Cultivating the Psychological Well-Being of Early-Childhood Education Teachers: the Importance of Quality Work Life

A threshold situation is a kind of crisis of, for example, deteriorating health. Fall 2014, a project was conducted, focusing on writing for well-being with a former employee and leader at an Early Childhood Education and Care, now on long-term sick leave. Here is her story and poem; her writings/Sis. Our stories and theory/practice/data/interpretive poems; our writings/Merete and Anne: Our companionship, company, and compassion: Sis/Merete/Anne.Com . We aim at Deleuze and Guattarian safespace writing. In modern working life participation, empowerment, governance, and self-leadership is considered vital for creating good psychosociological work environments. Foucault’s concept governmentality aims to elucidate how we are created as subjects, looking at how we are governed by others and by ourselves according to norms and expectations in organizations, society, and from ourselves. We think with poetry to open up, explore, and fabulate. We call it poeticalization and storying and work and worlds and words or rather work/world/word/making/melding/mattering/Sis/Merete/Anne: www.mmm.com .

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Contemporary Relevance of Bertrand Russell’s Views on Early Childhood Education

Issues and Ideas in Education ◽

10.15415/iie.2021.91004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 33-37

Author(s):

Runumi Sharma ◽

Mamta Aswal

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Character Development ◽

Well Being ◽

Early Years ◽

Holistic Development ◽

National Education ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Historical Method ◽

Secondary Sources

Bertrand Russell’s educational thoughts significantly deal with reforming education for school going children and he also supported pre-primary education. He favored early childhood education for physical, intellectual and character development. His emphasis on character development of a child shows the significance of early years of life for development of an individual. This paper aims at exploring Bertrand Russell’s thoughts on early childhood education. It is an attempt to understand the significance of early childhood education for the holistic development of the children. Though there are early childhood education is prevalent in our country, but it was not mandatory to get early childhood education till the approval of National Education Policy (N.E.P., 2020). It has included early childhood education in compulsory school education for promoting better learning and well being of a child. It is a qualitative research in which historical method has been used where data has been collected from primary and secondary sources. The finding of the study shows that Bertrand Russell’sthought on early childhood education is relevant in present Indian context for developing good values, physical and mental development as well as in future learning. This shows that the encouragement to early childhood education and Bertrand Russell’s thoughts on early childhood education would be helpful for holistic development of children.

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Comparing regulatory and non-regulatory indices of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality in the Australian early childhood sector

Estudos em Avaliação Educacional ◽

10.18222/eae.v30i75.6925 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (75) ◽

pp. 958

Author(s):

Iram Siraj ◽

Steven J. Howard ◽

Denise Kingston ◽

Cathrine Neilsen‑Hewett ◽

Edward C. Melhuish ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Quality Standard ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Childhood Environment ◽

