The Quality of Early Childhood Educators: Children’s Interaction in Greek Child Care Centers

Though quality in early childhood education and care has attracted last decades enormous research interest there is still not a unanimous agreement about its definition. Yet, almost all definitions attempted include interaction, group size, adult:child ratio and early childhood educators’ level of education, as important indices of quality. Relationships are key resources for young children. There is agreement among researchers that the quality of caregiving by professional caregivers in child care centres has been established as an important influence on various aspects of child development. Thus, structural characteristics have been proven to affect programs’ quality of services provided. The purpose of this research study was twofold: (1) to explore the quality of interaction between Greek early childhood educators and children; and (2) to record the structural characteristics of Greek child care centres. Correlations among structural characteristics and type of interaction were also examined. Research data indicate that Greek early childhood educators are positive but at the same time detached and permissive during their interaction with children, a finding that disputes their positive interaction. Thus, Greek child care centres have been found to adopt, based on Greek legislation, high ratios and group sizes, a finding which raises questions about the effects on children’s well being and development. Limited correlations have been found between the type of interaction and the structural characteristics. Research data highlight the need for further research to undergone and for changes in Greek legislation, concerning the operation of Greek child care centres.     

Educational development units: A cross-cultural perspective

This paper examines the institutionalisation of educational development in universities in Australia, Britain, USA, West Germany and Sweden. Centres for staff, instructional, educational or academic development were established in these countries in the sixties and seventies, following expansion of the higher education systems. But the triggers for the establishment in each country were different, as are the institutional integration of centres and provisions in general. The institutional reward systems in all of these countries favour research performance over excellence in teaching, regardless of whether the universities see themselves as research or teaching centred.In Australia, educational development has been institutionalised to the highest degree; most of the universities have centres with permanent staff, some of whom are tenured faculty with a research and development function. In Britain there has been strong national support for training of university teachers and individual universities are providing this in a larger variety of settings. In the USA institutionalisation has taken many forms. But educational development is also funded on a short term basis, and due to the ample availability of grants there is continuous experimentation and influx of new people. In Germany the original connection between university reforms and educational development centres and the strong research orientation of universities has put these centres into a vulnerable position and limits their effectiveness. In Sweden central legislation provides for compulsory teacher training in the universities, but much of the general educational development work is organised centrally. The importance of educational development is generally acknowledged in these countries, its effectiveness largely accepted in faith.     

Information and communication technologies: transforming views of literacies in early childhood settings

This paper reports on an early childhood technology project that has been conducted in Australia since 2000. The background to the project is that IBM extended their international KidSmart Early Learning program to the Asia‐Pacific region. A partnership with the Australian National Schools Network was formed to implement the program in Australia. This organisation took responsibility for identification of early childhood centres (preschool and day care) serving low socio‐economic status communities across Australia (approximately 100 centres per year), the design and facilitation of professional development for teachers and research and evaluation in conjunction with the program. Whilst this was a national project, this paper deals only with the research conducted in Western Australia with the first round of centres involved in the project. The paper highlights themes emerging from teacher action research based in early childhood centres. The pedagogical considerations, challenges and dilemmas emerging from teachers' use of ICT in early childhood settings are also discussed.     

Identifying high-quality centre-based childcare using quantitative data-sets: what the numbers do and don't tell us

Quantitative approaches to defining and measuring quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) have provided a key platform for policy development. Yet their strengths and limitations as informants of high-quality ECEC have not been tested. In this study we examine two sources of quantitative data collected over a five-year period for 74 long day care centres: (1) the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised and Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale instruments which are well-established observational measures; and (2) Australia's nationally administered Quality Improvement and Accreditation System which involves a self-study and validation process. Correspondence over time and across measures was more consistent for the centres identified as providing lower quality ECEC. Variability in ratings of quality was more evident in lower quality centres, whereas high-quality centres showed less variability over time. High quality, however, was less consistently identified across measures. Discussion focuses on the strengths and limitations of these measures of quality, and the implications these have for policy development and future research.     

Research output in Australian university research centres in economics

During the 1980's, there has been considerable concentration of research resources into Centres of Excellence within higher education, in the belief that greater research output per capita would result. This article tests this belief for Australian university-based research centres in economics, recognizing that the conclusions may not be applicable to other disciplines.Using a method which assigns points to publications according to the quality of the journal in which they appear, the research output of staff in six research centres was compared with that of lecturers in teaching departments of economics. Research centre staff were estimated to have 75 per cent greater time per head to carry out research. For the period 1974–78 and 1979–83 respectively, research output per capita in the research centres was 75 and 59 per cent greater than that of teaching departments. When time is taken into account, then, the evidence does not support the belief that research centres in economics are more productive. In the Australian context, it may be noted, there is little qualitative difference in the research produced by research centres and that of teaching departments.     

