Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2217701
Valeria Scacchi
ABSTRACT This article is based on doctoral research which contributed to my understanding of early years professional development and learning grounded in Froebelian principles. Through two freestanding but related case studies in London and San Miniato, the article explores the current professional learning and development for educators working with children aged 0–3 in the UK and 0–5 in Italy, focusing on the ways in which educators develop and conceptualise their professional identities. Through data collected using interviews and activity-based focus groups and analysed with Clarke’s situational analysis, I have found two systems of professional learning not in contact with educators’ everyday realities. Educators expressed the need to be more actively involved with the design and delivery of professional learning courses. The findings point to the need for educators to be given more opportunities for self-reflection to confront their knowledge with others. It is important to provide educators with adequate support to help them buffer against the extreme mental and emotional demands of the job with an offer of professional learning that is flexible and shaped around their needs.
{"title":"Reconceptualising professional learning and development through a Froebelian lens: early childhood educators’ perspectives on professional identities in the UK and Italy, where is the love?","authors":"Valeria Scacchi","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2217701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2217701","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article is based on doctoral research which contributed to my understanding of early years professional development and learning grounded in Froebelian principles. Through two freestanding but related case studies in London and San Miniato, the article explores the current professional learning and development for educators working with children aged 0–3 in the UK and 0–5 in Italy, focusing on the ways in which educators develop and conceptualise their professional identities. Through data collected using interviews and activity-based focus groups and analysed with Clarke’s situational analysis, I have found two systems of professional learning not in contact with educators’ everyday realities. Educators expressed the need to be more actively involved with the design and delivery of professional learning courses. The findings point to the need for educators to be given more opportunities for self-reflection to confront their knowledge with others. It is important to provide educators with adequate support to help them buffer against the extreme mental and emotional demands of the job with an offer of professional learning that is flexible and shaped around their needs.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"590 - 605"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49452307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2236323
Jochen Devlieghere, Lobke Van Lombergen, M. Vandenbroeck
ABSTRACT Lately, pedagogical coaches have been deployed in childcare as a form of continuous professional development (CPD) with the aim of improving the quality of childcare. While we have a clear understanding of what coaching should involve to be effective and how it improves the learning outcomes of young children, research has failed to capture the perspectives of the actors involved, such as pedagogical coaches, childcare managers and practitioners. These perspectives are important as policies alone are insufficient to bring about changes in practice. This paper captures the lifeworld of these actors of change by means of qualitative research in Flanders. Our results show that (i) a clear pedagogical framework within which pedagogical coaches work and within which the relationships between the different professional roles are defined is of crucial importance, (ii) to be effective in practice, pedagogical coaches need to value and respect childcare workers in what they do. In that sense, it is important to create horizontal relationships, rather than vertical ones and (iii) that systemic conditions impact the effectivity of the coaching. The deployment of pedagogical coaches should therefore be embedded in a systemic educational culture where the best interest of children is paramount.
{"title":"Pedagogical coaches in childcare: opening the black box between input and output","authors":"Jochen Devlieghere, Lobke Van Lombergen, M. Vandenbroeck","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2236323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2236323","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Lately, pedagogical coaches have been deployed in childcare as a form of continuous professional development (CPD) with the aim of improving the quality of childcare. While we have a clear understanding of what coaching should involve to be effective and how it improves the learning outcomes of young children, research has failed to capture the perspectives of the actors involved, such as pedagogical coaches, childcare managers and practitioners. These perspectives are important as policies alone are insufficient to bring about changes in practice. This paper captures the lifeworld of these actors of change by means of qualitative research in Flanders. Our results show that (i) a clear pedagogical framework within which pedagogical coaches work and within which the relationships between the different professional roles are defined is of crucial importance, (ii) to be effective in practice, pedagogical coaches need to value and respect childcare workers in what they do. In that sense, it is important to create horizontal relationships, rather than vertical ones and (iii) that systemic conditions impact the effectivity of the coaching. The deployment of pedagogical coaches should therefore be embedded in a systemic educational culture where the best interest of children is paramount.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"656 - 668"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43194484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2222233
H. Ebrahim
ABSTRACT The early childhood development (ECD) sector in low- and middle-income countries continues to be under-valued and under-funded. Birth to 3 is further marginalised in this constrained informal sector. The feminised workforce experiences economic and social injustices in an under-developed human resource system. The aim of this article is to engage with dimensions that make birth to 3 a critical space for workforce transformation in South Africa. The critical ecology of ECD professions implicated in building competent systems is used to make sense of multi-level action for transforming the workforce. A qualitative online questionnaire was used to produce data with 28 participants. The findings show that the birth to 3 workforce experiences chronic marginalisation where concerns are raised about training, qualifications, access, costs, competencies, content, delivery and support. All these dimensions point to the urgent need to address the micro-politics of entrenched workforce challenges together with the power of macro-forces for systemic change.
