Early Childhood Teachers Reconstruct Beliefs and Practices Through Reflexive Action

Professional development, which results in sustained transformative change, requires that teachers engage in critical reflection regarding teaching practices. In this study, a group of five bilingual and generalist early childhood teachers engaged in a journey in which they elected to try to reconstruct their beliefs and practices about teaching and learning. In response to a school district's needs, these teachers were enrolled as a cohort in an early childhood graduate program that served as part of their professional development endeavor. The teachers used reflection and ongoing dialogue that bridged theory and practice as they raised questions about their daily practices in relation to theoretical perspectives. We provide a glimpse of these teachers' ongoing transformative journeys and provide suggestions for early childhood teachers to engage in sustained professional development.     

Assessing Beliefs of Preservice Early Childhood Education Teachers Using Q-Sort Methodology

The purpose of this study was to assess the beliefs of students and faculty in a 4-year birth–kindergarten teacher preparation program using the Teacher Belief Q-Sort (TBQ). Data were collected over one academic year from a total of 63 students, 35 students at the beginning of their coursework and 28 students at the end of their program, completing their student teaching experience. The faculty (n = 8) in the program completed the TBQ to provide a criterion sort as well as to assess the consistency in philosophy across faculty members who teach preservice teachers. Compilations of rankings are presented to describe beliefs related to children, discipline, and teaching practices held by students who are at different points in their education program. Criterion comparison results indicate that student teachers at the end of their education program report beliefs more similar to faculty beliefs than students at the beginning of their education program. However, findings suggest that the student teaching experience does not appear to significantly alter beliefs about children, discipline and teaching practices. These results are discussed in terms of child-directed versus teacher-directed styles of preservice teachers and implications of assessing beliefs for teacher preparation programs.     

Perceived Early Childhood Family Influence and Counselor Effectiveness: An Exploratory Study

This study found a significant correlation between counselor effectiveness and negative perceptions of early childhood family influence.     

Early Childhood Teachers at the Center: A Qualitative Case Study of Professional Development in an Urban District

Professional development for early childhood educators (ECE PD) is an essential component of supporting a professional early childhood workforce. Yet research on ECE PD frequently centers on narrow fidelity data, while teachers’ individual voices and teaching contexts are only rarely considered in order to understand teacher experiences with PD initiatives. This qualitative case study utilizes the critical ecology of the early childhood profession framework (Miller et al., Early childhood grows up: Towards a critical ecology of the profession, Springer, London) to examine process-related questions in a large urban district’s PD initiative connected with the launch of a new district-developed kindergarten curriculum. Examining teacher experiences through an ecological lens, the study focuses on two kindergarten teachers, viewing them as active agents in their own professional learning and situating them within their particular teaching contexts. Data sources included classroom observations, teacher interviews, and curriculum fidelity data. Although fidelity data provided some information about teacher responses to the PD, triangulating this data with teacher accounts of adapting the curriculum to their particular context enabled more nuanced understandings about how teachers adapt information from PD sessions to their particular teaching contexts. This study demonstrates the need for research on ECE PD to go beyond fidelity data to explore process-related questions about teachers PD experiences.     

发展性教师评价初探

发展性教师评价是发展性课程评价体系的一个重要组成部分，是与新一轮基础教育课程改革相适应的教师评价制度。     

An Exploratory Study of Teachers' Beliefs Regarding the Implementation of Constructivism in Their Classrooms

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

A Case Study of An Inclusive Early Childhood Setting

Research findings: This ethnographic case study examines one inclusive early childhood setting during the four week Extended School Year (ESY) session. It focuses on the participation of children with special needs, including their interactions with peers, caregivers, and the environment. Non-participant observations were conducted within the inclusive setting in which the children's behaviors and interactions were looked at and analyzed. An interview with the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher was also conducted and analyzed. Results indicated that children with special needs regularly modeled and imitated behaviors, words, and skills of their typically developing peers, as well as those of their more advanced peers with special needs, and the teachers; individualized interventions were regularly conducted by the ECSE teacher within the general activities of the inclusive setting; and collaboration took place between the ECSE and regular early childhood teachers through joint planning of the activities and schedule, as well as providing general support to one another. Practice: Implications for effective inclusive practices are drawn. Rather than simply placing children with special needs in a class full of typically developing children, and stopping there, several elements must be provided: (a) opportunities must be available for free choice and peer interactions; (b) appropriate interventions must be conducted within the natural environment; and (c) collaboration must take place between the Early Childhood Educators and Early Childhood Special Educators.     

A Case Study of An Inclusive Early Childhood Setting

Research findings: This ethnographic case study examines one inclusive early childhood setting during the four week Extended School Year (ESY) session. It focuses on the participation of children with special needs, including their interactions with peers, caregivers, and the environment. Non-participant observations were conducted within the inclusive setting in which the children's behaviors and interactions were looked at and analyzed. An interview with the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher was also conducted and analyzed. Results indicated that children with special needs regularly modeled and imitated behaviors, words, and skills of their typically developing peers, as well as those of their more advanced peers with special needs, and the teachers; individualized interventions were regularly conducted by the ECSE teacher within the general activities of the inclusive setting; and collaboration took place between the ECSE and regular early childhood teachers through joint planning of the activities and schedule, as well as providing general support to one another. Practice: Implications for effective inclusive practices are drawn. Rather than simply placing children with special needs in a class full of typically developing children, and stopping there, several elements must be provided: (a) opportunities must be available for free choice and peer interactions; (b) appropriate interventions must be conducted within the natural environment; and (c) collaboration must take place between the Early Childhood Educators and Early Childhood Special Educators.     