Old Wine in old Bottles: the Neglected Role of Vocational Training Centres in Innovation

Vocational training centres are conceptually regarded as key players in the knowledge generation and dissemination processes that take place within innovation systems. However, the literature does not provide conclusive evidence of their influence on the generation, development and dissemination of innovations. The goal of this paper is to analyse whether vocational training centres are indeed relevant agents in the articulation, knowledge exchange and dissemination of a local innovation system. The paper explores the most influential agents driving cooperation and articulating the local innovation system in Durango, one of the twenty counties of the Basque Country, Spain. Social network analysis is applied to regional collaboration networks in order to address this purpose. Our results show evidence of the pivotal role played by vocational training centres within local innovation processes implemented by firms. For many local firms vocational training centres represent the main sources of knowledge in their innovation processes. In the Basque context, vocational training centres have a longer history than other knowledge infrastructures, such as universities and research centres. These long-standing centres thus constitute ‘old bottles’ that despite their history are still able to produce a ‘good old wine’ in terms of innovation, which is translated into competitive advantage for the territory. Science, technology and innovation policies should therefore not only aim to create more knowledge infrastructures, but also to reinforce the role that traditional and territorially established organizations like vocational training centres can play as intermediary agents.     

The contributions of community learning centres (CLCs) to personal and community development in Myanmar

Community learning centres (CLCs) have been widely established in the Asia-Pacific region as locally managed institutions that offer non-formal educational opportunities and community development activities. Myanmar officially has more than 3,000 centres, which is one of the highest numbers in the region. This article examines the operation of CLCs and their contributions to personal and community development in Padaung, Myanmar. The author’s research is based on six weeks of fieldwork in Myanmar for data collection including semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and informal conversations. Her findings suggest that CLCs can contribute to the improvement of both individuals’ quality of life and communities’ social capital, which facilitates mutually beneficial collective action. The findings also support the conclusion that CLCs can provide additional educational opportunities beyond the formal system, especially for adults and members of rural communities, e.g. farmers. However, due to constraints in terms of budget, implementing capacity and socio-economic factors, the outreach of CLC activities is still somewhat limited and has yet to reach its full potential.     

Prisoners of The Method breaking open the child‐centred pedagogy in day care centres

The twentieth century has known many splendid examples of professional care and education for young children. But in spite of that, research shows that the practice often does not coincide with our ideals. In this paper basic concepts and their historical roots, that form the foundations of professional care and education of young children are analysed: could these concepts possibly impede contact between teachers/caregivers and children? The concepts of ‘natural development’, ‘develop‐mentally appropriate curriculum’ and ‘child centredness’ are criticised. The drawbacks of a separate children's world (child care centres) are explored. Based on Vygotsky's sociocultural approach the author pleads for scaffolding by giving learning through social looking and participation in adult‐activities a place in child care centres. Besides that, teachers have to value peer‐relationships and to acknowledge that young children do not only play but also want to work and learn together.     

The birth of university affiliated early childhood centres of excellence: investing in children,families and communities

ABSTRACT

The wellbeing of young children is of national and international concern. Urgent action is therefore required to address issues of children's wellbeing, and failure to do so will have adverse consequences for children today and in generations to come. This paper addresses issues arising from recently published literature in the areas of Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) within the global arena. It covers aspects such as policy implications, various theories and Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of early childhood development (ECD) as the theoretical basis of the paper, education and inclusion, teachers and parents and, finally, ECD centres of excellence. Universities need to establish ECD centres that can operate as centres of excellence, which can assist neighbouring centres focussing on day-to-day operational and managerial issues; training teachers on the curriculum and pedagogical aspects of ECDE; and conducting research with a view to ensuring cutting-edge ECDE practices     

Values education as holistic development for all sectors: researching for effective pedagogy

The paper argues that values education has moved from being associated most heavily with the religious agenda of faith schools to being central to updated research insights into effective pedagogy. As such, it represents a vital approach to education in any school setting. The paper draws on an array of values education research and practice in making the case but centres especially on findings from a number of recent publicly funded projects in Australia with which the authors have been associated. Of special importance is evidence from the Values Education Good Practice Schools Project and the Project to Test and Measure the Impact of Values Education on Student Effects and School Ambience that provide both anecdotal and empirical evidence that high quality values education contributes to holistic educational development, including academic advancement, of students across all school sectors.     

