Early Childhood Students Research Articles

Teachers’ Quality of Work Life In Early Childhood Education

The high demand for the education in early childhood is demanding the quality of early childhood program itself, starting from the quality of curriculum, facilities, and infrastructure, and also the quality of teaching, assisting and educating the early childhood students. Early childhood teachers are required to have competence in various fields, including personal, professional, pedagogical and social competence. The aim of this research is to describe teachers’ Quality of Work Life in Early Childhood Education. The concept of teacher quality of work life was measured with a QWL (Indonesian version), which refers to the eight-dimensional construct of Walton and five sub-dimensions of Hackman and Oldham (Walton, 1980). The composition of QWL instrument including a) adequate fair and compensation, b) safe and healthy working condition, c) balance of work and family (non-work-life), d) social integration in the work organization, e) supervisory (the social relevance of work life), f) constitutionalization in the work organization, g) opportunity for career growth, h) opportunity to use and develop human capacities and i) job characteristic. This research uses descriptive statistical analysis method and the results in which shows that the teachers' quality of work life in early childhood education in Jakarta is in the average category. The dimensions of quality of work life, which are included in the high category, are the dimensions of the co-worker, personal development, work-life balance, work culture, supervisory and job characteristic. Otherwise, the dimensions of quality of work life, which are included in the low category, are the dimensions of pay and benefit, promotion and working condition.

Literacy Workshops: School Social Workers Enhancing Educational Connections between Educators, Early Childhood Students, and Families

Literacy Workshops: School Social Workers Enhancing Educational Connections between Educators, Early Childhood Students, and Families

Educación emocional en los profesores de Educación Infantil: aspecto clave en el desempeño docente

Partiendo de la importancia que la educación emocional tiene en los alumnos de Educación Infantil resulta obligado que estas competencias también estén presentes en la formación de los docentes. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la oferta formativa sobre educación emocional impartida desde los CFIEs de Burgos y Miranda de Ebro. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y transversal. Se llevaron a cabo análisis de frecuencias con el programa estadístico SPPS v. 22. Se obtiene que el 69,9% de los cursos analizados están relacionados con la educación emocional o inteligencia emocional, que este tipo de cursos se ha triplicado en los últimos años, siendo los centros públicos lo que en su mayoría los realizan. Los destinatarios principales son el profesorado de las etapas de infantil y primaria. La educación emocional en el desempeño docente del profesorado de Educación Infantil es un aspecto clave para que éstos puedan implementar metodologías activas que posibiliten el desarrollo integral del alumnado. Por lo tanto, pese a que la oferta de formación permanente vinculada a las habilidades emocionales se está incrementando en los últimos años, es necesario que los responsables de los CFIEs planifiquen un plan de actuación que se desarrolle en todas las zonas de la provincia de Burgos.

Interpreting Visual Texts: Use of an Analytic Rubric to Evaluate Student Responses to Writing Prompts

ABSTRACTYounger students’ visual texts are statements and stories conveyed through drawings or other artwork and often convey meaning beyond the child’s capability to communicate with written expression. Although opportunities for expression through drawing are routinely offered to children in the initial and middle stages of early childhood literacy education, children in the latter stages are more often limited to verbal communications and responses. An analytic rubric devised to evaluate the narrative aspects of the visual texts generated by early childhood students was used to assess the drawn responses of 19 third-grade students who were approximately age 8 years. The participants in this study created visual texts as responses to two prompts based on narrative and expository writing genres. Results suggest that the rubric can provide ample guidance for interpreting visual text developed by 3rd-grade students. The implications of using an analytic rubric for evaluating students’ visual texts are explored.

NEED ASSESSMENT PESERTA PROGRAM PELATIHAN PENDIDIKAN ANAK USIA DINI KECAMATAN CILEUNGSI

The purpose of this study was to determine the needs (need assessment) participants and the training of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in the area of Cileungsi, Bogor. Qualitative descriptive study took the data with techniques of observation, interviews, documentation and questionnaires were distributed to 25 participants of seminars and training ECE group representatives throughout Cileungsi. The research found as many as 14 people who chose the topic of learning methods with sources of early childhood practitioners. Training model which is expected to be sustainable and the dominant practice. This study is the realization of the course education training program studi early childhood students in tier 1 study program teacher education ECE Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta.

DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT PROCESSES BASED ON THE CONTEMPLATIVE EDUCATION AND THE OPTIMUM EXPERIENCE APPROACHES FOR LEADING OF OPTIMUM LEARNING QUALITY TOWARD TEACHER-EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

To develop learning management process based on the Contemplative Education Approach (CEA) and the Optimum Experience Approach (OEA) to enhance the ability relationships between teachers and students were built up, students’ responses of their effects to their learning management process based on the CEA and OEA towards teacher and Early childhoods were respected, such as, being lovely, affectively children, and creating conduction to their classroom learning environments. To administer which as 165 early childhood students in 11 classes and 11 teachers from the Early Childhood School at Bang Sai Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Center under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn were participated with the qualitative data, collectively. Research procedures were designed in 2 steps; first, teachers plans to manage the instructional design for including early childhoods who ought to practice their experiences and self-learning processes on self-awareness with practicing mindfulness through their self-observing activities, to improve the meditational activities and real life with themselves were observed by teachers, second, early childhoods respective learning of their opportunity on modern experience, self-literacy, self-mindfulness observation, observing a case study on their activities, and self-practicing daily life. Most of teachers were able to invent and change the increasing relationships between teachers and early childhoods’ abilities evidence from 1 to 2 scales. Relationships between teachers and students were invented the instructional processes with the role models’ teaching management to support and create children’ learning activities, children’ learning outcomes of their understanding, self-awareness, learning abilities, and were responded by teachers’ interaction behaviours with the CEA and OEA instructional methods to their classroom environments. Based on the findings, suggestions for enhancing teachers’ and children’ abilities of their associations between the CEA and OEA classroom environments are needs. The developing learning management processes are explored, respected, accepted, and loved ties for children, relatively. Article visualizations:

PENGARUH REGULASI DIRI DAN SIKAP PADA MATEMATIKA TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN MEMECAHKAN MASALAH MATEMATIKA

Mathematics is a part of cognitive development that need to optimalize towards earlychildhood students. Mathematics can help the children to think logic, sistematic, and solve theproblems in the daily life. Unfortunately, from the research in some of elementary school at KotaJuang Bireuen sub district has found that student’s ability to solve about mathematics problem stilllow especially for third grade students. The purpose ofthis study is to know the direct effects ofselfregulation and mathematics attitude towards student’s ability to solve mathematics problems. Thisresearch use quantitatif asosiatif approach. The method of this research use path analysis survey.In this research there are 95 students from 4 schools that chosen by multistage random samplingtechnique. Data collection with test and questionairre. The results of the research show that thereare positive direct effect of self regulation towards mathematics problem solving ability with score0.321. There are positive direct effect ofmathematics attitude towards mathematics problem solvingwith score 0.384, and there are positive direct effect of self regulation toward mathematics attitudewith score 0.324.The conclusion of this research are : (1) self regulation give direct positive effecttowards mathematic problem solving ability, (2) mathematics attitude give positive direct effecttowards mathematics problem solving ability, (3) self regulation give positive direct effect towardsmathematics attitude.

Early Practicum Experiences: Preservice Early Childhood Students’ Perceptions and Sense of Efficacy

The current study explored early practicum experiences (those occurring before student teaching) in an early childhood birth to kindergarten teacher education program. Undergraduates enrolled in practicum courses completed questionnaires about their overall practicum experience including: socio-emotional components (their perceived fit with their cooperating teacher and intrapersonal feelings while in the classroom), overall practicum satisfaction, and their sense of teacher efficacy. Results revealed that practicum students generally reported feelings of being energized and relaxed, though some practicum students reported feelings of frustration in their practicum classrooms. Feeling energized and relaxed and students’ perception of fit with their cooperating teacher were positively associated with practicum satisfaction and practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Feelings of frustration were negatively associated with students’ fit with their cooperating teacher, practicum satisfaction, and students’ teacher efficacy. Higher levels of practicum satisfaction predicted higher practicum students’ teacher efficacy. Findings highlight the importance of understanding early practicum experiences and what factors of the practicum experience contribute teacher efficacy. Implications for future research and practice for early childhood teacher preparation programs are discussed.

From the Editors’ Desk

<p>Learning How to Inherit in Colonized and Ecologically Challenged LifeWorlds in Early Childhood Education: An Introduction</p><p>The complex and intensifying ecological challenges of the 21st century call for new ways of thinking, being, and doing in all sectors of our society, including early childhood education, and the Aboriginal environmental humanities offer alternative ways of being present and acting in the world. Accordingly, in September 2014 we gathered for three days in Victoria, British Columbia, with leading Indigenous and environmental humanities scholars and a group of 40 early childhood scholars, educators, and students to mobilize these perspectives in the early education of young children. This special issue presents eight articles inspired by the conversations that took place at the “Learning How to Inherit in Colonized and Ecologically Challenged Life Worlds” symposium.1</p>

The Implementation of Project Method: Educating Golden Generation or Conservation Nation On Exhibition Subject ECE Department