{"title":"Birth to 3: a critical space for early childhood workforce transformation in South Africa","authors":"H. Ebrahim","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2222233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2222233","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The early childhood development (ECD) sector in low- and middle-income countries continues to be under-valued and under-funded. Birth to 3 is further marginalised in this constrained informal sector. The feminised workforce experiences economic and social injustices in an under-developed human resource system. The aim of this article is to engage with dimensions that make birth to 3 a critical space for workforce transformation in South Africa. The critical ecology of ECD professions implicated in building competent systems is used to make sense of multi-level action for transforming the workforce. A qualitative online questionnaire was used to produce data with 28 participants. The findings show that the birth to 3 workforce experiences chronic marginalisation where concerns are raised about training, qualifications, access, costs, competencies, content, delivery and support. All these dimensions point to the urgent need to address the micro-politics of entrenched workforce challenges together with the power of macro-forces for systemic change.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"455 - 468"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47511095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2227782
Eleni Katsiada, M. Hatzigianni, E. Sotiropoulou
ABSTRACT This study took place in the University of West Attica, Department of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Greece, founded in 2018, which focuses on the learning, development and education of children under four years of age. Greece has a split early childhood education system, and there is minimal attention given to infant and toddler research. This study explored students’ views before and after their final practicum through two online questionnaires to identify the effectiveness of the undergraduate programme of studies in preparing ECEC educators for their professional roles. The study also interviewed in-service educators in their first year of employment and graduates who have completed their practicum in a foreign country under the Erasmus+ programme. Findings revealed an overall satisfaction with the existing programme and the effectiveness of the final practicum. Students who completed an Erasmus+ practicum were particularly positive about their experience and the knowledge they acquired, and they encouraged more students to apply for the Erasmus+ mobility scheme. All participants provided useful insights and suggestions for further improving the programme, such as extending the placement and practicum. Implications for ECEC educators’ education are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.
{"title":"The role of placement and practicum in the professional readiness of ECEC educators working with infants and toddlers","authors":"Eleni Katsiada, M. Hatzigianni, E. Sotiropoulou","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2227782","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2227782","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study took place in the University of West Attica, Department of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Greece, founded in 2018, which focuses on the learning, development and education of children under four years of age. Greece has a split early childhood education system, and there is minimal attention given to infant and toddler research. This study explored students’ views before and after their final practicum through two online questionnaires to identify the effectiveness of the undergraduate programme of studies in preparing ECEC educators for their professional roles. The study also interviewed in-service educators in their first year of employment and graduates who have completed their practicum in a foreign country under the Erasmus+ programme. Findings revealed an overall satisfaction with the existing programme and the effectiveness of the final practicum. Students who completed an Erasmus+ practicum were particularly positive about their experience and the knowledge they acquired, and they encouraged more students to apply for the Erasmus+ mobility scheme. All participants provided useful insights and suggestions for further improving the programme, such as extending the placement and practicum. Implications for ECEC educators’ education are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"528 - 544"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43176038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ABSTRACT Although childcare professionals play a crucial role in creating stimulating environments for multilingual infants and toddlers and in establishing partnerships with multilingual parents, they often feel uncertain and inexperienced about it. This is especially true in multilingual contexts where three or more home languages in a single family are not uncommon, as is the case in Flanders (Belgium). To foster reflection among childcare professionals on early multilingualism, expand their knowledge base and support their practices towards multilingual children and families, a co-constructive process was set up with 29 tutors. These tutors joined forces to develop and test a toolkit to support continuous professional development trajectories of childcare professionals working with multilingual infants, toddlers and their parents. The present article draws on the experiences of the tutors in each phase of the collaborative design process of the toolkit, documented through meeting reports, field notes and semi-structured interviews. Findings are discussed based on five themes that emerged from the data analysis: breaking the silence about multilingualism, offering an array of possibilities for professional development, expanding the knowledge base of childcare professionals, valorizing the role of the tutor, and highlighting the role of innovative and collaborative projects.