National Quality ◽

Education And Care ◽

Early Childhood Environment

Este estudo analisa as associações entre as pontuações provenientes de processos regulatórios de avaliação da qualidade da educação infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) do National Quality Standard (NQS)2 e das duas escalas de avaliação de qualidade (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; e ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extension). A amostra consiste em 257 unidades de ECEC em três estados australianos. Os resultados indicaram: associações positivas modestas entre as pontuações do NQS e das escalas; alguma especificidade entre as áreas de qualidade do NQS (aspectos do projeto e práticas pedagógicas para as crianças; relações com crianças) e de uma escala de avaliação – a SSTEW; variabilidade das pontuações das escalas de qualidade dentro de cada classificação do NQS; e atenuação dessas associações quando o tempo entre as avaliações ultrapassa 24 meses. As conclusões sugerem que o NQS e as escalas de avaliação indicam um núcleo comum de qualidade, mas capturam aspectos diferentes da qualidade, sugerindo que ambos poderiam ser usados para melhorar os padrões de qualidade nas pré-escolas australianas, onde as escalas de avaliação potencializam a qualidade ainda mais do que o NQS.Palavras-chave: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Qualidade, Pré-Escola, Regulamentação Comparando índices regulatorios y no regulatorios de calidad de la educación infantil en AustraliaEste estudio analiza las asociaciones entre los puntajes provenientes de procesos regulatorios de evaluación de la calidad de la educación infantil australiana (Early Childhood Education and Care – ECEC) del National Quality Standard (NQS) y de las dos escalas de evaluación de calidad (SSTEW – Sustained Shared Thinking and Well Being; y ECERS-E – Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extended). La muestra consiste en 257 unidades de ECEC en tres estados de Australia. Los resultados indicaron: asociaciones positivas modestas entre los puntajes del NQS y de las escalas; alguna especificidad entre las áreas de calidad del NQS (aspectos del proyecto y prácticas pedagógicas para los niños; relaciones con niños) y una escala de evaluación – la SSTEW; variabilidad de los puntajes de las escalas de calidad dentro de cada clasificación del NQS; y atenuación de dichas asociaciones siempre que el tiempo entre las evaluaciones supera los 24 meses. Las conclusiones sugieren que el NQS y las escalas de evaluación indican un núcleo común de calidad, pero capturan aspectos distintos de la calidad, lo que sugiere que ambos se podrían utilizar para mejorar los estándares de calidad en el sistema preescolar australiano, en el que las escalas de evaluación potencian todavía más la calidad que el NQS.Palabras clave: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Calidad, Sistema Preescolar, Reglamentación Comparing regulatory and non-regulatory indices of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality in the Australian early childhood sectorThis study examines associations between Australia’s regulatory ratings of quality in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) – the National Quality Standard (NQS) – and two research-based quality rating scales. The analytic sample consisted of 257 ECEC services across three Australian states. Results indicated (1) modest positive associations between NQS ratings and scale scores; (2) some specificity between NQS quality areas (educational programs and practice; relationships with children) and one research scale – the Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Wellbeing (SSTEW) scale; (3) variability in quality scales scores within each NQS designation; and (4) mitigation of these associations when the time-gap between ratings exceeded 24 months. Findings suggest NQS and research scales tap some common core of quality, yet capture different aspects of quality, suggesting both could be used to raise standards of quality in Australian preschools, where the research scales potentiate raising quality to even higher levels than NQS.Keywords: National Quality Standard, ECERS-E, SSTEW, Quality, Preschool, Regulation

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Young Children and Inclusion

Childhood Studies ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199791231-0232 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Annabella Cant

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Young Children ◽

Learning Environment ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Well Being ◽

Relationship Building ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Support Teacher

Inclusive education is the focus of many thinkers, researchers, teachers, early-childhood educators, and policymakers. It is a current concern of most Western societies. The concept of inclusive education was introduced only in the 1990s, when it replaced the previous concepts of integration and mainstreaming; however, the expressed need and advocacy for inclusion go further back in history. The enormous shift is still felt by many educational institutions. The shift means that it is not the job of the child to adapt to the typical environment, but it is the complex educational ecosystem that needs to be ready for caring, educating, and ensuring success to all children, with or without diversabilities. The necessary progression is one from considering diverse groups of children in an equalizing way, to considering them in an equitable way. Inclusive early-childhood education proposes an environment catered around the unique needs of each child within the classroom. As in many other areas of education, change needs to start early, and, yet, research about the inclusion of young and very young children is not overwhelmingly prevalent. In the 2020s, inclusive practice refers to all differences, not only the ones affecting children’s physical and mental health, including race, gender, culture, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, age, etc. If young children grow up in homes and educational environments infused with inclusion, they may become more comfortable engaging in discourses of inequality and exclusion. If their learning environment models positive and genuine relationship building with anyone around them, regardless of their difference, children will grow up being advocates for and allies of the people whom society keeps on silencing. Early inclusion is paramount. So, what hinders the universal adoption of inclusive practices in early-childhood education? Among factors that constitute barriers of inclusion, we find politics, resources, support, teacher education, parents’ and teachers’ perceptions and needs, different philosophical interpretations of the concept of early inclusion, and many others. The current studies in the field of early-childhood inclusion show that there is an acute need for knowledge, collaboration, and support. Parents, policymakers, teachers, and other decision-making adults should start giving children agency and invite them to contribute to decisions that concern their well-being. Being inclusive in early-childhood education means to have trust in the competency of all young children, to cherish difference, to cultivate a respectful learning environment, to work with heart, to welcome and build strong relationships with families of all children, to be in touch with current research in the field of inclusive education, and to see inclusion as a feeling of belonging, being valued, and being respected. Inclusion is fluid as a river, but these are the stones that should always guide its course and flow.

