Practices Of Preschool Teachers Research Articles

PENGETAHUAN, SIKAP DAN PRAKTIK GIZI GURU PAUD DIPERBAIKI DENGAN INTERVENSI e-HEALTH PEGIA

Preschool teachers play a crucial role in influencing children's eating patterns at school, which is of utmost importance considering the detrimental impact of malnutrition on preschool children's cognitive abilities. In order to improve preschool teachers' nutrition behavior, it is imperative to provide education on nutritional behavior. One effective approach is implementing nutrition education for teachers through e-Health, which offers numerous advantages such as easier access and wider reach. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of the Pegia eHealth intervention in improving the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of preschool teachers regarding nutrition. The sample consisted of 24 teachers from eight preschool centers in Purwokerto City, Indonesia. The e-Health intervention was conducted for 12 weeks, and the differences before and after the intervention were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test. The results showed a significant increase in the median knowledge by 12.00 with an interquartile range (IR) of 14.00, the median attitudes by 10.50 (IR: 8.75), and the median nutrition practices by 7.00 (IR: 3.00) (p-value < 0.05). The Pegia eHealth intervention showed its effectiveness in improving the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices of preschool teachers.

Examining the Views and Practices of Preschool Teachers: An Analysis of Reinforcement and Punishment Approaches

Bu çalışmada okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin pekiştirme ve cezalandırma kullanımları davranışsal yaklaşım ışığında incelenmiştir. Araştırmada, özel sektörde görev yapan okul öncesi eğitimcilerinin pekiştirme ve ceza uygulamalarına ve görüşlerine odaklanılmıştır bu açıdan fenomolojik desen (olgubilim) yönteminden yararlanılmıştır. Pekiştirme ve ceza ile ilgili düşünceleri ve uyguladıkları uygulamalar hakkında yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yöntemiyle açık uçlu sorular sorulmuştur. Sonuç olarak dört açık uçlu soru sorulmuş, öğretmenlerin yanıtları kaydedilmiş ve yazıya dökülmüştür. Öğretmenlerin cevapları araştırmacı tarafından kaydedilmiş ve tematik analiz yöntemiyle incelenip, kodlanmış ve yorumlanmıştır. Öğretmenlerin pekiştirme ve ceza yöntemini büyük ölçüde desteklediği ve bu konuda olumlu görüşlere sahip oldukları ortaya konulmuştur. En çok savunulan görüş, pekiştirme yönteminin çocuğun motive olmasına yardımcı olduğu görüşü iken, en çok kullanılan pekiştirme uygulaması sözel onaydır. Öğretmenlerin ceza konusunda tereddütleri olsa da çoğu öğretmen cezanın sınıf ortamlarında bir disiplin yöntemi olarak ve istenmeyen davranışları azaltmak için kullanılmasını desteklemiştir. En çok kullanılan ceza uygulamasının mola (time-out) olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır. Bu bulgular doğrultusunda, okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin davranışçı tekniklerin sınıfta kullanılması konusunda olumlu düşünceleri olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Exploring Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs and Practice on Sexual Education

It is known how important sexual education is in the preschool period. Teachers play a key role in this process. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the views and practices of pre-school teachers about sexual education. The participants of the study, which was designed as a qualitative case study, consisted of 8 female preschool teachers working with pre-school children for 36-72 months. Observation and interview techniques were used to collect data. The data obtained were analyzed in depth with descriptive analysis and evaluated under 7 themes. As a result of the research, it was determined that preschool teachers were partially sufficient in terms of their knowledge about sexual education, the aims of sexual education, and the skills aimed to be gained. It was determined that they applied sexual education in daily life skills rather than the scope of the course. However, it was determined that the teachers of the 3-year-old group had little knowledge about sexual education. In line with these results, suggestions were made that pre-school teachers and our country's parents should be trained in childhood sexual education and that sexual education teacher activity booklets should be created to include more activities related to sexual education.