The efforts to improve and enhance the quality of education by making curriculum changes, both structural and its formulation procedures would be more meaningful if accompanied by changes in teaching practices that support the successful implementation of the curriculum. One method that can be used is Project Method, whereby it is expected that the quality of student learning experiences in the classroom is more effective and instill the character associated with the environmental, cultural, and natural resources conservation. The purpose and benefits of this research are to provide an overview of procedures or mechanisms of implementation and find out how much the success rate of the method used in learning, especially in exhibition subjects with project method. This research is a classroom action research with the approach used in this study is a descriptive qualitative approach. The population in this study was all 90 studentsofEarly Childhood Education Department at Semarang State University who are on 6th semester who are taking exhibition subject. The result shows that the procedure of project method activities have to go through stages of actions and observations, which showed at the beginning of the first cycle obtained an average of student ability in this activity amounted to 59.25% and increased in the second cycle achieving 93.08%. It shows that by using the project method, it is very effective to improve the quality of learning for students. How to cite Diana & Eka, R. A. A. (2015). The Implementation of Project Method: Educating Golden Generation or Conservation Nation On Exhibition Subject ECE Department. Indonesian Journal of Early Childhood Education Studies , 4(2), 96-100. doi:10.15294/ijeces.v4i2.9463 DOI 10.15294/ijeces.v4i2.9463

PERKEMBANGAN MORAL SANTRI ANAK USIA DINI

This study intends to explore and analyze the moral development of students of early childhood at boarding school Salafiyah Shafi'ites Pekalongan. The study was focused on three moral development, namely the aspect of moral reasoning, moral feeling, and moral behavior. The research data was obtained through interviews, observation, field notes and documentation. Data analysis use an interactive analysis model introduced by Miles and Huberman. The results of this study are: moral reasoning of students of early childhood show heteronomous morality. Students understand some important points such as justice, stealing, punishment and tolerance. Some students have an understanding that justice, punishment or regulation are something that are governed by a caregiver who has authority and can not be changed. Moral behavior has been demonstrated too by the students early age. Students have been able to show moral behavior, such as following the rules applied in the boarding school. Meanwhile, from the aspect of moral sense, students of early childhood has evolved as embarrassment, empathy and guilt when breaking the rules.

Teachers Collaborate Using Lesson Study: Implications for Early Childhood Social Studies Students

Students often do not understand the relevance of social studies, are not interested in it, and some early childhood students confuse it with other disciplines. Various external and internal factors prevent teachers from providing meaningful social studies instruction; however, practical solutions can be approached more appropriately and interestingly through collaboration. A team of second grade teachers’ participation in lesson study, a 50 plus-year old Japanese collaborative model, and implications of their activities for 41 students are reported in this interpretative case study. Data concerning students’ perceptions of their social studies classroom environments and attitudes about social studies lessons were collected before and after the lesson study, using surveys and focus group interviews. There were slight changes, both positive and negative, in students’ perceptions of their social studies learning environments, though they were puzzled about the discipline of social studies. Early childhood stakeholders benefit from learning what young students articulate about social studies and social studies learning environments. The description of team collaboration, with early childhood social studies, could be helpful also to teachers engaging in job-embedded professional development.

Service-learning linking family child care providers, community partners, and preservice professionals

ABSTRACTThis article describes the implementation of a service-learning project, which was infused into a child development course. The project linked family child care providers, their licensing agency, and 39 preservice teachers in a joint effort to develop a parent handbook to be used by the providers in their child care businesses and to support participation in the state Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). Students and community partners reported benefitting from the project and experts rated the course as incorporating elements of a high-quality service-learning experience. Course instructors, family child care providers, and agency staff provided independent ratings of the quality of the parent manuals and the course. Findings suggested that service-learning projects may provide rich opportunities for socialising undergraduate early childhood students about the importance of school–family partnerships, encouraging university professors to bridge theory and practice, and supporting community partners to create and strengthen mutually beneficial collaborative relationships.

Developing Professional Early Childhood Educators in England and Hungary: Where Has All the Love Gone?

European education agendas have emphasized the importance of early childhood education in providing the foundations for lifelong learning. Central to the success of early childhood education is the quality of provision, with the workforce being key. While qualifications levels are frequently cited as important for the quality of provision here we ask questions of the attitudinal competences required to work in early childhood in two countries: England and Hungary. This paper presents a mixed-method study that considers the attitudinal competences perceived as needed by early childhood students and how these are acquired. We focus on the role of love in early childhood education and the contrasting perceptions and experiences in England and Hungary. In Hungary love is spoken about freely, but in England managerialist and entrepreneurial discourses are creating tensions with more emotional dispositions of being caring, supportive, and empathic that early childhood practitioners uphold. In Hungary, early childhood educators are given relative autonomy in their professional roles and love is a key characteristic. We consider historical, philosophical, and political developments in the two countries to shed light on how English and Hungarian perspectives have diverged, while exploring opportunities that comparing perspectives offers for the further professional development of early childhood educators.