{"title":"Supporting childcare professionals in approaching multilingualism: insights from a collaborative process for professional development","authors":"Brecht Peleman, Hester Hulpia, Lisandre Bergeron-Morin","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2236328","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2236328","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Although childcare professionals play a crucial role in creating stimulating environments for multilingual infants and toddlers and in establishing partnerships with multilingual parents, they often feel uncertain and inexperienced about it. This is especially true in multilingual contexts where three or more home languages in a single family are not uncommon, as is the case in Flanders (Belgium). To foster reflection among childcare professionals on early multilingualism, expand their knowledge base and support their practices towards multilingual children and families, a co-constructive process was set up with 29 tutors. These tutors joined forces to develop and test a toolkit to support continuous professional development trajectories of childcare professionals working with multilingual infants, toddlers and their parents. The present article draws on the experiences of the tutors in each phase of the collaborative design process of the toolkit, documented through meeting reports, field notes and semi-structured interviews. Findings are discussed based on five themes that emerged from the data analysis: breaking the silence about multilingualism, offering an array of possibilities for professional development, expanding the knowledge base of childcare professionals, valorizing the role of the tutor, and highlighting the role of innovative and collaborative projects.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"669 - 682"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47063584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2232948
Tik-Sze Carrey Siu, Maria Cooper, Mary B. McMullen
ABSTRACT Using a qualitative descriptive design, researchers describe andidentify similarities and differences in the professional preparation of infant-toddler care and education (ITCE) teachers at university based teacher education programmes in Hong Kong China, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the USA. Researchers overview the ITCE landscape, describe statutory regulations, and consider major documents and prevalent ideas influencing ITCE teacher education in their respective countries. Key findings are presented from each researcher’s analysis of the teacher education programmes at their own institutions and then summarised in descriptive narratives around four major themes: (1) country-specific values, (2) pedagogical elements, (3) curriculum focus, and (4) teaching practicum expectations. On the basis of a dialogic deliberative process, the three researchers then discuss the findings together by deliberating upon how culture in the forms of norms, values, prevailing beliefs, and expectations, appeared to – intentionally or unintentionally – shape the three different approaches to preparing students to become fully-qualified teachers of infants and toddlers.