A STUDY ON EXPLORING PRESCHOOL TEACHER PRACTICES AND PREFERENCES IN USING EARLY LITERACY ACTIVITIES

This study aimed to review the roles and practices of preschool teachers regarding reading and writing skills in preschool education. A sample of 234 preschool teachers working in Ankara participated to this study. Through employing complementary mixed method design, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected by using a descriptive data collection instrument, semi-structured interviews and observation form. Research findings indicate that preschool teachers mostly conduct teacher centered activities focused on concept learning for literacy development at desk activities. The preschool teachers stated that they usually distribute books and other printed materials to children; to read poems, fairy tales, stories and picture books aloud, and to examine those to give information about their features such as the back and front covers, the beginning and the end of the book. Although misconceptions and different activities were observed, it was found that teacher preferences were generally made in the light of the materials and attitudes of the institutions they worked in.

INVESTIGATIONS OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS’ VIEWS ON LEARNING CENTRES IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

This study aimed to examine the views and practices of preschool teachers about learning centres. Following this purpose, 36 preschool teachers who work in Mersin are examined. The research was carried out with phenomenology which is one of the qualitative research methods. In the research, the data were collected by semi-structured interview technique. The researchers utilised "Personal Data Form" and "Learning Centres Interview Form" prepared by receiving experts' opinions to collect data in the research. The findings obtained from individual interviews with teachers were analysed with the descriptive analysis technique. In the direction of the views of the teachers, it was concluded that the teachers have different learning centres in their classrooms, majority of the teachers find the learning centres sufficient, the range of the materials in some learning centres is insufficient. Besides, the learning centres preferred by the children was the most dramatic play centre. It was concluded that preschool teachers need support for the organisation and use of the learning centres. It was suggested that the teachers plan how the families can participate by encouraging them and getting support from the families and the institution while providing the materials. Therefore, the teachers support the children's development through different learning centres instead of a single learning centre. The teachers participate in in-service training to interact with children in learning centres.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0937/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

STEM ОБУЧЕНИЕ С РОДИТЕЛСКО УЧАСТИЕ – НАГЛАСИ, ЗНАНИЯ И ОПИТ НА ДЕТСКИТЕ УЧИТЕЛИ

Early STEM education has a great potential to support children's development in building their knowledge, in designing, discussing and testing ideas and finding solutions to different problems. Teachers have an essential role in the STEM process, but this role is shifted from the traditional leading role to a supportive facilitating role. In order to extend learning beyond the classroom and create positive experiences for children, a key factor is the involvement of parents in this process. Parent involvement could be seriously influenced by the knowledge, attitudes and practices of preschool teachers, and therefore their exploration is very important. It could help for planning and designing more effective training for preschool teachers both during their academic preparation and within qualification courses. Accordingly, this paper presents the results of a study with preschool teachers within the framework of the Erasmus+ European multilateral project "STEM for preschool children and their parents" (PARENTSTEM) (2018-2021). The primary goal of this project was to increase parental involvement in preschool STEM education, focusing on families of lower socioeconomic status. Implementation of project’s objectives aimed to expand the conceptual and pedagogical knowledge of preschool teachers in STEM through conducting various teacher trainings and developing intellectual products. This study attempts to identify teachers' prior knowledge, awareness and attitudes towards the conceptualization and pedagogy of STEM with parental involvement, and to discover the relative influence of the project activities on them. The results of the study demonstrate the need for preschool teacher trainings in the area of parent involvement in STEM, and outline the main points that should be considered in the construction of STEM courses designed for preschool teachers.

Preschool Teachers' Opinions Towards to Multicultural Education

It is almost impossible to talk about a monocultural society in the world that exist diversity and differences. Cultural diversity also makes its presence felt in schools, as in every atmosphere. Pre-school institutions, where children leave their home environment and are involved in the educational environment for the first time, are the places in which each child brings the cultural diversity of himself and his family, and in which peer interaction first occurs and develops. For these reasons, it is important to determine the views and practices of pre-school teachers about multiculturalism and its applications. In this study, a phenomenological research model, one of the qualitative research methods, was used by interviewing 23 preschool teachers working in official independent kindergartens in the city center of Diyarbakır. Data were collected through interviews with teachers, and content analysis was used in the analysis of the data. So far as the results of the research; it has been determined that the number of teachers who make arrangements in terms of multiculturalism in their classrooms is quite low, and the teachers who do not make arrangements for this, justify that the children in their classes are from Diyarbakır province or its surroundings, and ignore the cultural diversity of the province they work in. It was designated that all of the participants included the issues of respect for differences in their plans, and due to the pandemic, the diversity of teachers' activities for multiculturalism and respect for differences decreased. It has been determined that teachers focus on different themes and subjects due to the limited education period during the pandemic process. All the teachers participating in the study emphasized that it is more effective to address cultural issues in face-to-face education, however it was determined that they could not associate some of their practices with multiculturalism and respect for differences.

