by Parents and Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 160-163. Temperament ratings of infants, toddlers, and preschool children were made by their parents and their all-day nursery school teachers to determine whether low parent-observer reliabilities previously reported may relate to differential experience with children. Despite the teachers' extensive contact with these children, convergence coefficients were no greater than those generally reported in the literature. The dimensions on which there was interrater agreement were rhythmicity at the infancy stage and persistence and adaptability at the toddler/preschool stage. Convergence of parent and teacher ratings was greater at the toddler/preschool stage than during infancy.

Temperament Ratings by Parents and Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children

Temperament Ratings by Parents and Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children

A Study of Londonderry Primary and Infant Teachers in their Probationary Year

A Study of Londonderry Primary and Infant Teachers in their Probationary Year

A Seven‐category Interaction Analysis for Infant Teachers to Use Themselves

Summary A procedure has been developed in which (a) a teacher records her classroom speech on a carried cassette recorder, (b) subsequently replays the recording and codes each utterance in terms of seven categories and the name of the child or children spoken to, and (c) reflects on her classroom practice as revealed by the coding analysis, using evaluative guidelines. This procedure has been tested successfully with 11 teachers of infant children, working in informal classrooms.

Taalontwikkeling Van Buitenlandse Kinderen in Het Onderwijs

Migration of foreign workers and their families is a familiar phenomenon throughout Europe. From this it follows that the inte-gration of migrant children into the educational system is not a specifically Dutch problem. Comparison with the integration of migrant children elsewhere in Europe - notably in Sweden - shows the policy of the Dutch government to be rather restrictive. Attention is given to the nature of the initiatives which have been taken so far in the Netherlands in this field, to the quantitative dimensions of the problem, to the bicultural educational aims pursued, to a number of problems which arise with respect to their realisation, and to the language programmes which have been developed so far for the benefit of migrant children. Furthermore, two domains are discussed which deserve much more attention, particularly from the point of view of educa-tional research: the development and evaluation of new language programmes for migrant children and the development and evalua-tion of training programmes for teachers who will be involved in the teaching of these children. As regards the latter cate-gory, special attention is given to the activities of the Ver-duin Committee, which since April 1976 has been working on the implementation of an in-service training programme for infant and primary school teachers who will be engaged in this special type of education.

How good is your infant program? Use an observational method to find out

The proliferation of day care facilities for infants under 3 years of age has brought with it a growing concern with respect to the type and quality of care provided for infants and toddlers. That assurance of quality programming is crucial is suggested by a good deal of the literature on antecedents of high social-emotional and intellective competence in young children. For example, Watts, Barnett, and Halfar (1973) in their longitudinal ecological study of infant development have confirmed that highly competent 3-year olds, regardless of social class, have experienced markedly more interactions with adults in intellectually valuable activities. If limited financial or personnel resources exist, then certainly neither sophisticated nor lengthy measurement instruments can be used. Brevity, ease of use, specificity of developmentally desirable adult inputs, and sensitivity to caregiver differences in such inputs should be considered in choosing a method to evaluate programs with such financial constraints. If an observational method can highlight the kinds of experiences and the quality of interactions that go on between caregivers and babies, then it can be used as formative evaluation to improve program quality and to ensure the consistency of high-quality care. These methods do not have to be lengthy or complicated, but they should include teacher behaviors that reflect program goals. It is also important that input characteristics of "master" teachers of infants and toddlers be ascertained by means of such an instrument. In this manner the kinds, amounts, and qualities of adult care

The Pre‐reading Vocabulary of Children Leaving Nursery School

Summary A group of children, in their last term of attendance at nursery schools, were tested on their comprehension of words used in the first books of well‐known reading schemes. No child recognized all the words, and the vocabularies of individual children were seen to differ greatly. The implications of this finding for infant and nursery school teachers are discussed.

Developmental Stages of Preschool Teachers

Stage 1: Survival During Stage 1, which may last throughout the first full year of teaching, the teacher's main concern is whether she can survive. This preoccupation with survival may be expressed in questions the teacher asks: "Can I get through the day in one piece? Without losing a child? Can I make it until the end of the week? Until the next vacation? Can I really do this kind of work day after day? Will I be accepted by my colleagues?" Such questions are well expressed in Ryan's enlightening collection of accounts of first-year teaching experiences (3).

THE IMAGE OF THE TEACHER

Summary. It has been suggested that if salaries paid to teachers were competitive with those offered by industry, the present shortage of certain categories of teachers, such as teachers of science and of handicraft and infant teachers, would not exist. There is evidence from young people considering the choice of a career that the financial status of a teacher is only one factor deterring them from training to teach. Other factors which seem to deter both boys and girls, such as their fear of undisciplined classes and monotonous work are discussed. Ways in which adolescents and their parents may become better informed regarding the life of a teacher and teacher education are suggested.