Early Teacher Education Research Articles

Students' responses to Maria Grzegorzewska's Letters to a Young Teacher

The problem of the article is situated in the field of pedeutology and concerns specific resources of pedagogical knowledge, generating personal pedagogical theories of students preparing to perform the profession of early education teacher. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Maria Grzegorzewska University and the celebration of the year 2022 as the Year of Maria Grzegorzewska were considered by the authors as unique opportunities to confront the thought of the patroness, her pedagogical credo contained in Letters to a Young Teacher with the reflection of contemporary young adults inspired to speak by the content of the correspondence. The direct stimulus prompting first-year preschool and early childhood pedagogy students in the 2019 and 2020 academic years to reflect on the role of the teacher was the reading of a selected Letters ...by Maria Grzegorzewska. After reading its, students wrote responses to the patroness of their university in the form of quasi-formal essays, the content of which was then analyzed to reconstruct the dominant themes. This paper presents selected results of the qualitative content analysis. The students' statements are organized according to the temporal criterion, as they report their past educational experiences, refer to the present, and also outline a vision of the anticipated role of a teacher in the future, after the stage of academic education has been completed. The main conclusions confirm the lasting vitality of pedagogical thought of the University's founder among contemporary young people. Outlined student collective portrait of the teaching profession is not overly idealized and devoid of features, hope arouses critical reflection of students on the role of the teacher in modern times

Editorial – Dr Coral Sirdifield and Charlie Brooker

Teacher self-efficacy (TSE) is a frequently studied construct due to its positive relations with student outcomes. However, TSE of teachers in inclusive early childhood special education (ECSE) classrooms has seldom been studied. To fill this gap, we examined the extent to which (a) teachers exhibited differing levels of TSE for students; (b) children’s characteristics, particularly disability status and learning behaviors, were associated with TSE; and (c) relations between children’s characteristics and TSE remained consistent across an academic year. Thirty-seven teachers of inclusive ECSE classrooms completed surveys to ascertain their student-specific TSE and children’s learning behaviors for 114 children. Results indicated that teachers had different levels of TSE for students in their classrooms. Children’s characteristics, particularly their attention/persistence, were related to TSE, with more relations shown between TSE and children’s characteristics at the start of the school year than at the end. Implications for teacher professional development are discussed.

Professional training improves early education teachers’ knowledge, skills, motivation, and self-efficacy

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a training program for professional development on early education teachers’ knowledge and skills, work motivation, and self-efficacy. A one-group pre–post-test design was used to assess the effect of the training program on 75 teachers working in public early education institutions in the Tirana municipality in Albania. The results indicated that completing training was associated with a significant increase in early education teachers’ knowledge and skills, work motivation, and self-efficacy. These findings demonstrate the multiple benefits of professional training as a mechanism for supporting teachers’ personal and professional development and improving teaching practice, the quality of early education settings, and children’s early learning and growth experiences. Implications for practice, study limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

ORAL LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

In early childhood, oral language should be enhanced due to its importance in social relations and learning, and it is notorious that children often grow up with difficulties in their orality due to poor stimulation at home or in schools. This is an essential factor in favoring linguistic competence. The objective of the present study was to determine the skills that influence oral language development in children aged 4 to 5 years for communication through the application and analysis of surveys. The methodological approach is qualitative and quantitative, using documentary and descriptive research through text analysis. Likewise, in the province of Santa Elena, a survey directed to 15 early education teachers and an interview with an institution’s director in charge of the mentioned level were used. From the data collected, results point to an integration of skills in acquiring linguistic signs and manifesting thoughts and emotions; therefore, their application is essential. On the other hand, it was determined that the teachers, when defining the concept of skills, relate it to related terms such as abilities and competencies. Therefore, it is concluded that all skills influence oral language development, so they must be expressed in the lesson plans.

