Practices Of Early Childhood Teachers Research Articles

“It is okay to be different” – Anti-bias practices of early childhood teachers in Saudi Arabia

Early education helping young children manage prejudiced attitudes towards themselves and others is urgent. Early childhood (EC) teachers in Saudi Arabia are making significant changes by applying an anti-bias approach to deal with such issues with young children. In the study reported on here we used a quantitative approach to explore anti-bias education, including an analysis of approaches to the cultural environment, which includes teaching practices and associated learning resources. Many teachers (n = 142) in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia contributed to this study by completing a questionnaire. Teachers’ classroom practices, such as role-play, pictures, books, toys, and materials in teaching children the concept of anti-bias, were deeply explored. The results of the study show that the greater the previous experience of teachers in teaching children from a culture different from their own, the greater the application of the concept of anti-bias in creating the classroom environment. There is a need for further studies on the extent to which anti-bias education is being implemented on a larger scale in primary schools in Saudi Arabia.

Photographs of Play: Narratives of Teaching

Research affirms positive results between children’s play and academic success. While play is heavily featured within the early childhood curriculum, limited studies have explored how play is actually implemented within early years settings. The aim of this study was to enhance children’s play and learning by using photographs to explore play-related pedagogical practices of early childhood teachers in Australia over time. Using visual narrative inquiry, three families participated (mother and child) and shared school photos of the mother in an early childhood context and the current child in an early childhood context. The photos were analysed with a visual analysis approach to understand play and teaching across the two time periods. Key findings revealed what has changed and what has become part of the foundation of play in Australian early childhood education. Findings are important to expand the current understanding of play and the historical perspectives of play.

유아교사 양성평등 실천정도와 교육요구도에 관한 연구

In order to use it as basic data for gender equality education for early childhood teachers, this study diagnosed the degree of gender equality practice of early childhood teachers in 508 kindergarten and childcare teachers in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and the main results are as follows. First, the overall degree of gender equality practice of early childhood teachers was high, but gender bias and gender role stereotypes were expressed in some questions. Second, 75.9% of early childhood teachers in Gyeongsangbuk-do said that gender equality education for teachers was necessary, and 69.6% said they would participate in this education. As for the desired educational content, the teaching strategy for gender equality that can be applied to the field was the most, and the demand for providing educational programs and contents that can be used in the educational field was the highest for gender equality childcare practice. Based on these research results, the following suggestions are made to improve the practical ability of early childhood teachers to practice gender equality and to reflect educational needs. First, when conducting gender equality education for early childhood teachers, it is necessary to focus on strengthening practical skills rather than theory so that it can be actually applied in the early childhood education field. Second, customized education for each age group of infant teachers is needed. Third, it is necessary to provide manuals and contents so that infant teachers can practice gender equality in childcare sites. Fourth, kindergarten teachers should also be required to receive education.

Early Discipline Behavior: Read aloud Story with Big Book Media

Early Discipline Behavior: Read aloud Story with Big Book Media

The Effect of Environmental Literacy and Environmental Teaching Efficacy Beliefs on the Environmental Teaching Practice of Early Childhood Teachers

The Effect of Environmental Literacy and Environmental Teaching Efficacy Beliefs on the Environmental Teaching Practice of Early Childhood Teachers

Theories and Practices of Early Childhood Teachers: Bottom-up Perspectives

Theories and Practices of Early Childhood Teachers: Bottom-up Perspectives

Systems advocacy in the professional practice of early childhood teachers: from the antithetical to the ethical

Dominant constructions of professionalism in early childhood education can diminish early childhood teachers’ and educators’ undertaking of advocacy at the systems or political level. In this paper, we propose an ethically grounded construction of professionalism that provides space for professional practice to move beyond the classroom and into the political sphere. Findings from interviews with four early childhood teachers from Australia who undertake systems advocacy as part of their professional practice show that this work is driven by ethical influences that extend beyond the rule-based imperative, in ethical codes, that teachers should undertake systems advocacy. Findings highlight the value of considering systems advocacy as practice that emerges from an interplay of three theoretical foundations of ethics: deontology, utilitarianism and virtue ethics. Implications for teacher professionalism and the building of a teacher disposition that incorporates systems advocacy are considered.