{"title":"Country-specific narratives of the professional preparation of infant–toddler teachers in Hong Kong China, Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA","authors":"Tik-Sze Carrey Siu, Maria Cooper, Mary B. McMullen","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2232948","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2232948","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Using a qualitative descriptive design, researchers describe andidentify similarities and differences in the professional preparation of infant-toddler care and education (ITCE) teachers at university based teacher education programmes in Hong Kong China, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the USA. Researchers overview the ITCE landscape, describe statutory regulations, and consider major documents and prevalent ideas influencing ITCE teacher education in their respective countries. Key findings are presented from each researcher’s analysis of the teacher education programmes at their own institutions and then summarised in descriptive narratives around four major themes: (1) country-specific values, (2) pedagogical elements, (3) curriculum focus, and (4) teaching practicum expectations. On the basis of a dialogic deliberative process, the three researchers then discuss the findings together by deliberating upon how culture in the forms of norms, values, prevailing beliefs, and expectations, appeared to – intentionally or unintentionally – shape the three different approaches to preparing students to become fully-qualified teachers of infants and toddlers.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"469 - 483"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43269870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2235913
N. Kemp, Jo Josephidou
ABSTRACT There is increasing concern about the ways in which neoliberalism is impacting Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), particularly in relation to infants and toddlers. The neoliberal agenda positions the outdoors as risky and a place to be physically active, potentially excluding the youngest children from these spaces. Drawing upon case study data from a larger project exploring outdoor provision for infants and toddlers in England, we demonstrate the critical leadership role owner/managers can play. They do this by creating different kinds of pedagogic spaces ( cultural , physical and reflective) for practitioners to develop their outdoor practices. We argue that the creation of such spaces requires explicit acts of resistance and disruption to neoliberal understandings about the place of infants and toddlers outdoors. Our research demonstrates the potential for owner/managers to act as critical pedagogues creating spaces called hope.
{"title":"Creating spaces called hope: the critical leadership role of owner/managers in developing outdoor pedagogies for infants and toddlers","authors":"N. Kemp, Jo Josephidou","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2235913","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2235913","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT There is increasing concern about the ways in which neoliberalism is impacting Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), particularly in relation to infants and toddlers. The neoliberal agenda positions the outdoors as risky and a place to be physically active, potentially excluding the youngest children from these spaces. Drawing upon case study data from a larger project exploring outdoor provision for infants and toddlers in England, we demonstrate the critical leadership role owner/managers can play. They do this by creating different kinds of pedagogic spaces ( cultural , physical and reflective) for practitioners to develop their outdoor practices. We argue that the creation of such spaces requires explicit acts of resistance and disruption to neoliberal understandings about the place of infants and toddlers outdoors. Our research demonstrates the potential for owner/managers to act as critical pedagogues creating spaces called hope.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"641 - 655"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46772127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2240668
S. Araújo, P. Elfer, G. Quiñones
The education and care of infants and toddlers involve both an individual and collective ongoing commitment towards their rights and, relatedly, towards the rights of the professionals who accompany and support children’s everyday experiences. This Special Issue (SI) is dedicated to educators who undertake this relevant, specialised and emotional endeavour. Specifically, this issue focuses on initial and continuing professional preparation and support for those working with infants and toddlers, as well as on systems and processes that support and develop their daily practices. In constructing this SI, we have been helped enormously by the scholarly assessments of progress in researching pedagogy with infants and toddlers set out in four prior SIs published in the last twelve years. The first of these was organised by Sylvie Rayna and Ferre Laevers (Rayna and Laevers 2011) with the title ‘Understanding children from 0 to 3 years of age and its implications for education. What’s new on the babies’ side? Origins