Influence of Instructional Methods on Child Friendly School Environment in ECDE Centers in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Education is fundamental to improving children's social and economic outcomes worldwide. The study sought to establish the influence of instructional methods on a child-friendly school environment among ECDE centres in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya. The study was informed by Constructivism instructional theory and Reggio Emilia's philosophy of educating young children. The study targeted 2151 Early Child Development Education (ECDE) teachers and heads in the 576 public ECDE centers in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya, comprising 1728 ECDE teachers, 422 head teachers, and one County Quality Assurance and Standards officer. A sample size of 271 respondents was used for the study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were carried out using Pearson's correlation coefficient on the quantitative data. It was used to determine the relationship between the effect of Instructional methods on supporting a child-friendly school environment in public ECDE Centres in Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya. The findings further revealed that instructional style was positively and significantly associated with the school learning environment (r=.431, n=271, p<0.01), indicating that instruction style influences the school learning environment by 18.61%. Therefore, teachers should create an enabling learning environment that is inclusive to all learners and take care of social interactions among learners. The finding informs the best practices that could be employed to enhance the child-friendly learning environment.

Exploring early career physical education teachers’ professional identity construction in rural China: insights from socio-ecological perspective and practice architectures theory

ABSTRACT This qualitative study explored 15 early career physical education (PE) teachers’ professional identity construction from rural China. Identity was shown as a multifaceted, context-specific, and dynamic social-cultural phenomenon. From a socio-ecological standpoint, this research demonstrated that early career rural Chinese PE teachers’ professional identity construction was shaped by the interplay between family backgrounds, Chinese Confucian cultural tradition, physicality, schooling experiences, workplace contexts, and the PE core competency curriculum policy. From the perspective of practice architecture, the professional identity construction encompassed their cultural-discursive arrangements (sayings), material-economic arrangements (doings), and social-political arrangements (relating). PE teachers’ professional identity may be facilitated by school administrators and education policymakers’ support.

Crianças migrantes dos países africanos na educação infantil paulistana: entre o acolhimento e a exclusão

African migrants in Brazil suffer the perverse effects of xenophobia, in addition to experiencing racist behaviors. These processes also manifest themselves within the context of kindergarten centers and pre-schools, directly influencing the pedagogical approach, as well as the perceptions and conceptions surrounding being a black African person. In this context, this article aims to present the perception of early education teachers in the city of São Paulo about racialization processes in the sheltering and insertion of black African children of ages between 0 and 5. In order to achieve the aim of this research, interviews were held with early education professionals from both the direct and indirect educational systems, so as to try and comprehend how these agents perceive the sheltering/insertion of migrant black African children. The analysis was made based on theoretical frameworks regarding childhood sociology, studies on migration and race relations. This work intends to enlarge the childhood and migration research fields, as well as research on the processes of racialization of African migrant children aged less than seven.

Pre-school Teachers Continuous Professional Development on Service Delivery in Public Early Years Education Centres in Kapseret Sub County

Quality implementation of the pre-primary education curriculum is key to ensuring that learners acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies for them to advance in the next stages of education. Pre-primary teachers’ qualifications and competencies have to be regularly improved to increase chances of realising early year’s education goals. The purpose of this paper was to determine pre-primary teachers’ continuous professional development in service delivery in Kapsaret Sub County, Kenya. A mixed method research methodology was utilised, which involves qualitative and quantitative approaches. A descriptive survey research design was used in targeting 153 preschool teachers, 87 head teachers, and 3 EYE field officers. A sample size of 111 early years education teachers, 26 head teachers, and 3 education officials was selected through stratified random and purposive sampling techniques. The research found that teacher participation in continuous professional development programmes had a significant positive relationship (p<0.05) with service delivery levels in public early years education centres in Kapseret Sub County. The paper recommends that teachers should be supported to undertake in-service training programmes; teachers should have a desire to attend workshops and seminars.

The Interplay of Individual and Organizational Factors With Early Childhood Teachers’ Level of Work Motivation, job Satisfaction, and Burnout

This study aimed at identifying the interplay between individual and organizational factors and predictors of work motivation, job satisfaction, and burnout. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted with 460 early education teachers in Kosovo. Based on the results, job satisfaction and professional development are significant positive predictors whereas burnout is a significant negative predictor of work motivation. Conversely, burnout is a significant negative predictor of job satisfaction, whereas work motivation, job satisfaction, and professional development are significant negative predictors of burnout. The findings provide useful insights which can help policy makers take necessary action to ensure improving early education quality.