Changing the preschool setting to promote healthy energy balance-related behaviours of preschoolers: a qualitative and quantitative process evaluation of the SuperFIT approach

BackgroundThe Early Care and Education (ECE) setting plays an important role in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in young children. SuperFIT is a comprehensive, integrated intervention approach designed to promote healthy energy balance-related behaviours in preschoolers. Insight in the process of implementation and the context in which SuperFIT was implemented supports the understanding of how the intervention works in practice. This process evaluation examined factors that influenced the implementation and maintenance, as well as the (perceived) changes in the ECE setting.MethodsA mixed-methods study was conducted. SuperFIT was implemented at twelve preschools in the south of the Netherlands. The process evaluation was performed among preschool teachers, managers of the preschool organisation, and implementers. Semi-structured in-depth (group) interviews, quantitative process questionnaires, the Child-care Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire (CFAPQ) and the Environmental and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) were used to evaluate the implementation and maintenance of SuperFIT and the changes in the preschool setting. The interviews were analysed using a theoretical framework based on the Implementation Framework of Fleuren and Damschröder’s Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Descriptive analyses were performed on the quantitative data.ResultsVarious intervention activities were implemented in the preschool setting. Although the intention to maintain SuperFIT was present, this was hindered by time constraints and lack of financial resources. Important factors that influenced implementation and maintenance were incongruence with current practice, limited perceived capabilities to integrate SuperFIT in daily practice, group composition at the preschools, and the perceived top-down implementation. Organizational vision and societal attention regarding healthy behaviour in general were perceived to be supportive for implementation and maintenance. Predominantly, favourable changes were seen in the nutrition- and physical activity-related practices of preschool teachers and other aspects of the social preschool environment such as the use of play materials. Limited changes were observed in the physical preschool environment.ConclusionsSeveral factors influenced the implementation and maintenance of SuperFIT in the preschool setting. Some factors evolved over time from hindering to facilitating, emphasising the importance of allowing sufficient time for intervention implementation. SuperFIT changed mainly the social preschool environment.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT03021980, date registered: January 16, 2017, prospectively registered

Progressive Practices of Government Management in Preschool Teachers Professional Training in Western European Countries

Government management plays an important part in each branch of social activity and influence on its quality as well. It has a very essential importance in the sphere of professional education. The governmental initiations in teachers' professional education have a great influence not only on quality but also on standards and qualification and models of getting the profession as well. The purpose of this article is to show how the governmental management initiations in preschool teaching professional education make the profit for its quality, development, and improvement. The governmental management of preschool teachers' professional training, qualifications requirements to preschool teachers is important for the standardisation of qualification framework of preschool teachers and preschool teachers' professional education system functioning in different European countries are presented as progressive practices for effective preschool teachers' professional training. These practices of government management are analysed from the perceptivity of implementation into Ukrainian system of pedagogical education. The investigation of the progressive practices of preschool teachers' professional training in Western European countries allowed us to distinguish three directions of this experience implementation into Ukrainian higher pedagogical education system. The directions are divided into the levels such as improvement: governmental, institutional and procedural. The studding of progressive European experience also forms the basis for the development of The New Conception of preschool teachers' professional training in Ukraine, thus the authors emphasise the necessity of systemic comparative investigation of different aspects of this experience and point out the organisational and methods aspect require the comparative analysis, which will be the next step of the complex study.

