Pub Date : 2023-03-01Epub Date: 2022-12-28DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145486
Kate L Lewis, Steven J Howard, Irina Verenikina, Lisa K Kervin
Young children's use of digital technologies has presented challenges for parents, particularly in response to an increased reliance on digital resources during the Covid-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study explored young children's digital practices within the context of their families and homes. Although this study was originally planned, the timing of data collection meant that it was uniquely positioned to capture parent perspectives as the pandemic and first lockdown was unfolding in Australia. Data was collected through questionnaire (N = 101) and semistructured interview (n = 20) about status and change in children's digital practices, and parents' rules and flexibility in governing these experiences. Quantitative findings suggested children's frequency and duration of digital device use trended upwards during lockdown, and parents were more flexible in their rules about the amount of screen time, as well as when and where children could use digital devices. Qualitative results suggested that, more than a temporary and situational change, for many parents, exposure to new ways of engaging with digital technologies facilitated a shift in their perceptions, leading to greater consideration of quality in their choices for their children. This study highlights the influential role of parents in shaping children's digital experiences. Understanding their perceptions, as well as children's current and shifting digital practices in the home, is important for informing efforts and guidance for supporting young children's safe and effective use of digital technologies.
{"title":"Parent perspectives on young children's changing digital practices: Insights from Covid-19.","authors":"Kate L Lewis, Steven J Howard, Irina Verenikina, Lisa K Kervin","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221145486","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1476718X221145486","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Young children's use of digital technologies has presented challenges for parents, particularly in response to an increased reliance on digital resources during the Covid-19 pandemic. This mixed-methods study explored young children's digital practices within the context of their families and homes. Although this study was originally planned, the timing of data collection meant that it was uniquely positioned to capture parent perspectives as the pandemic and first lockdown was unfolding in Australia. Data was collected through questionnaire (<i>N</i> = 101) and semistructured interview (<i>n</i> = 20) about status and change in children's digital practices, and parents' rules and flexibility in governing these experiences. Quantitative findings suggested children's frequency and duration of digital device use trended upwards during lockdown, and parents were more flexible in their rules about the amount of screen time, as well as when and where children could use digital devices. Qualitative results suggested that, more than a temporary and situational change, for many parents, exposure to new ways of engaging with digital technologies facilitated a shift in their perceptions, leading to greater consideration of quality in their choices for their children. This study highlights the influential role of parents in shaping children's digital experiences. Understanding their perceptions, as well as children's current and shifting digital practices in the home, is important for informing efforts and guidance for supporting young children's safe and effective use of digital technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9813658/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45109109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-01Epub Date: 2022-11-15DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221136463
Charlotte V Farewell, Jennie Quinlan, Lisa Gonzales, Jini Puma
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on demands, resources, and job satisfaction among a convenience sample of early childhood education (ECE) staff employed in Head Start preschools in a large metro area of Colorado. A survey was administered to a sample of Head Start staff at two timepoints: Time 1 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) in October of 2019 (n = 137) and Time 2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) in November of 2020 (n = 86). The survey consisted of a combination of validated measures to assess personal and external demands and resources and work satisfaction. Workload is a perceived external demand that significantly improved from pre- to mid-pandemic in this sample (z = -3.3, p < 0.01). Many personal and external resources changed pre- to mid-pandemic, though none were statistically significant. Overall job satisfaction in this sample increased, though it was not statistically significant (z = -1.04, p = 0.3). Mitigating demands, such as minimizing workload, and increasing job-related resources, such as bolstering management supports, may lead to improved job satisfaction of the ECE workforce employed in Head Start settings. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified poor mental health and numerous job demands, some of the pandemic-related regulations may have also decreased the workload for some subgroups of the ECE workforce, potentially translating to improved job satisfaction. However, significant disparities remain with respect to personal and external demands among this sample of the ECE workforce compared to the national workforce suggesting multi-level resources and supports are critical to further buffer these stressors.