Ecological Approach to Family-Style, Multilevel Child Care Intervention: Formative Evaluation Using RE-AIM Framework

ObjectiveConduct formative evaluation of Ecological Approach to Family-Style Dining (EAT) Intervention. DesignQualitative semistructured interviews and demographic surveys. SettingEarly care and education (ECE) centers in Nebraska. ParticipantsCooperative Extension coaches (n = 9), ECE administrators (n = 8), and teachers (n = 17) caring for children aged 3–5 years. InterventionThe EAT intervention (a 16-week, 7-lesson, evidence-based online responsive feeding ECE model) uses a multilevel improvement system of 5 implementation strategies. Early care and education administrators and teachers completed 1 lesson/wk followed by a coaching session. Main Outcome MeasuresThe Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework includes 5 evaluative dimensions. AnalysisThematic analysis. ResultsOverall, 77% of children aged 3-5 years (n = 216) participated from targeted Child and Adult Care Food Program ECEs (Reach). All perceived EAT improved children's nutritional and developmental outcomes and encouraged a positive mealtime environment (Effectiveness). Coaches found professional development incentives important, whereas administrators/teachers valued inservice hours (Adoption). Teachers reported successful implementation of responsive feeding, and administrators supported the teachers (Implementation). All reported they intended to continue using EAT, and administrators and teachers discussed incorporating EAT practices into the handbook/school policy (Maintenance). Conclusion and ImplicationsThe EAT was valued by all stakeholders for its perceived effectiveness to positively impact children's nutritional outcomes. Furthermore, stakeholders valued the provided incentives and multilevel design with coaching, ECE administrators, and teachers. Future research is needed on how to use Extension coaches in ECE interventions.

Challenges in Working Conditions and Well-Being of Early Childhood Teachers by Teaching Modality during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

While a global understanding of teacher well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to emerge, much remains to be understood about what early childhood teachers have felt and experienced with respect to their work and well-being. The present mixed-method study examined early care and education (ECE) teachers’ working conditions and physical, psychological, and professional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic using a national sample of 1434 ECE teachers in the U.S. We also explored differences in working conditions and well-being among in-person, online, and closed schools, given the unique challenges and risks that ECE teachers may have faced by teaching in these different modalities. From the results of an online survey, we found that in the early months of the pandemic, many ECE teachers faced stressful, challenging work environments. Some were teaching in new, foreign modes and formats, and those still teaching in person faced new challenges. We found many common issues and challenges related to psychological and physical well-being across the three teaching groups from the qualitative analysis, but a more complicated picture emerged from the quantitative analysis. After controlling for education and center type, we found that aspects of professional commitment were lower among those teachers teaching in person. Additionally, there were racial differences across several of our measures of well-being for teachers whose centers were closed. Upon closer examination of these findings via a moderation analysis with teacher modality, we found that Black and Hispanic teachers had higher levels of psychological well-being for some of our indicators when their centers were closed, yet these benefits were not present for Black and Hispanic teachers teaching in person.

Around Art Reception. A Model of Empirical Cognition of Early School Education Teachers’Attitudes to Modern Art - A Project Study

The paper results from considerations on art reception and reflection on the current position of art recipients, their dispositions, and behaviours towards modern artistic activity, including the emotional, cognitive and behavioural orientation of early school education teachers in modern art. It begins with reflections on modern art understood as artistic activity created based on various means of expression and avant-garde and neo-avant-garde artistic solutions, which reacts to the huge potential, possibilities, threats of the surrounding world, and the situation of the recipient of modern artistic activity. The study’s further part presents the basic findings on the theoretical and conceptual framework of the phenomenon and a model of empirical cognition of early school education teachers’attitudes towards modern art. The study is addressed to researchers of the subject area and pedagogues. Even though it can hardly be regarded as a handy compendium, it provides a theoretical base and a research perspective. Therefore, it can serve as a guideline for future research explorations.