Study on Teachers’ Perceptions and Practice of Nutrition Education for Young Children

This study aimed to investigate the teaching practices of early childhood teachers in order to educate young children on nutrition to develop a nutrition-based educational program. For this purpose, a survey consisting of several general questions on education and nutrition, several general educational practices on nutrition for teachers of young children, and teaching methods for young children on proper nutritional practices were developed. The subjects involved were of 192 teachers of young children, 86 of whom were kindergarten teachers and 106 of whom were preschool teachers. The data collected from the survey was analyzed by a chi square, a t-test, and ANOVA. Scheffe analysis was utilized for the post-analysis.BR There are significant differences in nutrition education practices among teachers and young children depending on teacher variables and institution types.

Practices of Early Childhood Teachers in Greece for Managing Behavior Problems: A Preliminary Study

The initial purpose of this research is to examine the strategies of early childhood teachers in Greece for managing behavior problems in their classroom and then to design and implement a program for further teachers’ training. The sample consisted of 74 early childhood teachers who divided in four groups according to their years of service. A questionnaire with 20 types of problematic behaviors and 24 management practices was used. Teachers were asked which of those behaviors have addressed and which strategies they have implemented for each type of behavior. Results showed statistically significant differences among the groups regarding teachers’ practices.

Pedagogical Practice of Early Childhood Teachers: Explicit Enhancement of Students' Literacy

IN A CLIMATE OF INTENSIFYING interest in early years' literacy education, this research investigates the pedagogical practices of (both novice and experienced) early childhood teachers within literacy education in Western Australian Catholic schools. Narrative accounts are used to depict the classroom practices of four teachers. The study shows that the teachers who explicitly enhanced their students' literacy used a differentiated approach including a child-centred approach, a teacher-directed approach and a co-constructed method. In addition, these early years' teachers have a shared responsibility for learning, foster positive relationships, and continually develop their own professional skills. The study recommends supportive leadership through a professional development model inclusive of mentoring, coaching and feedback, all seen as critical to the effectiveness of both novice and experienced teachers.

Renovating early childhood education pedagogy: a case study in Vietnam

Since 2003, the Vietnamese government has prioritised curriculum reform efforts and commitment to improving the quality of the national curriculum. The Vietnamese early childhood education renovation has encountered considerable changes and challenges, particularly in the area of pedagogical approaches. Many early childhood teachers continue to favour direct instruction over more appropriate teaching practices for early childhood. This paper reviews the implementation and renovation of the revised curriculum over the past 10 years in Vietnam, and examines the changing realities of early childhood teachers' work to explore ways to implement and sustain changes in pedagogy in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. The paper explores how changing societal expectations and the changing educational philosophies and resultant pedagogy have impacted on the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers. The teaching profession, as a whole, is facing ongoing change and challenge; not only are ongoing educational reforms redefining teachers' work, but increasing teacher attrition and turnover also creates problems for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Lam Dong province. The paper concludes with suggestions for areas for future research in Vietnam in the field of ECEC.

Promoting Communities of Practice and Parallel Process in Early Childhood Settings

On the job experiences such as collaborative teacher meetings can shape how early childhood educators grow professionally and how schools can develop communities of practice. However, the effect of conversations during teacher meetings on teacher practice is not fully understood. This yearlong qualitative case study examined the relationship between conversations during formal collaborative experiences and the actual classroom practice of early childhood teachers in a district, Head Start, and university lab school. Data sources included observations of teacher meetings and classroom practice, interviews with teachers and administrators, and ECERS-R ratings. Three factors contributed to the cultivation of productive communities of practice: (a) parallel processes that promoted the transfer of teacher talk into practices that enriched classroom environments; (b) administratively supported collective control of curriculum by teachers; and (c) use of protocols to guide conversations. Intentionally designed and carefully orchestrated collaborative experiences are worth pursuing but emerge according to a group's capacity to develop productive parallel processes that inspire transfer of meeting topics into best practices in classrooms.