Growing Early Childhood Education Teachers in Rural Areas

Currently in South Africa, there are over 20 000 underqualified Grade R teachers who are enlisted into service to ensure that Grade R teaching can continue. The aim of the study reported on was to investigate the challenges and needs faced by underqualified teachers in order to promote the professional development of teachers teaching in rural areas. Phenomenology was used as the research design. By means of a qualitative research approach, purposeful sampling selected only underqualified early childhood education (ECE) teachers teaching in rural schools for more than five years or more in three provinces, as well as their school principals. The findings revealed the following needs and challenges: the need for resources; poor infrastructure; lack of parental involvement; overcrowded classrooms; the need for in-service training; needs of the rural communities; and support from an open distance learning (ODL) institution.     

大学生意志行动的初步研究

对意志行动的分析表明,意志行动具有目的性、控制性以及困难性的特点,由此构成了意志行动结构的理论依据。结合个人计划及个人计划分析的理论和方法,对732个被试的意志行动进行了初步探索,探索性因素分析发现意志行动由目标、调控能力和困苦三个因素构成,其中目标由重要性、可行性、明确性、价值性构成;调控能力由坚持性、果断性、拼搏性和控制力构成;困苦由挑战、难度和压力构成。经信效度检验符合心理测量学的基本要求,初步证明了意志行动结构的有效性。     

美国学前教育师资培养的方式、特点及其启示

在学前教育受到政府高度重视的背景下,美国学前教育教师培养已形成一个起点高、体制完备、操作性强的有机体系,重视职前培养、新教师入职培训与在职教师专业发展培训的一体化,具有以下突出特点:政府立法确保学前教育师资培训的实施,并给予资金保障;采用专业权威团体研发的标准化评估体系保证学前教育师资培训质量;将教师培训与教师资格认证制度相结合,促使幼儿教师不断追求卓越与优秀;职前培训、入职培训与在职培训的密切联系规划了幼儿教师的专业成长生涯.在实际实施中,美国学前教育师资培养体系也存在一些不足,如评价标准与资格认证制度的推行存在一定难度;所采用的标准化评估体系也并非完美无缺;专业发展培训的实效不是很令人满意.立足我国国情,我们还是可以从美国学前教育师资培养中学到以下宝贵经验:应尽快制定我国幼儿教师教育标准,设立以实践为目标,以教学为核心的评价体系和考核制度,提高幼教师资整体质量,促进幼儿教育职业的专业化;加强师范院校与幼教机构的联系,实现教育理论与实践的融合,确保学前教师的专业质量;大力培养高级幼儿教育导师,建立健全覆盖所有在职幼儿教师的专业发展培训体系.     

Early Childhood Education in Societal Context: Teachers in Three Countries Speak About Early Childhood Education

Building on the cross-cultural patterns and systems research as well as social constructivism, in-depth interviews were conducted with key informant early childhood teachers in three regions with similar characteristics in Sweden, Russia, and in the United States. Inductive analyses revealed differences in responses among Swedish, Russian and American informants related to the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels of societal system. United States teacher informants had a great number of separate topic comments and distributed them more evenly across all levels than did Russian and Swedish teacher informants who had more emphasis at the meso level. United States and Russian teacher informants discussed the lack of societal support for young children and their families, while Swedish teacher informants seemed to almost take this support for ranted. United States teacher informants suggested that early childhood programs were important in developing support networks among parents, while Russian teacher informants often gave information to parents and Swedish teachers spoke about mutually sharing information. United States teacher informants desired both strict rules with strong academic content and extension of the child's initiations through play; they emphasized activities and materials. Swedish teachers discussed a child- centered approach to social learning and creativity and desired to be with children rather than do activities with them. Russian teacher informants emphasized the importance of obedience, aesthetic education, and preparation for school and the labor of the larger society. These study outcomes deepen understanding about the multidemensional relationships between early childhood programs and societal contexts in which they are embedded, and they suggest alternative approaches to working with young children and their families.     

An Evolution of Mathematical Beliefs: A Case Study of Three Pre-K Teachers

This case study involved examination of the evolution of mathematical beliefs of three prekindergarten teachers. The researcher followed three teachers at one school in west Alabama over the course of 6 months as they implemented a new mathematics curriculum in their pre-K classrooms. Interviews were conducted prior to implementation and at the end of the school year. Classroom observations were done throughout the implementation process. Three themes emerged from the data (a) math resources for the pre-K classroom, (b) pushing beyond—thinking mathematically, and (c) instructional strategies used the pre-K classroom. These themes revealed how all of the teachers' perceptions of early childhood mathematics curriculum and instruction evolved during the course of the study. These findings have implications for early childhood teacher education programs and professional development.