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Editorial: Opening for debate and contestation: OECD’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study and the testing of children’s learning outcomes

Policy Futures in Education ◽

10.1177/1478210318823464 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Claudia Diaz-Diaz ◽

Paulina Semenec ◽

Peter Moss

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Learning Outcomes ◽

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Early Learning ◽

Comparative Assessment ◽

Special Issue ◽

Standardized Measures ◽

Childhood Education

This special issue aims to bring critical perspectives to bear on a growing phenomenon in education: comparative assessment of educational performance using standardized measures of outcomes or ‘international large-scale assessments’. We focus on one of its latest examples: the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study. Proposed by the Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, n.d.a) in 2012, this study is now being put into practice, targeting early childhood education and young children in particular. The articles in this edited collection offer varied critiques of this project as well as critiques of the influential role that the OECD is playing in how member countries design, implement and assess their early childhood education.

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The Shape of Things to Come and what to do about Tom and Mia: Interrogating the OECD’s International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study from an anti-colonialist perspective

Policy Futures in Education ◽

10.1177/1478210318819177 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 87-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Mathias Urban

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Young Children ◽

Well Being ◽

Early Learning ◽

Frame Of Reference ◽

Post Colonial ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Child Characters ◽

To Come

In this article, I discuss the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), which is currently being rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. I summarise the development of IELS and the critique that has been voiced by early childhood scholars, professionals and advocates. I then move to an aspect of IELS that has so far been absent from the discussion: the actual conduct of the test, using the two stylised child characters Tom and Mia. I provide a provisional reading of the Tom and Mia imaginary through the lens of post-colonial and neo-colonial analysis. Applying the concept of colonisation as a frame of reference opens a space for introducing resistance and anti-colonial practices as productive forces to challenge the global hegemony. I draw on Pedro Sotolongo’s concept of the power of marginal notions to argue that experiences made on the margins of society, both geographically and socially, offer very practical alternatives to reconceptualising early childhood education, and services for young children, families and communities.

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The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study: The scores are in!

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood ◽

10.1177/1463949120929466 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 165-171

Author(s):

Peter Moss ◽

Mathias Urban

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Comparative Studies ◽

Well Being ◽

Early Learning ◽

Childhood Education ◽

The Way

This is the fourth colloquium for Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study, and marks the recent publication by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development of reports on the first round of this study. In it, the authors discuss what the results tell us, what they do not and what might come next. They conclude by supporting the need for comparative studies of early childhood education, but argue that the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study is not the way to go.

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The Association Between Toddlers’ Temperament and Well-Being in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care, and the Moderating Effect of Center-Based Daycare Process Quality

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.763682 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Catharina P. J. van Trijp ◽

Ratib Lekhal ◽

May Britt Drugli ◽

Veslemøy Rydland ◽

Suzanne van Gils ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Learning Opportunities ◽

Process Quality ◽

Life Outcomes ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Education And Care

Children who experience well-being are engaging more confidently and positively with their caregiver(s) and peers, which helps them to profit more from available learning opportunities and support current and later life outcomes. The goodness-of-fit theory suggests that children’s well-being might be a result of the interplay between their temperament and the environment. However, there is a lack of studies that examined the association between children’s temperament and well-being in early childhood education and care (ECEC), and whether this association is affected by ECEC process quality. Using a multilevel random coefficient approach, this study examines the association between toddlers’ (N = 1,561) temperament (shyness, emotionality, sociability, and activity) and well-being in Norwegian ECEC and investigates whether process quality moderates this association. Results reveal an association between temperament and well-being. Staff-child conflict moderates the association between shyness and well-being, and between activity and well-being. Moreover, high emotional behavioral support moderates the association between activity and well-being. Extra attention should be paid by the staff to these children’s needs.

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