本研究的主要目的是调查COVID-19大流行对科罗拉多州一个大城市地区学前教育(ECE)工作人员的需求、资源和工作满意度的影响。在两个时间点对启智计划的工作人员样本进行了调查:2019年10月的时间1 (COVID-19大流行前)(n = 137)和2020年11月的时间2 (COVID-19大流行期间)(n = 86)。该调查包括一系列有效的措施，以评估个人和外部需求、资源和工作满意度。工作量是感知到的外部需求，在该样本中，从大流行前到中期显著改善(z = - 3.3, p < 0.01)。许多个人和外部资源在大流行前到中期发生了变化，尽管没有统计学意义。总体而言，该样本的工作满意度增加了，尽管没有统计学意义(z = - 1.04, p = 0.3)。减轻需求，如尽量减少工作量，增加与工作有关的资源，如加强管理支持，可能会提高欧洲经委会工作人员在“启智计划”环境下的工作满意度。尽管COVID-19大流行加剧了心理健康状况不佳和许多工作需求，但一些与大流行相关的法规也可能减少了欧洲经委会工作人员某些小组的工作量，从而可能转化为工作满意度的提高。然而，与国家劳动力相比，欧洲经委会工作人员样本在个人和外部需求方面仍然存在重大差异，这表明多层次的资源和支持对于进一步缓冲这些压力源至关重要。
{"title":"Changes in demands and resources faced by the early childhood education workforce due to COVID-19.","authors":"Charlotte V Farewell, Jennie Quinlan, Lisa Gonzales, Jini Puma","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221136463","DOIUrl":"10.1177/1476718X221136463","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on demands, resources, and job satisfaction among a convenience sample of early childhood education (ECE) staff employed in Head Start preschools in a large metro area of Colorado. A survey was administered to a sample of Head Start staff at two timepoints: Time 1 (pre-COVID-19 pandemic) in October of 2019 (<i>n</i> = 137) and Time 2 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) in November of 2020 (<i>n</i> = 86). The survey consisted of a combination of validated measures to assess personal and external demands and resources and work satisfaction. Workload is a perceived external <i>demand</i> that significantly improved from pre- to mid-pandemic in this sample (<i>z</i> = -3.3, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Many personal and external <i>resources</i> changed pre- to mid-pandemic, though none were statistically significant. Overall job satisfaction in this sample increased, though it was not statistically significant (<i>z</i> = -1.04, <i>p</i> = 0.3). Mitigating demands, such as minimizing workload, and increasing job-related resources, such as bolstering management supports, may lead to improved job satisfaction of the ECE workforce employed in Head Start settings. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified poor mental health and numerous job demands, some of the pandemic-related regulations may have also decreased the workload for some subgroups of the ECE workforce, potentially translating to improved job satisfaction. However, significant disparities remain with respect to personal and external demands among this sample of the ECE workforce compared to the national workforce suggesting multi-level resources and supports are critical to further buffer these stressors.</p>","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9669509/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44571168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-11DOI: 10.1177/1476718X231153079
C. Dewhirst, Erin C. Casey
This study explores how mothers in the US described challenges to their children’s (ages birth to eight) play experiences at home during social distancing due to the COVID-19 virus. Understanding their lived experiences is valuable because it will add insight into the effects of this unique time period on the critical role parent-child interactions play in children’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. Using a phenomenological design, interviews with 14 mothers revealed a common experience in which play efforts were altered at times due to challenges related to social distancing and COVID-19. Four themes described these challenges: Lack of Parent Resources and Support, Work and Child Care Balance, Children’s Struggles with Social Isolation, and Children’s Uncertainty Regarding COVID-19. Mothers believed it was their responsibility to keep their children engaged in play as part of their childcare duties. They struggled to balance work and childcare, did not always enjoy playing with their children, and desired alone time to recover during this challenging time. They sought to best meet their children’s needs but had to make allowances to their parenting practices and play attitudes. The authors discuss how more intensive parenting philosophies could be difficult to sustain when society does not operate as usual.