Early childhood teachers’ thoughts and practices about the use of computers in early childhood education

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the thoughts and practices of early childhood teachers about the use of computers in early childhood education. The study has been carried out with 100 early childhood teachers who attended to a seminar about the early childhood education in Eskisehir and Afyon. To collect data, a “General Information Form” was used to determine the general characteristics of the teachers and their classroom, and a “Thoughts and Practices about the Use of Computers Questionnaire” was developed by the researchers and used in this study. The questionnaire includes a total of 11 questions related to the experiences, the purposes and the frequency of computer use; classroom assessments for activities with computer, thoughts about the status of children participate in activities and achieve goals of activities with computer. The results of the study show that the majority of the teachers acquire their information and skills of computer all by their experiences and state that computer use is appropriate in early childhood education. It is also stated that a major part of the teachers use the computer to support the activities in daily plans and include the computer 1–2 times at a week in their curriculum. Moreover, it is indicated that the teachers use the computer mostly in their music activities and intend to support children’s cognitive development by activities with computer. In addition, suggestions were made regarding the correct and effective use of computers in education programs.

The impact of Child Development Associate training on the beliefs and practices of preschool teachers

Abstract This study examined the impact of Child Development Associate (CDA) training on the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers who did not have college degrees or early childhood college coursework. Preschool teachers who were enrolled in CDA classes ( n = 76) and a comparison group of teachers ( n = 50) completed two surveys of beliefs and practices. Repeated measures Multivariate Analyses of Variance indicated that the CDA training teachers decreased the amount they endorsed beliefs and practices that contrast with Developmentally Appropriate Practice over time more than the comparison teachers. Results suggest that CDA training can be an effective means of increasing the developmentally appropriateness of beliefs and self-reported practices of early childhood teachers, which past research suggests will ultimately impact classroom quality.

Working with Large Class Size: Dispositions of Early Childhood Teachers in India

Using sociocultural-historical constructivism, and post-colonial theory, the author conducted a study to examine, through the perceptions of teachers, school principals, and teacher educators, the relationship between the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in private schools in New Delhi, India. The research questions collectively focused upon the aims of education that were prioritized by the educators, the philosophical and theoretical sources these educational aims drew upon, and the teachers' perceptions of their classroom practice, of the effectiveness of teacher education programs, and of the strongest influences on their teaching practice. One emergent finding of the study illustrated how early childhood teachers worked in classes that averaged 43 children. This article describes the aims of education that were prioritized by the early childhood teachers, and how they implemented these aims in their large classes. The author provides examples of teaching strategies and teacher dispositions through her own observations and through the teachers' articulation of their practice. The author also presents the teachers' perceptions of successful teaching and how they evaluated themselves as being successful, or not, at the end of a school year. The article concludes with an analysis that contextualizes large class size in Indian schools and a discussion on the relationship between small class size, Western developmental discourse, and issues of privilege and power.

Socio‐cultural‐historical constructivism in the preparation and practice of early childhood teachers in New Delhi, India

The author conducted a study with early childhood educators in New Delhi to understand the teachers’ perceptions of the relationship between their preparation and practice within a theory‐practice framework. The research problem emanated from the observations and experiences of the author, indicating an existing three‐way tension between the design of current Indian teacher education programs, the dominant discourse of early childhood education, and the underlying values of Indian philosophy that defined the construct of the teacher and child in Indian society.

Korean Teachers’ Beliefs and Teaching Practices in Korean Early Childhood Education*

The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers in Korea. 54 child care teachers, 58 private kindergarten teachers and 45 public kindergarten teachers participated in this study. The Teacher Questionnaire was adapted for the Korean situation using both Korean and American early childhood education experts to determine cultural appropriateness of items (i.e., a back translation procedure) and grammatical accuracy. Results indicated that public kindergarten teachers had more academic preparation and teaching experiences than other teachers. Public kindergarten teachers reported implementing significantly more appropriate teaching practics and fewer inappropriate practices in their classrooms than other teachers. There was a trend for all teachers who reported nondirective teaching strategy beliefs to use fewer inappropriate teaching practices; however, child care teachers used more inappropriate teaching strategies than other teachers. *This research is supported by funds from the Iowa State University College of Family and Consumer Science Development Fund. This study was submitted by the first author to the Graduate School, Iowa State University, as partial fulfilment for the requirements of a Master of Science degree.