and evolution’. The authors acknowledged that a focus on children from birth to three meant working with the most dominated people (infants, toddlers, practitioners and mothers) and underlined the need for a process of empowerment and emancipation of the birth-3 field. Furthermore, the possibilities brought about by research initiatives were stressed, with articles contributing to the debate around rigorous research tools and ethical positions in this sector. The special issue presented a collection of articles that brought powerful evidence and insights into an agentic image of the child, the centrality of interactions and relationships, the relevance of practitioners’ professional qualifications and accompaniment, and the critical role of infant–toddler pedagogy. In 2012, the SI ‘Professional Issues in Work with Babies and Toddlers’ was published in this Journal. The editorial by Pamela Oberhuemer (2012) acknowledged the diversity in theoretical frameworks, research foci and research methodologies across the SI. The articles in this SI focused predominantly on studies carried out in continuing professional education, stressing core processes such as collegial dialogue, critical professional reflection among professionals, relationship-building between children and caregivers, systematic documentation and analysis of children’s experiences, as well as co-constructive and participatory approaches to supporting professional development and everyday practices with infants and toddlers. Susan Recchia and Minsun Shin (Recchia and Shin 2016) guest edited the SI ‘Preparing early childhood teachers for infant care and education’ that added to the previous contributions in arguing for deliberate, specialised and meaningful preparation of teachers for working with infants, toddlers and their families. Despite the diversity across the articles in this SI, the authors identified common themes, such as the lack of adequate preparation in early childhoo
婴幼儿的教育和护理涉及个人和集体对其权利的持续承诺，以及与之相关的对陪伴和支持儿童日常体验的专业人员的权利的承诺。本期特刊（SI）献给从事这一相关、专业和情感努力的教育工作者。具体而言，这一问题的重点是为婴幼儿工作人员提供初步和持续的专业准备和支持，以及支持和发展他们日常实践的系统和流程。在构建这个SI的过程中，我们得到了过去12年中发表的四篇先前SI中对婴幼儿教育学研究进展的学术评估的极大帮助。第一次活动由Sylvie Rayna和Ferre Laevers组织（Rayna和Laevers，2011年），题为“了解0至3岁的儿童及其对教育的影响”。婴儿方面有什么新鲜事？起源与进化。作者承认，关注从出生到三岁的儿童意味着与最受支配的人（婴儿、学步儿童、从业者和母亲）合作，并强调有必要在三岁出生领域进行赋权和解放。此外，还强调了研究举措带来的可能性，文章有助于围绕严格的研究工具和该部门的道德立场展开辩论。特刊提供了一系列文章，为儿童的代理形象、互动和关系的中心性、从业者的专业资格和陪伴的相关性以及婴幼儿教育学的关键作用提供了有力的证据和见解。2012年，SI“婴幼儿工作中的专业问题”发表在该杂志上。Pamela Oberhuemer（2012）的社论承认了整个SI在理论框架、研究重点和研究方法上的多样性。本SI中的文章主要集中在继续职业教育中进行的研究，强调了核心过程，如学院对话、专业人士之间的批判性专业反思、，建立儿童和照顾者之间的关系，系统地记录和分析儿童的经历，以及支持专业发展和婴幼儿日常实践的共同建设性和参与性方法。Susan Recchia和Minsun Shin（Recchia and Shin 2016）客串编辑了SI“为幼儿保育和教育做好幼儿教师的准备”，该报告补充了之前的贡献，主张教师为婴幼儿及其家人的工作做好深思熟虑、专业化和有意义的准备。尽管本SI中的文章存在多样性，但作者还是确定了共同的主题，如幼儿教师教育缺乏充分的准备，需要整合更多的2023年早期教育，第43卷，第3期，443–454https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2240668
{"title":"Preparing and supporting professionals working with infants and toddlers","authors":"S. Araújo, P. Elfer, G. Quiñones","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2240668","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2240668","url":null,"abstract":"The education and care of infants and toddlers involve both an individual and collective ongoing commitment towards their rights and, relatedly, towards the rights of the professionals who accompany and support children’s everyday experiences. This Special Issue (SI) is dedicated to educators who undertake this relevant, specialised and emotional endeavour. Specifically, this issue focuses on initial and continuing professional preparation and support for those working with infants and toddlers, as well as on systems and processes that support and develop their daily practices. In constructing this SI, we have been helped enormously by the scholarly assessments of progress in researching pedagogy with infants and toddlers set out in four prior SIs published in the last twelve years. The first of these was organised by Sylvie Rayna and Ferre Laevers (Rayna and Laevers 2011) with the title ‘Understanding children from 0 to 3 years of age and its implications for education. What’s new on the babies’ side? Origins and evolution’. The authors acknowledged that a focus on children from birth to three meant working with the most dominated people (infants, toddlers, practitioners and mothers) and underlined the need for a process of empowerment and emancipation of the birth-3 field. Furthermore, the possibilities brought about by research initiatives were stressed, with articles contributing to the debate around rigorous research tools and ethical positions in this sector. The special issue presented a collection of articles that brought powerful evidence and insights into an agentic image of the child, the centrality of interactions and relationships, the relevance of practitioners’ professional qualifications and accompaniment, and the critical role of infant–toddler pedagogy. In 2012, the SI ‘Professional Issues in Work with Babies and Toddlers’ was published in this Journal. The editorial by Pamela Oberhuemer (2012) acknowledged the diversity in theoretical frameworks, research foci and research methodologies across the SI. The articles in this SI focused predominantly on studies carried out in continuing professional education, stressing