{"title":"Listening to mothers’ voices of children’s play challenges and changes during social distancing","authors":"C. Dewhirst, Erin C. Casey","doi":"10.1177/1476718X231153079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X231153079","url":null,"abstract":"This study explores how mothers in the US described challenges to their children’s (ages birth to eight) play experiences at home during social distancing due to the COVID-19 virus. Understanding their lived experiences is valuable because it will add insight into the effects of this unique time period on the critical role parent-child interactions play in children’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. Using a phenomenological design, interviews with 14 mothers revealed a common experience in which play efforts were altered at times due to challenges related to social distancing and COVID-19. Four themes described these challenges: Lack of Parent Resources and Support, Work and Child Care Balance, Children’s Struggles with Social Isolation, and Children’s Uncertainty Regarding COVID-19. Mothers believed it was their responsibility to keep their children engaged in play as part of their childcare duties. They struggled to balance work and childcare, did not always enjoy playing with their children, and desired alone time to recover during this challenging time. They sought to best meet their children’s needs but had to make allowances to their parenting practices and play attitudes. The authors discuss how more intensive parenting philosophies could be difficult to sustain when society does not operate as usual.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46094076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-03DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145503
Lisa M. O’Brien, Jeanne R. Paratore, Alejandra Salinas, Sarah Blodgett
This qualitative study examined the interplay between teacher facilitation, children’s uptake of vocabulary and reasoning strategies, and the roles children assumed as learners as they experienced instruction grounded in Connected Teaching and Learning ([CTL] an interdisciplinary instructional framework that leverages key practices from culturally responsive pedagogies and meaningful use of multimodal text sets. Analyses suggest (1) students assumed more active roles in their learning as they “enacted” the work of scientists and (2) varied teacher facilitation practices and children’s vocabulary and reasoning uptake were key factors in children’s shift to more active roles. Although findings suggest CTL is a promising instructional framework, findings also underscore the significance of how teachers act on the instructional framework.
{"title":"Using connected teaching and learning to deepen children’s interdisciplinary learning","authors":"Lisa M. O’Brien, Jeanne R. Paratore, Alejandra Salinas, Sarah Blodgett","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221145503","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221145503","url":null,"abstract":"This qualitative study examined the interplay between teacher facilitation, children’s uptake of vocabulary and reasoning strategies, and the roles children assumed as learners as they experienced instruction grounded in Connected Teaching and Learning ([CTL] an interdisciplinary instructional framework that leverages key practices from culturally responsive pedagogies and meaningful use of multimodal text sets. Analyses suggest (1) students assumed more active roles in their learning as they “enacted” the work of scientists and (2) varied teacher facilitation practices and children’s vocabulary and reasoning uptake were key factors in children’s shift to more active roles. Although findings suggest CTL is a promising instructional framework, findings also underscore the significance of how teachers act on the instructional framework.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44264140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-01DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145460
Charlotte Wilders, E. Wood
How children experience the major transition from pre-school to compulsory schooling influences their immediate and future success and wellbeing. This complex process of change and adaptation is impacted by school readiness policy drivers, which prioritise children’s performance and achievement. Pedagogic and curriculum progression shifts from play to work, with structured and adult-led activities. These factors contribute to the schoolification of early childhood education, and construct school readiness as an attribute of the child. This paper reports findings on how six children experienced transition and school readiness as they move from Maternelle to Year 1 in an International school in Belgium. Multimodal and multivocal methods of data collection were used to provide child participants with accessible ways of expressing their perspectives of the lived experience of transition. The children perceived the major transition being from play to work and understood that they were expected to be ready for this change. From a socio-cultural perspective, this paper argues that school readiness cannot be assessed at a specific point in time, but should instead be viewed as the lived experience of children that begins before, and continues well beyond the transition. Children are expected to adapt to multiple changes in curriculum and pedagogical practices, as well as changes in cultural, temporal and material contexts. It is recommended that critical questions about how school readiness is constructed should take account of children’s perspectives and experiences of transitions.
{"title":"‘If I play I won’t learn’: Children’s perceptions and experiences of transition and school readiness from Maternelle to Year 1","authors":"Charlotte Wilders, E. Wood","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221145460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221145460","url":null,"abstract":"How children experience the major transition from pre-school to compulsory schooling influences their immediate and future success and wellbeing. This complex process of change and adaptation is impacted by school readiness policy drivers, which prioritise children’s performance and achievement. Pedagogic and curriculum progression shifts from play to work, with structured and adult-led activities. These factors contribute to the schoolification of early childhood education, and construct school readiness as an attribute of the child. This paper reports findings on how six children experienced transition and school readiness as they move from Maternelle to Year 1 in an International school in Belgium. Multimodal and multivocal methods of data collection were used to provide child participants with accessible ways of expressing their perspectives of the lived experience of transition. The children perceived the major transition being from play to work and understood that they were expected to be ready for this change. From a socio-cultural perspective, this paper argues that school readiness cannot be assessed at a specific point in time, but should instead be viewed as the lived experience of children that begins before, and continues well beyond the transition. Children are expected to adapt to multiple changes in curriculum and pedagogical practices, as well as changes in cultural, temporal and material contexts. It is recommended that critical questions about how school readiness is constructed should take account of children’s perspectives and experiences of transitions.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42422436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-31DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221149376
Erica Danniels, A. Pyle
As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically developing peers. Consequently, issues related to social participation and inclusion may be particularly salient in play-based kindergarten classrooms. The current qualitative study explored how eight kindergarten teachers in Ontario, Canada conceptualized and promoted inclusion in play for children with NDD. Classroom observation and teacher interviews were conducted with a focus on the teacher’s role in play. Teachers endorsed the use of several indirect (i.e., environmental) strategies to promote social participation, alongside proactive teacher support in play. Teachers who shared multiple aspects of an interventionist viewpoint toward disability, and identified the social benefits of inclusion in play for children with NDD, tended to provide more proactive support to all children in play. Teachers also provided reactive support in play to address emerging social conflict. Implications for fostering the meaningful inclusion of children with NDD in play-based learning are discussed.