Motivation to learn in younger school-age students from the teacher's perspective: (un)conscious ignorance versus in-depth pedagogical reflection

The article concerns the learning motivation considered from the perspective of early childhood education teachers. The aim of the publication is to show how teachers perceive students' motivation to learn, how they see their role in the motivating process and to present declarations on the motivating methods used in classes with students of grades 1-3 along with an assessment of their effectiveness. The analysis of the material based on the interviews shows that among early school education teachers there are significant different opinions regarding the role of motivation to learn in younger school-age children and the methods used to stimulate external and internal motivation.

Closeness, Conflict, and Culturally Inclusive Pedagogy: Finnish Pre- and In-service Early Education Teachers' Perceptions.

This study explored the factorial and concurrent validity of a scale developed for assessing teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in engaging with diversity in early childhood education settings. According to tests of measurement invariance, the conceptualization of the constructs varied to some extent between Finnish student teachers and qualified teachers. Qualified teachers reported, at the item level, higher confidence in engaging with diversity in mainstream early childhood classrooms than student teachers. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that for both groups, higher levels of reported confidence in planning and implementing inclusive teaching–learning interactions were related to a higher level of closeness during interactions with children. The evidence for concurrent validity may imply beneficial and reciprocal influences between teachers’ confidence in their professional competence and close teacher–child relationships. The implications of the study are discussed from the perspective of teacher training and professional development in the early childhood education context.

“You Can Hold Two Things to Be True at the Same Time”: Duality in ECE Teachers’ Emotional Experiences during COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study represents a qualitative exploration of the emotional experiences of early care and education (ECE) teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research questions consisted of the following: 1) What were the emotional experiences of ECE teachers during COVID-19? 2) How do ECE teachers understand, contextualize, and/or negotiate these emotional experiences? Data were drawn from in-depth individual interviews and one focus group discussion with five white female ECE teachers from the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Researchers engaged in thematic analysis of the data to develop the themes of duality in teachers’ emotional experiences during the pandemic, including connection/disconnection during school closures, yearning/dread in anticipation of school reopening, joy/fear in the return to in-person learning, and acceptance/resistance to their classroom practices in the “new normal” of teaching during COVID-19. These findings were interpreted through a dialectical theory of emotion to explore the inherent duality and complexity of ECE teachers’ lived emotional experiences during COVID-19. This work adds to the emerging research on the effect of COVID-19 on the field of early care and education. Further, it builds theoretical understandings surrounding the complex nature of early childhood teachers’ emotional experiences by offering an in-depth qualitative portrait of emotional duality.

Physical Well-being in Early Childhood Teachers: Correlates of Work-related Musculoskeletal Issues and Fitness among these “Educational Athletes”

ABSTRACT Early care and education (ECE) teachers are constantly moving throughout their day with varying physical demands akin to those of athletes. Teachers are continuously bending, stooping, and squatting to lift and carry children as well as sitting on the floor or in child-sized furniture—all activities that require substantial fitness. This said, many ECE teachers have health issues including obesity, diminished aerobic capacity, and perceived stress, which can adversely influence their physical well-being and place them at risk for work-related musculoskeletal issues. This study of ECE teachers, which is part of a larger study of overall teacher wellness, involved direct, on-site measures of ECE teachers’ cardiorespiratory capacity and in-classroom ergonomic assessment of activities. These measures were then triangulated with self-reported health information to better understand the current status of various aspects of teachers’ physical well-being and correlational analysis was then used to identify potential risk and/or protective factors. Research Findings: ECE teachers are constantly moving throughout their day with varying physical demands and stressors that, combined with unfavorable working conditions, contribute to developing musculoskeletal pain and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. Practice or Policy: Many of the physical wellness issues identified in this study can be mitigated through modest changes that could be incorporated into teachers’ daily work behaviors and activities, such as education and programs to enhance the physical wellness of these “educational athletes” and better-prepare them for the “sport of teaching.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE IN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING AND TEACHING OF CHILDREN AT YOUNGER SCHOOL AGE