core processes such as collegial dialogue, critical professional reflection among professionals, relationship-building between children and caregivers, systematic documentation and analysis of children’s experiences, as well as co-constructive and participatory approaches to supporting professional development and everyday practices with infants and toddlers. Susan Recchia and Minsun Shin (Recchia and Shin 2016) guest edited the SI ‘Preparing early childhood teachers for infant care and education’ that added to the previous contributions in arguing for deliberate, specialised and meaningful preparation of teachers for working with infants, toddlers and their families. Despite the diversity across the articles in this SI, the authors identified common themes, such as the lack of adequate preparation in early childhoo","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"443 - 454"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44716538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2235911
R. Dolby, Belinda Friezer, E. Hughes, Jools Page, Vickie Meade
ABSTRACT This article describes the professional development program, Baby Playspace Learning (BPL), and evaluates its capacity to build close relationships between educators, parents, their infants and infant peers during the morning transitions in ECEC settings. Using a pre-post design, video recordings of 20 (10 pre and 10 post) morning transitions were collected across a 12-month period and analysed for developing closeness, by measuring the frequency of triangular interactions, educators’ use of relational language and physical availability (sitting down, being still and holding infants in a curled position to relax). All measures of closeness increased significantly post-test, indicating that BPL created more opportunities for building closeness between all parties. BPL can enhance educator professionalism by showing educators how to engage in practices that help them to realise close relationships in a group setting. This gives parents, infants and infant peers the experience of belonging to a secure base culture where closeness is valued.
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Pub Date : 2023-05-27DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2023.2235906
K. Gajek
ABSTRACT The main aim of this paper is to reconstruct the process of becoming a caregiver working in early childhood and care (ECEC) daycare centres for children up to three years of age in Poland. The theoretical framework is the concept of becoming, through which the formation of professional identity, within the social world of the nursery, is reconstructed. The process of becoming a nursery caregiver takes place within a specific historical, political, social, institutional and interactional context. Reflexively created self-identification requires confirmation by interaction partners. New empirical data were collected through the thematic narrative interview technique (n = 55) focused on the professional experiences of women caregivers. Data coding and analysis were conducted according to the grounded theory method. Based on an in-depth analysis of the narrative interviews, the process of becoming a caregiver in a nursery was reconstructed, which includes preparing for the role, building professional practices in the context of the nursery’s concept of work and creating a professional identity. Due to the institutional framework of the process of becoming a caregiver, the results of the study are discussed in reference to the Polish ECEC context.
{"title":"The process of becoming a nursery caregiver: the interactive perspective","authors":"K. Gajek","doi":"10.1080/09575146.2023.2235906","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2023.2235906","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The main aim of this paper is to reconstruct the process of becoming a caregiver working in early childhood and care (ECEC) daycare centres for children up to three years of age in Poland. The theoretical framework is the concept of becoming, through which the formation of professional identity, within the social world of the nursery, is reconstructed. The process of becoming a nursery caregiver takes place within a specific historical, political, social, institutional and interactional context. Reflexively created self-identification requires confirmation by interaction partners. New empirical data were collected through the thematic narrative interview technique (n = 55) focused on the professional experiences of women caregivers. Data coding and analysis were conducted according to the grounded theory method. Based on an in-depth analysis of the narrative interviews, the process of becoming a caregiver in a nursery was reconstructed, which includes preparing for the role, building professional practices in the context of the nursery’s concept of work and creating a professional identity. Due to the institutional framework of the process of becoming a caregiver, the results of the study are discussed in reference to the Polish ECEC context.","PeriodicalId":46566,"journal":{"name":"Early Years","volume":"43 1","pages":"499 - 512"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49591031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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