{"title":"Teacher perspectives and approaches toward promoting inclusion in play-based learning for children with developmental disabilities","authors":"Erica Danniels, A. Pyle","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221149376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221149376","url":null,"abstract":"As school authorities strive toward inclusive models of education for children with neurodevelopmental delay and disability (NDD), many kindergarten curricula have mandated pedagogy centered on learning through play. Children with NDD tend to experience greater social isolation and lower rates of social play engagement compared to typically developing peers. Consequently, issues related to social participation and inclusion may be particularly salient in play-based kindergarten classrooms. The current qualitative study explored how eight kindergarten teachers in Ontario, Canada conceptualized and promoted inclusion in play for children with NDD. Classroom observation and teacher interviews were conducted with a focus on the teacher’s role in play. Teachers endorsed the use of several indirect (i.e., environmental) strategies to promote social participation, alongside proactive teacher support in play. Teachers who shared multiple aspects of an interventionist viewpoint toward disability, and identified the social benefits of inclusion in play for children with NDD, tended to provide more proactive support to all children in play. Teachers also provided reactive support in play to address emerging social conflict. Implications for fostering the meaningful inclusion of children with NDD in play-based learning are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45405482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-31DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221149375
Anne Greve, Yoriko Okamoto-Omi
In this article, we explore the concept of mimamori and its impact on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Norway and Japan. Mimamori is a teaching method whereby teachers refrain from giving children direct instructions, which is in line with the Froebelian approach to pedagogy. It is interesting to investigate how this Japanese concept also manifests in Norwegian ECEC. We have reanalysed previous data and analysed new data from Norwegian and Japanese studies to answer the following question: How does mimamori or mimamori-like practice in a Norwegian and a Japanese ECEC context influence the interaction between teachers and children in ways that support social inclusion in the children’s community? Our results show that mimamori can be found in ECEC in both countries, but that the way it is practised involves exercising paedagogical tact and wisdom. There is no set way of practising mimamori. However, there seems to be an understanding in both countries that children should learn how to cope for themselves and be given opportunities to test their own competence, but at the same time have enough support from the teacher so as not to fail and lose confidence.
{"title":"Mimamori childcare in Japanese and Norwegian early childhood education","authors":"Anne Greve, Yoriko Okamoto-Omi","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221149375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221149375","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we explore the concept of mimamori and its impact on early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Norway and Japan. Mimamori is a teaching method whereby teachers refrain from giving children direct instructions, which is in line with the Froebelian approach to pedagogy. It is interesting to investigate how this Japanese concept also manifests in Norwegian ECEC. We have reanalysed previous data and analysed new data from Norwegian and Japanese studies to answer the following question: How does mimamori or mimamori-like practice in a Norwegian and a Japanese ECEC context influence the interaction between teachers and children in ways that support social inclusion in the children’s community? Our results show that mimamori can be found in ECEC in both countries, but that the way it is practised involves exercising paedagogical tact and wisdom. There is no set way of practising mimamori. However, there seems to be an understanding in both countries that children should learn how to cope for themselves and be given opportunities to test their own competence, but at the same time have enough support from the teacher so as not to fail and lose confidence.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41331836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-01-23DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145484
Karen Patton, K. Winter
Research that uses innovative approaches to elicit the views of young children has grown hugely over the last 20 years. Against a backdrop of a greater acceptance of children’s rights and sociological approaches to understanding children and childhood, with their combined emphasis on the competences and capacities of children, it is now accepted that young children can be engaged with to seek their views, experiences and perspectives as part of research studies. The range of methodological approaches is extensive including arts and play based methods, digitally based games, the use of photography and recordings. This article focuses on issues connected with researcher positionality that arose in a research study that sought to elicit children’s views about their early childhood settings using a teddy bear called ‘Ted’. The article draws attention to contingent and contextual nature of children’s engagement in research processes and methods and therefore the critical importance of researchers developing detailed reflexive accounts of their positionality, so that the contextual and relational aspects of methodological processes and the findings that emerge, are as transparent as possible. Implications for other similar types of research are considered.
