scholarly journals Starting Childcare Before Three: Narratives of Experience From a Tri-Partite Focus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Carmen Dalli
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childcare Centre ◽  
Guided Participation ◽  
Traditional Research ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Combination Of Methods

<p>This thesis explores the event of starting childcare as experienced by five under-three year old children, their mothers and at least one teacher in the childcare centre attended by each child. Narrative accounts of the adults' experiences were gathered through journal records kept by the mothers and the teachers, and during two semi-structured interviews. The children's experiences were recorded through non-participant observation fieldnotes and video-taped records of three events during each orientation visit by the children and their mothers to the childcare centre, and once weekly for the following six weeks. Narratives of experiences were re-constructed from these data using a combination of methods from grounded theory, narrative enquiry and deconstuctivist analysis. The tri-partite focus of this thesis reveals the experience of starting childcare as an emotional one for all participants, not just for children; it argues that the traditional research focus on the emotional significance of this event for children is an incomplete one. Additionally, starting childcare was an experience of induction: through processes of social canalization and guided participation, the mothers and the children were inducted into the ways of the childcare centre by the teachers and the established children in the centre. Deconstuctivist analyses of the adult participants' narrative accounts suggested that both mothers and teachers defined their roles in the children's experience of starting childcare, and their relationships with each other and with the children, against the background of dominant discourses about motherhood and early childhood teaching. For teachers this meant that they expressed their role as subsidiary to that of the mother. The paradox emerged that while teachers saw themselves as less powerful than the mothers in influencing the children's starting childcare experience, the observational data revealed that the teachers' actions determined the way children were 'canalized' into the expected ways of relating to them. Theoretical statements emerged from this study which point to new directions for how the event of starting childcare may be conceptualised in the context of shared care between home adults and early childhood teachers. Implications for enhancing the experience of starting childcare are highlighted.</p>

scholarly journals Starting Childcare Before Three: Narratives of Experience From a Tri-Partite Focus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Carmen Dalli
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childcare Centre ◽  
Guided Participation ◽  
Traditional Research ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Combination Of Methods

<p>This thesis explores the event of starting childcare as experienced by five under-three year old children, their mothers and at least one teacher in the childcare centre attended by each child. Narrative accounts of the adults' experiences were gathered through journal records kept by the mothers and the teachers, and during two semi-structured interviews. The children's experiences were recorded through non-participant observation fieldnotes and video-taped records of three events during each orientation visit by the children and their mothers to the childcare centre, and once weekly for the following six weeks. Narratives of experiences were re-constructed from these data using a combination of methods from grounded theory, narrative enquiry and deconstuctivist analysis. The tri-partite focus of this thesis reveals the experience of starting childcare as an emotional one for all participants, not just for children; it argues that the traditional research focus on the emotional significance of this event for children is an incomplete one. Additionally, starting childcare was an experience of induction: through processes of social canalization and guided participation, the mothers and the children were inducted into the ways of the childcare centre by the teachers and the established children in the centre. Deconstuctivist analyses of the adult participants' narrative accounts suggested that both mothers and teachers defined their roles in the children's experience of starting childcare, and their relationships with each other and with the children, against the background of dominant discourses about motherhood and early childhood teaching. For teachers this meant that they expressed their role as subsidiary to that of the mother. The paradox emerged that while teachers saw themselves as less powerful than the mothers in influencing the children's starting childcare experience, the observational data revealed that the teachers' actions determined the way children were 'canalized' into the expected ways of relating to them. Theoretical statements emerged from this study which point to new directions for how the event of starting childcare may be conceptualised in the context of shared care between home adults and early childhood teachers. Implications for enhancing the experience of starting childcare are highlighted.</p>

Peran Guru Anak Usia Dini Dalam Pengenalan Bahasa Inggris Dasar di PAUD

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-35
Author(s):  
Taranindya Zulhi Amalia
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Basic English