Knowledge and Beliefs of Early Childhood Education Students at Different Levels of Professional Preparation

The expansion of early childhood education programming has heightened the focus on teachers’ educational preparation and its role in providing high-quality services for young children. The interest in teachers’ education is especially relevant in early childhood since differentiated levels of preparation are commonly used in quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) as a variable to distinguish differences in quality among programs. Levels of formal education are also used by early childhood programs for the hiring, placement, training, and promotion of teachers. Since little research has been conducted on early childhood students at different levels of professional preparation, the purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and beliefs of early childhood students at four levels of professional preparation commonly used in QRIS and early childhood teacher career ladders: 1) students working toward a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; 2) students working on an associate’s degree in early childhood; 3) students working on a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education; and 4) graduates with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education. Results indicate students at higher levels of education had more knowledge of child development, higher levels of self-esteem, more realistic expectations of children, and increased empathy for children.

Early Childhood Student Teachers’ Observation and Experimentation of Creative Practices as a Design Processes

Abstract In this paper, we address the guidance of student teachers in initial training in schools as an invaluable opportunity to raise creative learning awareness. The objective of this present re-search is to develop guidance strategies for guiding the identification of creative practices and for analyzing that moment as a “way of knowing”. We analyze how to mentor future teachers so they feel willing to promote student engagement and creative thinking through their own practices. We adopted a case study approach guided by multimodal principles. We found that triangulation of individual interviews, focus group discussions and a diary of class observation was a useful strategy in the guidance of student teachers in initial training in schools. Results show these strategies allowed them to become more accepting of unpredicted or undesired results, as they approached their sessions’ designs as forms of experimentation. We argue it is essential to guide future educators in the critical analysis of the “standard classroom”, helping them design creative alternatives through collaborative experimentation.

Maternal thinking and beyond: towards a care-full pedagogy for early childhood

This paper explores feminist philosopher Sara Ruddick's concept of ‘maternal thinking’ and considers the applicability and use of her ideas for early childhood pedagogy. This is illustrated through a small-scale case study, undertaken in early years settings in England, in which three dimensions of maternal thinking are evidenced in the work of early years practitioners: preservation of the child, fostering the growth of the child and the child's social acceptance. We argue that ethics of care are central to an articulation of contemporary early childhood pedagogy and must be advanced through engagement with students of early childhood in higher education (HE). This practice is demonstrated in a second case study, reporting a participatory research project with university students. Care-full values, practice and thinking are vital in order to challenge the status quo and emphasise early childhood pedagogy as important work towards the creation of a more equitable and sustainable society.

Teaching to Training Teachers through Cooperative Learning

This paper reflects on the benefits of cooperative learning methodology applied to higher education contexts. It highlights the significant outputs linked to resorting to this methodology with undergraduate students of Early Childhood and Elementary Education Teaching studies. Specifically, this research focuses on the teaching of linguistic (L1) and literary competences. In this regard, it analyses two practical experiences developed during the last few years with students of the University of Seville (Spain), and it compares the results of applying this methodology with other more traditional ways of teaching/learning.

Identifying ADHD Symptoms Most Associated with Impairment in Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, and Adolescence Using Teacher Report.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between ADHD symptoms and impairment within a sample that includes children in early childhood (n = 250), middle childhood (n = 269) and adolescence (i.e., high school; n = 269). Nested multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which each ADHD symptom dimension (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) is most associated with impairment in academic, social, and behavioral functioning within and across three developmental levels. Results indicated for academic impairment, inattention is more predictive than hyperactivity/impulsivity at all ages. For social functioning, both with peers and teachers, hyperactivity/impulsivity is more predictive than inattention but only for early childhood students; at the high school level, inattention is a significant predictor of social impairment. For behavioral functioning in the classroom, the pattern is mixed across dimensions and ages with HI decreasing in predictive utility across the three age groups and IA increasing in predictive utility. Forward stepwise regression was used to determine which of the 18 ADHD symptom items are most associated with impairment within and across developmental levels. Findings indicate that the symptoms that were most predictive of impairment varied by age group and by domain of impairment. Implications for assessment are discussed.

A Reflection on Bakhtin’s ‘Epic and Novel’ in the Context of Early Childhood Student Teachers’ Practicum

It is common in early childhood education (ECE), for student teachers to be asked to reflect on incidents or scenarios that occur while on practicum and relate their reflections to theory. This process of identification and corroboration, demonstrates the student’s familiarity with the dominant developmental narratives within which ECE is situated. The pressure on students to conform to prescribed theory and the local narratives of the practicum context can, however, make it difficult for them to question both the texts they are asked to apply in their teaching, as well as the practice they are observing and seeking to engage. In Bakhtinian theory, ‘voice’ is promoted through a community of learning, and a critical engagement creating new knowledge and subsequent practice. This theme of developing a critical voice for ECE students is the subject matter of this paper, with reference to practicum experience and Bakhtin’s essay, “Epic and Novel: Towards a Methodology for the Study of the Novel.” (Bakhtin 1982).