Ambigapathy Pandian, Thomas Chow Voon Foo, and Shaik Abdul Malik Mohamed Ismail, (Eds.) Curriculum Development, Materials Design and Methodologies: Trends and issues. Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2011. Pp. 1-342. ISBN 978-983-861-493-1 (Print). e-ISBN 978-967-461-089-0

Ambigapathy Pandian, Thomas Chow Voon Foo, and Shaik Abdul Malik Mohamed Ismail, (Eds.) Curriculum Development, Materials Design and Methodologies: Trends and issues. Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2011. Pp. 1-342. ISBN 978-983-861-493-1 (Print). e-ISBN 978-967-461-089-0

Preschool teachers communicating values to children

ABSTRACTThis empirical study aims to find if and how preschool teachers communicate values they consider important for children to learn in preschool. The study is a part of a Nordic research project on values education in Nordic preschools. Values are understood as desirable principles that guide human actions. Theoretically, the study draws on a sociocultural perspective and Habermas’ theory of communicative action. The data consists of approximately 17 h of video observations of communication between preschool teachers and children. Two episodes were chosen for further analysis and in-depth discussion. Care, respect, and discipline had been agreed on as important values to communicate to preschool children. The preschool teachers used different approaches to communicate these values, depending on their professional and personal backgrounds. The values were communicated implicitly rather than explicitly. The study contributes to research on values education in the ECE and gives reasons for reflection on the practices of preschool teachers.

Comparing the Opinions and Practices of Preschool Teachers’ about the Use of Natural Mathematics Language

The aim of this study was to compare the practices and opinions of preschool teachers on using natural mathematics language. The study group consisted of totally eight preschool teachers (five preschool teachers working at official independent kindergartens and three preschool teachers working at kindergartens of primary schools) in the central district of Erzurum province, Turkey. In order to conduct the study; all the teaching processes of teachers except for the mathematics activities were recorded using a camera in the classroom environment for a week and their anecdotes were recorded. At the end of observation, each teacher was interviewed and asked semi-structured questions prepared by the researchers of this study. Data obtained from the camera records were analyzed by using The Observer XT – Noldus software. Interview forms were analyzed by means of descriptive analysis method and similar responses were collected under the same themes. Teachers stated that they used natural mathematics language in their responses to interview questions but it was determined in line with the observation results that they did not use natural mathematics language. According to the observational data, it was determined that teachers frequently used giving instructions and drawing attention strategies and that the mathematical expressions teachers used mostly at times aside from the mathematics activities were related to counting-numbers, measuring, location in space and comparing skills. It was also determined that all of the teachers had a common decision that using mathematics language in the classroom environment would support the mathematical development of children.

Teacher Practices and Preschool Physical Environment for Education for Sustainable Development: Eco Vs Ordinary Preschools

This study aimed to determine the frequency of and time allocation for education for sustainable development (ESD) practices of preschools teachers and examine the ESD indicators in the physical environment of eco and ordinary schools. The results indicate that the frequency of and time allocated for the ESD practices of eco preschool teachers were significantly higher than those of teachers in ordinary preschools but only with a small effect size. The results also demonstrate that there are more facilities to support ESD in eco-preschools compared to ordinary preschools. In conclusion, the eco-school approach may promote ESD indicators in preschools; however, the small effect size and similar mean scores of teachers in both schools emphasize the necessity of further investigating the issue. On the other hand, the significant differences between eco and ordinary preschools in terms of the physical environment demonstrate the unequal conditions of preschools in terms of ESD.

Child-centred education: preschool teachers’ beliefs and self-reported practices

This study analyses the beliefs and self-reported practices of preschool teachers with regard to the concept of child-centred education, as well as the consistency between these beliefs and practices. Data were collected via interviews with 20 female teachers employed in public preschools in Ankara, Turkey. The results indicated that the participants’ beliefs and practices related to developmental domains were not consistent with child-centred education, whereas their beliefs and practices involving the physical environment of the classroom, instructional activities, relationships, behaviour management, assessment, and parental involvement were partially consistent with it. Congruence between beliefs and practices in the sphere of child-centred education was strongest with respect to developmental domains and less strong in the other areas studied.

Knowledge and practices of pre-school teachers on growth monitoring program--South Africa.