Abstrak: Guru PAUD memiliki beragam peran seperti guru pada umumnya.  Namun pembedanya tampak pada peran guru PAUD yang bertugas mengembangkan beragam kemampuan dasar anak untuk menggali potensi anak sejak dini.  Kemampuan dasar bahasa asing pada usia ini dimulai dari pengenalan bahasa Inggris secara mendasar yakni melalui kosakata sederhana. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk: 1) mengetahui pengenalan bahasa Inggris dasar dan 2) peran guru anak usia dini dalam pengenalan bahasa Inggris RA/PAUD. Dengan menggunakan jenis penelitian lapangan serta pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif peneliti menentukan Sumber data primer nya adalah kepala RA/PAUD, sie kurikulum, serta wali peserta didik. Sedangkan sumber data sekunder adalah referensi yang relevan dengan pengenalan bahasa Inggris, peran guru, dan PAUD. Kemudian Data diperoleh melalui teknik observasi partisipatif wawancara semi terstruktur dan dokumentasi uji keabsahan data menggunakan uji credibility, transferability dan confirmability melalui reduction, display data dan conclusion drawing.Hasil yang diperoleh adalah pengenalan bahasa Inggris dasar di RA/PAUD dilakukan setiap hari menyatu dengan pembelajaran tema-tema dan sub tema dalam muatan kurikulumnya berbentuk kosakata harian dan sapaan peran guru anak usia dini dalam pengenalan bahasa Inggris dasar sangat bervariasi. Guru memiliki multi peran dalam satu waktu. Peran-peran tersebut adalah sebagai educator, mediator, observer, facilitator, motivator, administrator, dan composer. KataKunci: peran guru PAUD, pengenalan bahasa Inggris, PAUD     Abstract: Early Childhood Education (PAUD) teachers have various roles like teachers in general. But the difference is seen in their roles tasked with developing a variety of children's basic abilities to explore children's potential from an early age. The basic ability of foreign languages ​​at this age starts from the basic introduction of English through simple vocabulary. The purpose of this study is to: 1) determine the introduction of basic English and 2) the roles of early childhood teachers in the introduction of English in this level. By using the type of field research and the qualitative descriptive approach, the researcher determines that the primary data source is the head of the RA, curriculum courses, and guardians of students. While secondary data sources are relevant references to the introduction of English, the role of teachers, and PAUD. Then the data obtained through participatory observation techniques semi-structured interviews and documentation of data validity test using the test of credibility, transferability and confirmability through reduction, display data and conclusion drawing.The results obtained are the introduction of basic English in RA done every day together with the learning of themes and sub themes in the curriculum content in the form of daily vocabulary and the greeting of the role of early childhood teachers in the introduction of basic English varies greatly. The teacher has multiple roles at one time. These roles are as educator, mediator, observer, facilitator, motivator, administrator, and composer.   Keywords: the role of PAUD teachers, introduction to English, early childhood education

How neocolonialism and globalization affect the early childhood workforce in Nepal and Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-125
Author(s):  
Lydiah Nganga ◽  
Samara Madrid Akpovo ◽  
Sapna Thapa ◽  
Agnes Muthoni Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Women's Work ◽  
Work Lives ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Women’S Work

Research shows that modern forms of colonization are vested with globalizing discourses which include early childhood education, gender, and curriculum policies and practices that are Euro-western based. In this collaborative qualitative study, four ethnographic researchers—two who conduct research in Nepal and two who conduct research in Kenya—explored the influence of globalization and neocolonialism on the work lives of early childhood teachers. Data was drawn from three long-term, in-depth ethnographic projects over a period of 6 to 13 years. The methods of data collection consisted of participant observation, field notes, class observations, individual interviews, and focus groups. This article reports on the findings from focus groups and uses a constant comparative method to analyze the data. Three common themes emerged from the analysis of the two data sets: Euro-western dominance; gendered positioning; and teacher resilience. The teachers used Euro-western language (i.e. English) as a key indicator of quality. The findings revealed that early childhood teachers experienced pressure from parents to conform to Euro-western standards, especially the use of English, thus alienating local languages. Teaching young children continued to be positioned as “women’s work,” resulting in low pay for early childhood education teachers and a lack of professionalism within the field. Although the themes of Euro-western standards and gendered discourses were frequent within the data, the theme of resilience was also found. The teachers displayed perseverance by using various coping mechanisms to counter the lack of resources and deprecated status of early childhood education as women’s work.

scholarly journals DISCIPLINE STRATEGIES PRACTISED IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS IN MAURITIUS

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belle Louis Jinot ◽  
Moraby Munirah
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Emotion Coaching ◽  
The Public ◽  
Positive Discipline ◽  
Petite Enfance ◽  
Disruptive Behaviours ◽  
Early Childhood Settings

