Early Childhood Education Journal最新文献

Educators shape the quality of early education programs and are essential to children’s learning and healthy development. However, the early childhood education field is often challenged in retaining educational staff. Using a descriptive research design this study explores turnover and retention through the voices of Head Start and Early Head Start education staff. Education staff identified retention factors to be, holding a job with meaning and purpose that made a positive difference for children, families and communities, access to professional development opportunities, and positive connections with colleagues. While, low wages, high volumes of paperwork, complex caseloads, lack of recognition, weak onboarding, teacher preparation practices, and lack of voice in program changes, were identified as turnover factors. Despite low wages educators voiced they are more likely to stay when their growth and relatedness needs are being met. Overall turnover and retention were influenced by an organization’s systems, practices, and working conditions and how well these met the human core needs of its staff.

There has been a marked increase in attention to educators’ well-being since the pandemic. The majority of this research activity, however, has been focused on the well-being of early childhood teachers while the challenges of early childhood leaders have gone largely undocumented. Using a holistic conceptualization of leader well-being along with the Job-Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the well-being and working conditions of early childhood leaders in the U.S. To this end, we examine descriptive data on various aspects of the working conditions and physical, psychological, and professional well-being of 547 leaders (directors and associate directors) in center-based settings (ECE) as well as 667 elementary/primary principals nationwide. Overall, we found that ECE center-based leaders were paid 60% less than their K-12 counterparts but reported significantly longer tenure in the profession and in their current school. Both groups reported high workloads, working hours well above the standard 40-h workweek, and few opportunities for professional growth, coaching, and mentoring opportunities. The physical health of both groups was poor; obesity, sedentary behavior, and low physical activity were prevalent. A significant proportion of leaders (40%) were at high risk for depression and exhibited moderate burnout. Despite high demands and poor physical and psychological well-being, both groups had high job satisfaction, but also low intent-to-leave and feelings of isolation.

Shared book reading at home is a beneficial language and literacy learning experience for young children. While there has been extensive research on shared book reading in general, more is needed on understanding what this looks like for multilingual refugee families and their preschool children, particularly among Burmese families in the United States. Past research has focused on literacy development among Burmese refugee children in the school context, but few studies exist on shared book reading among Burmese refugees and their preschoolers in the home context. This qualitative study highlights four Burmese mothers and their young children’s use of dual language books in shared book reading while incorporating interactive reading strategies like questioning, pointing and extratextual talk. Findings indicate that these mothers’ capacities to engage in book talk and scaffolding promote children's and caregivers' literacy skills. The study also highlights the need for resources and interventions that might be developed to support these families in their efforts to boost young children’s literacy using shared book reading strategies.

Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is a state-funded pre-K program that serves at risk four-year-old children across the state. Utilizing longitudinal data from 1,394 children in a mid-sized urban school district, we conducted regression analyses and piecewise linear growth models to examine the growth trajectory of GSRP children and non-GSRP children at each grade level from kindergarten to third grade in both reading and math. The results of regression analyses showed that, after accounting for other variables, participation in GSRP was statistically significantly associated with higher scores on Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) measures at various time points, ranging from 0.22–0.46 standard deviations (SD) in math and 0.31–0.49 SD in reading. The results of piecewise linear growth models illustrated that GSRP children had a statistically significantly faster monthly growth rate than non-GSRP children during the kindergarten year. However, the growth rates were not significantly different during the first, second, and third grade.

An important goal in early childhood science education is students’ development of academic language. However, scholars disagree on whether academic language must be explicitly taught or whether it can be learned through immersive science experiences. In this case study of a co-taught second grade classroom, we use positioning theory and framings of authority of knowledge to examine teachers’ and students’ use of both every day and academic language. Findings suggest that inside science classrooms operating as knowledge generation environments, students can claim authority over their own knowledge and teachers are able to position students as having this authority. Findings further suggest that when teachers take the stance of negotiator within these learning environments, students can develop academic language in science through immersive experiences. This study points to the importance of early childhood teachers operating as active negotiators with students within science classrooms to meet the goal of developing their academic language knowledge and skills.

The aim of this study was to investigate the understanding and reactions of Korean young children to music through analysis of their drawings and the accompanying explanations they present while listening to a musical piece ‘The Elephant’ from ‘The Carnival of the Animals’ by Saint-Saëns. Drawings and explanations from 36 six-year-olds were analyzed, revealing three distinct categories: a) expression of emotions evoked by the music, b) representation of music focusing on musical elements such as tempo, dynamics, rhythm, and timbre, and c) depiction of musical changes through storytelling. These findings underscore young children’s capacity for diverse musical interpretations and responses, independent of prior knowledge, prompting reflection among early childhood educators on the purpose and delivery of music education for young children.

Behavior is a form of communication. For many young children, they may engage in certain behaviors to consciously or subconsciously communicate a need to access something, such as a desired adult or peer, sensory stimulation, or a tangible item. Other times, children may engage in a behavior to escape or avoid something, such as a particular environment. Sometimes the behaviors in which young children engage can be interpreted as challenging, based on the perceptions of those who work with the child, including the child’s early childhood teacher. These interpretations of challenging behavior derive from one’s own cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and biases. Such interpretations can lead to discriminatory discipline practices, particularly against children from marginalized and minoritized backgrounds. Instead, teachers can consider the behavioral messages expressed by the children they work with from an unbiased perspective, identify if the behavior in which the child is engaging is truly challenging, and implement appropriate intervention if necessary. The purpose of this paper is to present a plan for hearing behavioral messages of marginalized and minoritized children in a way that systematically addresses their needs while also considering the potential mismatch between teacher and child identities.

This study aimed to investigate the roles of transcription skills and oral language abilities in predicting writing quality and productivity among Spanish-speaking kindergarten children (N = 159). Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the study examined associations between these foundational skills and writing outcomes. The model demonstrated excellent fit, with significant relationships between observed measures and their respective latent variables. Transcription skills were found to robustly predict both writing quality and productivity, while oral language was a significant predictor only for writing quality. A notable covariance was observed between transcription and oral language constructs, emphasizing their interconnected influence on early writing development. The study’s findings contribute to the current discourse by aligning with the ‘not-so-simple’ view of writing, challenging conventional notions that prioritize transcription skills over oral language in early writing. These results have important implications for designing comprehensive early childhood literacy programs and suggest that both transcription and oral language abilities should be integrated for holistic writing development. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.