This article focuses in particular on the close correlation between physical exercise and the process of learning. Conscious and intended use of physical exercise increases children’s cognitive possibilities and supports the influence of school education on pupils. Even though there are already some studies concerning the above mentioned issue, the correlation between cognitive and emotional-motivation processes and physical exercise is not always appreciated and used in practice. Such marginalization of the influence of physical exercise on learning and teaching of children results not only in lower effectiveness of education, but it also gives rise to even more problems connected with difficulties in learning and behavioural disorders of the younger school age children. This article presents also the results of the research concerning opinions of early school education teachers on the use of physical exercise in the process of teaching of younger school pupils. The research aims, among others, at discovering the methods and techniques based on physical exercise that are used for teaching youngest pupils

PROGRAM PELATIHAN GURU DALAM PEMBUATAN DAN IMPLEMENTASI MEDIA CERITA BERGAMBAR PADA ANAK USIA DINI DI PUSAT KERJA GURU (PKG) KECAMATAN SEMPARUK

This Community Service Activity (PKM) aims to provide training for early childhood Islamic education (PAUD) teachers in creating and implementing illustrated story media for early childhood at the Teacher Work Center in Semparuk District. The training will be held on July 29, 2021, from 10.00 WIB to 14.30 WIB. The activity begins with a pre-test, which is testing the insights of the training participants regarding learning media. After that, it was continued by giving short material from the three speakers, namely Mrs. Eliyah, Mrs. Asyruni and Mr. Astaman. The next event is the practice of making picture story media. Finally, the participants who were previously made into groups, presented (practiced) the results of the practice of making the illustrated media. The results of the training show that in general PAUD teachers are able to make storytelling media with pictures very well. However, there are still shortcomings that must be improved such as in terms of language style that is less attractive to students, slightly stiff body gestures, poor intonation and articulation, and the stories chosen must be more contextual for early childhood children.

„Chcę być nauczycielem, ponieważ…” Proces wyboru zawodu na tle autobiografii studentek pedagogiki przedszkolnej i wczesnoszkolnej

The paper presents results of quality research aimed to study autobiographical experience of future teachers of pre-school and early school education concerned with their choice of profession. The research was conducted in 2019/2020 among 164 female students of the second year of pre-school and early school pedagogy at Faculty of Education of University of Białystok. In the first part of article various elements of the research are presented including the object of analysis, characterisation of the environment of investigations and an investigative test. A large part of the article is devoted to the presentation of the research results relating to the motives for choosing the occupation of teacher. Based on casual autobiographical statements of the students the circumstances, events and life experiences were presented that played crucial factors in the process of their job choice. Analysing their narrative prominent figures were identified that played an important part in decision making involved in selecting job of pre-school and early school teacher. The last part of the article includes the research conclusions. Furthermore, implications for theory, practice and research on professional development of teachers are also discussed.

The Phenomenon of Imagination in Contemporary Education. Competence Essential for the Development of Children Supported by the Creative Visualisation Technique

The rapidly changing world forces the necessary changes in education consisting of the development of teaching strategies that prepare the student for unpredictable, non-standard, and fluid situations. The author discusses the problem of supporting competence essential for the development of school-age children and their functioning in such a world. The article may be of interest to early school education teachers, but not only. The strategy of education using imagination, which covers the method of designing educational opportunities, refers in the conducted research to competence triad, i.e. independence-innovativeness-cooperativeness. To support the said competence, the author constructed a technique of creative visualisation and developed an educational programme for two parallel groups based on the method of designing educational opportunities, and in one of the groups, an innovative factor in the form of creative visualisation techniques was implemented. In the research, the qualitative and quantitative style was used implementing participant observation, humanistic interpretation (works of art and statements) and tests for creative thinking (drawing and verbal). The qualitative analysis consisted of description and interpretation concerning the analysed set of competence with the use of their manifestation. The quantitative analysis aimed at answering the question about a significant increase in competence required the use of a method based on the t-Student test. The results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses showed the beneficial impact of creative visualisation in the area of the competence in question.