<p>This research was conducted to identify and examine the discipline strategies that early childhood teachers may adopt to deal with disruptive behaviours of toddlers. The research was a qualitative research design and a case study. Five early childhood teachers were selected using purposive sampling and 30 toddlers in a private early childhood centre. The data about the practice of discipline strategies by the teachers were gathered by a semi-structured interview schedule and non-participant observation was used to collect data from the toddlers. According to the results of the study, it was found that early childhood education teachers were adopting positive discipline to prevent behaviour problems. The strategies adopted are guidance, autonomy, creating positive relationships, effective planning of the learning environment, and emotion coaching. This research shed light on the shift in the discipline paradigm in the early childhood setting in Mauritius. Instead of adopting reactive and punitive strategies, the practitioners are adopting proactive and discipline which is more humanistic and egalitarian, particularly when the child should be given the best learning opportunities for their holistic development. The findings may serve as an eye-opener especially for the policy and decision-makers like the Ministry of Education, to rethink the current practices in the public early childhood settings. For further research, a comparative study may be done to examine the extent to which positive discipline may be implemented in the public early childhood centres of the country.</p><p> </p><p>Cette recherche a été menée pour identifier et examiner les stratégies disciplinaires que les enseignants de la petite enfance peuvent adopter pour faire face aux comportements perturbateurs des tout-petits. La recherche était une conception de recherche qualitative et une étude de cas. Cinq enseignants de la petite enfance ont été sélectionnés à l'aide d'un échantillonnage raisonné et 30 enfants en bas âge dans un centre privé de la petite enfance. Les données sur la pratique des stratégies disciplinaires par les enseignants ont été recueillies par un calendrier d'entretien semi-structuré et l'observation non participante a été utilisée pour recueillir des données auprès des tout-petits. D'après les résultats de l'étude, il a été constaté que les enseignants en éducation de la petite enfance adoptaient une discipline positive pour prévenir les problèmes de comportement. Les stratégies adoptées sont l'accompagnement, l'autonomie, la création de relations positives, la planification efficace de l'environnement d'apprentissage et le coaching émotionnel. Cette recherche met en lumière le changement de paradigme de la discipline dans le cadre de la petite enfance à Maurice. Au lieu d'adopter des stratégies réactives et punitives, les praticiens adoptent une discipline proactive et plus humaniste et égalitaire, en particulier lorsque l'enfant doit bénéficier des meilleures opportunités d'apprentissage pour son développement holistique. Les résultats peuvent ouvrir les yeux, en particulier pour les responsables politiques et les décideurs comme le ministère de l'Éducation, pour repenser les pratiques actuelles dans les milieux publics de la petite enfance. Pour des recherches plus poussées, une étude comparative peut être menée pour examiner dans quelle mesure une discipline positive peut être mise en œuvre dans les centres publics de la petite enfance du pays.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0743/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Navigating ambiguity: Early childhood leaders’ sense-making of their identity in a new mid-level role

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 514-531
Author(s):  
Smadar Moshel ◽  
Izhak Berkovich
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Systemic Reform ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Managerial Role ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Power Base

Mid-level roles in education have been widely explored, primarily in schools, but little research has been conducted during the systemic reform that involves creating a mid-level role between end units and the system. The present study explores the sense-making of early childhood leaders (ECLs) at the initial stage of their new role as mid-level managers. The new role was established as a result of a national administrative reform that, among others, made the systemic hierarchy more vertical by establishing a new mid-level layer between superintendents and early childhood teachers. This qualitative research included semi-structured interviews with 47 mid-level preschool managers. The study sought to uncover their views of the main challenges associated with assuming a new mid-level managerial role, and their coping styles in this role. The analysis revealed that the new mid-level management role raises three challenges concerning the ambiguity of identity: power base, voice, and interpersonal loyalty. ECLs cope with these challenges by assuming different types of leader identities, those of the representative, the companion, and the mediator. The implications of the findings for the limited knowledge on ECLs and for the introduction of the new mid-level roles are discussed.

scholarly journals Psicomotricidade e práticas pedagógicas no contexto da Educação Infantil: uma etnografia escolar

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Fauston Negreiros ◽  
Carolina Machado de Sousa ◽  
Francisca Kétsia Lourenço Gomes de Moura
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Discursive Analysis ◽  
Integral Development ◽  
Three Stages