The aim of this study was to determine knowledge and practices of pre-school teachers on growth monitoring. A quasi-experimental, one-group pre- and post-test intervention study was conducted in eight conveniently selected government subsidized pre-schools in Vhembe and Mopani districts of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Fifteen pre-school teachers participated in the study. An intervention in a form of nutrition education lessons on growth monitoring was developed and implemented. Pre-school teachers completed a knowledge test questionnaire prior to the lessons. The intervention also included the following training skills: procedure to take anthropometric measurements and plotting the Road to Health Chart. About 67% teachers understood the importance of growth monitoring at baseline. The results also showed an improvement 6 months after intervention. All (100%) teachers knew that growth monitoring can be used for diagnosing undernutrition. The results also showed an improvement in skills, such as the procedure to take anthropometric measurements. Knowledge and practices of teachers on growth monitoring were improved by nutrition education 6 months after intervention.

Emergent literacy: Preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices

The present study reports on the construction of a research instrument developed to examine preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to emergent literacy. A 130-item survey (Preschool Literacy Survey, PLS) was completed by a total of 90 preschool teachers in Norway. Items were grouped into homogenous scales, and the relationship between beliefs and practices was examined using structural equation modelling. The structural model for all preschool teachers was compared in a qualitative way with the structural model for a random group of preschool teachers ( n = 54), who had not participated in literacy-awareness training to look at whether the effects of literacy-awareness training could be assessed with the PLS. The main results show that teachers who took part in the literacy-awareness training were more homogeneous in respect of their beliefs and practices, that their beliefs were strongly underpinned by their beliefs about the specific role of the preschool teacher and by their beliefs about practices consistent with current research. Finally, it seems that the literacy-awareness programme affected the beliefs rather than the practices of preschool teachers. How a PLS can further contribute to research on early literacy in preschools and preschool teacher training is discussed.

Young learners: mapping the beliefs and practices of preschool teachers in relation to early literacy development

This paper introduces the Young Learners’ Project, which is a large scale longitudinal study that aims to identify a number of factors associated with positive outcomes in literacy in the first year of school: the role of the preschool teacher, home life and child characteristics. In particular, it presents the design of one sub-study within the larger project that is focusing on the beliefs, theoretical constructs and literacy practices of 25 preschool teachers. The paper deliberates the methodological choices of a group of researchers who set out to represent in diverse ways, and for diverse purposes, the layered meanings inherent in preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to early literacy development. In particular, through reference to illustrative extracts of a single case analysis, the paper explores the possibilities and complexities of adopting mixed methods and in doing so, responds to a call for researchers to make explicit the purposes and challenges of case study methodologies.

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.

Conhecimentos e práticas de professores de educação infantil sobre crianças com alterações auditivas

OBJETIVO: Investigar os conhecimentos, as percepções e as práticas de professores de educação infantil sobre crianças com alterações auditivas. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo transversal, realizado por meio de entrevista estruturada com 45 professores de educação infantil da rede pública de ensino da cidade de Belo Horizonte. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas e posteriormente submetidas à análise. RESULTADOS: A grande maioria dos sujeitos entrevistados apresentou pouco conhecimento, muitas vezes bastante vago e de senso comum, sobre a perda auditiva, embora a consciência da necessidade de aprendizagem para uma melhor atuação profissional tenha sido nítida. Apesar da falta de informação, os professores demonstraram conhecer algumas características das crianças com deficiência auditiva e explicitaram condutas a serem realizadas em sala de aula. A quase totalidade da amostra afirmou não conhecer a triagem auditiva escolar. CONCLUSÃO: Os conhecimentos, as práticas e as percepções demonstradas pelos entrevistados revelaram grande variação de conceitos, atitudes e estratégias. Contudo, grande parte se baseia em senso-comum ou intuição, devido à falta de experiência e de capacitação dos educadores para lidar com a criança com deficiência auditiva.

Assessment and Instructional Decision-Making Practices of Preschool Teachers of Handicapped Children

Assessment and instructional decision-making practices were documented for a national sample of teachers serving handicapped preschool children. All had been nominated as “good” teachers. Surveys of 60 teachers and in-depth interviews of an additional 10 revealed that evaluation and monitoring procedures are not used systematically or regularly. Behavioral observations were the most widely used single source of information for making instructional decisions. Teacher self-reports indicated that criterion-referenced measures provided the information used most often in developing IEPs and in monitoring student progress, while progress on previous IEP objectives was used most often in changing IEPs. This sample of teachers of handicapped preschool children did not regularly or systematically engage in direct and continuous monitoring of pupil progress.