{"title":"Researcher positionality in eliciting young children’s perspectives","authors":"Karen Patton, K. Winter","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221145484","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221145484","url":null,"abstract":"Research that uses innovative approaches to elicit the views of young children has grown hugely over the last 20 years. Against a backdrop of a greater acceptance of children’s rights and sociological approaches to understanding children and childhood, with their combined emphasis on the competences and capacities of children, it is now accepted that young children can be engaged with to seek their views, experiences and perspectives as part of research studies. The range of methodological approaches is extensive including arts and play based methods, digitally based games, the use of photography and recordings. This article focuses on issues connected with researcher positionality that arose in a research study that sought to elicit children’s views about their early childhood settings using a teddy bear called ‘Ted’. The article draws attention to contingent and contextual nature of children’s engagement in research processes and methods and therefore the critical importance of researchers developing detailed reflexive accounts of their positionality, so that the contextual and relational aspects of methodological processes and the findings that emerge, are as transparent as possible. Implications for other similar types of research are considered.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48981522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-28DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145476
Tian J Collins, Rachel A. Jones, Karen L. Tonge
There is ongoing interest in free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care settings (ECEC), however little is known about educators’ perceptions of free-flowing routines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of educators regarding free-flowing routines. A focus group and five semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four main themes were identified: learning outcomes, learning opportunities, team characteristics, and pedagogy and practice. Free-flowing routines may offer additional affordances for children’s learning compared to structured routines, such as greater independence and agency for children, sustained time to engage in child-led learning, and deeper engagement in learning. Quality pedagogical practice was perceived as being highly important in free-flowing routines. It is recommended that ECEC settings implement an aspect of free-flowing routines for part, or all of the day, and be open to the learning opportunities that this may present for children. With further research, there is potential to better understand routines that best support children’s learning and development in ECEC, as well as opportunities to influence national and international policy and curricula.
{"title":"Educator perceptions of free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care","authors":"Tian J Collins, Rachel A. Jones, Karen L. Tonge","doi":"10.1177/1476718X221145476","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X221145476","url":null,"abstract":"There is ongoing interest in free-flowing routines in early childhood education and care settings (ECEC), however little is known about educators’ perceptions of free-flowing routines. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of educators regarding free-flowing routines. A focus group and five semi-structured interviews were conducted. Four main themes were identified: learning outcomes, learning opportunities, team characteristics, and pedagogy and practice. Free-flowing routines may offer additional affordances for children’s learning compared to structured routines, such as greater independence and agency for children, sustained time to engage in child-led learning, and deeper engagement in learning. Quality pedagogical practice was perceived as being highly important in free-flowing routines. It is recommended that ECEC settings implement an aspect of free-flowing routines for part, or all of the day, and be open to the learning opportunities that this may present for children. With further research, there is potential to better understand routines that best support children’s learning and development in ECEC, as well as opportunities to influence national and international policy and curricula.","PeriodicalId":46652,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Early Childhood Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2022-12-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42209804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-22DOI: 10.1177/1476718X221145464
M. M. Mengstie
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices on developmentally appropriate practices. The study sites are a mix of public and private preschools that are located in Gondar City, Ethiopia. From these study sites, six participants were purposively selected. Date data were collected through in-depth interviews. Audio-recorded in-depth interviews were transcribed verbatim. Then the Amharic transcript was then translated into the English language and made ready for further thematic analysis. The results indicated a discrepancy between preschool teachers’ beliefs and their actual classroom practices of DAP. The participants reported strong beliefs about the importance of DAP for children’s development and learning. However, they did not follow the DAP guides when teaching children. The preschool teachers attributed this discrepancy to external factors such as shortage of inputs, large class size, lack of parental support and administrative problems. Therefore, the Ministry of Education, policy makers, teacher training colleges and school administrators should design strategies that enable preschool teachers to practice their strong beliefs in implementing DAP in the classroom.
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