O estudo tem como objetivo analisar como ocorrem as práticas pedagógicas psicomotoras na escola de Educação Infantil e qual a importância da psicomotricidade para o desenvolvimento da criança. Utilizou-se abordagem qualitativa, etnográfica e descritiva. Realizou-se observação não participante, diários de campo e entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os dados foram analisados de acordo com a técnica da Hermenêutica de Profundidade, seguindo três etapas: análise sócio-histórica; análise Formal ou Discursiva e (Re) Interpretação. Os resultados revelaram que as práticas psicomotoras utilizadas pelas professoras de Educação Infantil da escola analisada são atividades voltadas às brincadeiras, canções, recorte, colagem, pintura, massinha de modelar e o desenvolvimento da coordenação motora. Apesar da instituição escolar ser muito pequena e não disponibilizar materiais para que a psicomotricidade possa ser estimulada de forma mais ampla, as educadoras se esforçam com o que tem para que os aspectos psicomotores sejam realizadas com as crianças, pois elas sabem da importância dessa ciência para o desenvolvimento integral infantil, englobando o lado motor, psíquico e afetivo.Palavras- Chaves: Psicomotricidade. Práticas.  Educação infantil. Psychomotricity and pedagogical practices in the context of Early Childhood Education: a school ethnographyABSTRACTThe study aims to analyze how the psychomotor pedagogical practices occur in the School of Early Childhood Education and what is the importance of psychomotricity for the development of the child. A qualitative, ethnographic and descriptive approach was used. Non-participant observation, field diaries and semi-structured interviews were carried out. The data were analyzed according to the Depth Hermeneutics technique, following three stages: sociohistorical analysis; Formal or Discursive analysis and (Re) Interpretation. The results showed that the psychomotor practices used by the teachers of Early Childhood Education of the analyzed school are activities related to the games, songs, cut, collage, painting, modeling clay and the development of motor coordination. Although the school institution is very small and does not provide materials for psychomotricity to develop, the educators strive with what they have for the psychomotor aspects to be carried out with the children, because they know the importance of this science for the integral development of the child, encompassing the motor, psychic and affective side.Keywords: Psychomotricity. Practices. Child education Psicomotricidad y prácticas pedagógicas en el contexto de la Educación Infantil: una etnografía escolarRESUMENEl estudio tiene como objetivo analizar cómo ocurren las prácticas pedagógicas psicomotoras en la escuela de Educación Infantil y cuál es la importancia de la psicomotricidad para el desarrollo del niño. Se utilizó el abordaje cualitativo, etnográfico y descriptivo. Se realizó observación no participante, diarios de campo y entrevistas semiestructuradas. Los datos fueron analizados de acuerdo con la técnica de la Hermenéutica de Profundidad, siguiendo tres etapas: análisis sociohistórico, análisis formal o discursivo y (re) interpretación. Los resultados evidencian que las prácticas psicomotoras utilizadas por las profesoras de Educación Infantil de la escuela investigada son actividades direccionadas a la jugada, canciones, recorte, collage, pintura, modelaje y el desarrollo de la coordinación motora. A pesar de la institución escolar ser muy pequeña y no brindar materiales para que la psicomotricidad pueda ser estimulada de forma más amplia, las educadoras se esfuerzan con lo que tienen para que los aspectos psicomotrices sean realizados con los niños, pues ellas saben la importancia de dicho aspecto para el desarrollo integral infantil, englobando el lado motor, psíquico y afectivo.Palabras clave: Psicomotricidad. Prácticas. Educación Infantil.

scholarly journals Everyday literacy practices: Normalising the school literate child

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Colwyn D. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Literacy Knowledge ◽  
Early Childhood Settings

Background: One can argue that literacy practices work to produce forms of literacy knowledge and literate children in early childhood contexts. However, one needs to interrogate how these literacy practices create technologies of power that construct and normalise the school ready literate child.Aim: The ethnographic study employed in this article explored everyday literacy practices in early childhood contexts that were considered ‘usual’, the kinds of literate children these practices engendered and its normalising effects on children and teachers.Settings: The study was conducted in two early childhood centres with two early childhood teachers and teaching children between the ages of 3 and 4.Methods: The study was qualitative in nature and used participant observation. A genealogical analysis of literacy practices showed how technologies of power were embodied in different literacy practices that worked to construct and normalise the school ready child in different ways.Results: The findings revealed that everyday literacy practices were used to produce a literate child through disciplinary processes of observation, normalisation and examination. These literacy practices operated in covert ways where school readiness was tied to educational success. However, during this process of normalisation, children began to [re]position themselves within the literacy space, showing individual agency and self-regulation.Conclusion: Although the findings of this study are not generalisable, it has implications for how literacy and literacy practices are conceptualised in early childhood settings. This article advocates a reconceptualisation of school readiness by questioning embedded practices within the competence model of school readiness and calls for the early childhood field to dissect incisively what and who are advantaged and disadvantaged through early literacy practices.

Perceived benefits of nature-based experiences as mediators of connectedness with nature: the case of Mystic Mountain

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 553-564
Author(s):  
Chesney Ward-Smith ◽  
Tony Naidoo ◽  
Lausanne Olvitt ◽  
Jacqui Akhurst
Keyword(s):  
Outdoor Education ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Ecological Crisis ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Adult Participants ◽  
Education Centre ◽  
Nature Connectedness

Perceived nature disconnection lies at the heart of the world’s socio-ecological crisis. Finding ways to reconnect with nature is fundamental towards reducing the adverse psychological–social–ecological consequences of this disconnection. Understanding the psychological and social benefits of nature-based experiences is important towards actualising reconnection. This article discusses such benefits for child and adult participants from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This work stems from Ecopsychology research with an outdoor education centre, Mystic Mountain. The experiences of two groups of children ( n = 25, aged 10–14 years) and adult instructors ( n = 12, aged 18–50 years) were explored using interpretive case-study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups, participant observation, and reflexive journaling, data were collected and analysed thematically. This article centralises participants’ perceived psychological and social benefits of nature-based experiences as mediators of deeper self and nature connectedness. Integrating these benefits into nature-based pedagogy-design processes could contribute towards more effective enhancements of nature connectedness, and in turn, foster Earth’s larger flourishment.

scholarly journals Early childhood teachers' and managers' lived experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Hasina Banu Ebrahim ◽  
Colwyn Martin ◽  
Lorayne Excell
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
World Health ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Global Pandemic

The declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March 2020 brought many changes to the early childhood sector internationally. The South African response is best understood in the context of an under-developed sector with pre-existing vulnerabilities. In this article, we present a contextual understanding of the lived experiences of early childhood development (ECD) teachers and managers during the lockdown and the opening phases of a risk-adjusted approach. Our use of a phenomenological lens together with systems theory provides a reality check through a focus on lived experiences. Data were produced through an online survey with 28 ECD teachers and managers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with a subset of 8 of these participants. Findings show that disruptions of COVID-19 led to entrenching inequities in service provision and early learning opportunities. These intersecting dimensions have implications for building effective ECD systems.

scholarly journals Dramatic play as a means to explore and support preschool children’s thinking about thermal insulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glykeria Fragkiadaki ◽  
Anna Armeni ◽  
Stella Zioga ◽  
Konstantinos Ravanis
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Early Childhood Teachers ◽  
Dramatic Play ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Field Notes ◽  
Children's Interests ◽  
Insulating Properties ◽  
Children’S Thinking

Research in young children’s ideas, representations, and pre-conceptions about the natural and technical world has a long history. Most of the studies in the field have used individual, semi-structured interviews as a methodological technique to generate and collect empirical data. However, less is known about how tracing procedures can come in line and be incorporated into everyday educational reality in early childhood settings in a way that reflects young children’s interests and needs. The present study uses dramatic play to trace young children’s thinking in science and advance their science learning experiences. The study focuses on a science concept young children are familiar with in everyday life though has not been thoroughly studied in the literature yet: thermal insulation. Empirical data from 6 preschoolers in Greece are presented. Qualitative data were collected through recordings of children’s dialogues, children’s drawings, field notes from the early childhood teachers, and photographs. The findings revealed that during their dramatic play children a) developed basic argumentation to express their thinking about the phenomenon; b) related the phenomenon with the thermal condition and changes in temperature; c) identified materials and objects with insulating properties and distinguish them from others with non-insulating properties, and d) came to the conclusion that the use of amplified insulation materials can lead to better insulation results. The outcomes of the study add to the research methodology in early childhood science education and inform practice providing a pedagogical framework that balances between play-based pedagogies and advanced learning outcomes in science for young learners.

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