省级工程研究中心的功能定位和运营模式

工程研究中心将解决学术研究与当地工业发展紧密结合问题，但省级工程研究中心的建设基础与国家工程研究中心有较大的差异，在功能定位、组织形式和运营模式等方面不能照搬国家研究中心的经验，除少数省级工程研究中心外．多数省级工程研究中心要改革为“非盈利性机构”，并通过无形资产运营模式，走向市场和提供技术服务，增强自我发展能力。     

The Importance of Being Thorough: On Systematic Accumulations of ‘What Works’ in Education Research

This article outlines and appraises the considerable criticism of educational research, both in the United Kingdom and in North America, and shows how it has pointed to a narrowing of what counts as good or worthwhile research in the policy discourse. In particular, this involved prioritising research that purports to show clearly and unmistakably ‘what works’, and institutionalising this view of research in a range of centres that receive official approval. The article, though recognising the fruit of such centres, challenges the epistemological basis of such a narrowing of what counts as research, and, in doing so, analyses what is meant by evidence, the different kinds and strengths of evidence and the consequent need to democratise the search and appraisal of evidence in the constant refinement and criticism of the evidence.     

Patterns of student counselling in South African Universities

This study presents an overview of counselling and research practices at South African universities. Most of the universities have well-established counselling centres which students consult for a wide range of problems. Most of the counselling centres keep a record of their endeavours in annual reports but very little counselling research is published. The most important research topics for South African counsellors were identifying high-risk students, study techniques, developing vocational information and the academic success rate of students.     

Keeping connected: exploring the potential of social media as a new avenue for communication and collaboration in early childhood education

Parent and family engagement has long been a significant element in early childhood (EC) education. Lack of family involvement can lead to a number of consequences in children’s physical and emotional development. However, attempts and strategies used by early learning centres and childcare centres to resolve this issue are often unsuccessful. Face-to-face interactions as the traditional way of communication are becoming inadequate due to parents and families’ busy schedules. Through interviews with 17 participants, including EC professionals and parents, from three childcare centres in Northern Tasmania, Australia, the project being reported in this paper explored the readiness of the two stakeholder groups to use social media tools to facilitate better communication, collaboration and family involvement. Findings of the research revealed an interest in adopting social media tools by both EC professionals and parents. Concerns were also expressed from a number of aspects, such as confidentiality and time constraints.     

Disabilities and inclusive practices within Toronto preschools

A current objective in Canada is a provision of childcare services for all children. This objective has not been achieved as many children, especially those with disabilities, are often denied services from publicly funded daycare centres. The authors argue that policy discussions framed from an inclusive perspective provide a better understanding of how the Ontario child care system should function to ensure daycare services for children of disabilities. They interviewed the directors of 354 licensed preschools in Toronto about the inclusion of children with disabilities into their centres. Analysis revealed that only 2.4% of the students in these centres were identified as having a disability; the two most frequently identified disabilities were Autism Spectrum Disorders and speech and language disorders. The majority of directors stated that they would turn away a child because of a disability. The centres that were most inclusive had service providers come into the centre, but very few (17%) of these centres had resource teachers as support. The analysis further indicates a large number of centres that currently are not identified as capable of providing special need services and are not directly operated by the Ministry of Education. With staff development and funding, these centres have the potential to provide services to children of disabilities.     

In-service teacher training for agricultural education in the Netherlands: From supply to demand

This article reports the results of research on in-service teacher training in agricultural education in the Netherlands. Seven agricultural education centres (in Dutch: AOCs) and six institutes which are involved in in-service teacher training participated in this research. The data were collected by way of structured open interviews with persons (N = 16) responsible for the in-service policy of their organization. The Dutch government has changed the rules concerning in-service teacher training. The in-service budget has been transferred from in-service training institutes to schools. Accordingly, a new situation has arisen, for both schools and in-service training institutes. Schools will have to show a more active in-service policy than before; in-service training institutes can no longer offer schools in-service training activities which they deem necessary. More than in the past these institutes have to meet the in-service training needs of schools. In literature this is called a shift from a supplied to a demanded in-service training organization. This research has been carried out in order to gain insight into the way the institutes involved will organize their in-service policy in the near future, and, as a result, to give recommendations to help these institutes to make these policies. At this moment it appears that agricultural education in the Netherlands lacks certain fundamental conditions in order to achieve professional growth of teachers.     

Out‐of‐school learning: The uneven distribution of school provision and local authority support

A significant volume of research demonstrates that out‐of‐school learning activities enhance student development in terms of cognitive, affective and social outcomes. However, there is also evidence that the opportunity to engage in these activities has been severely reduced in recent years. This paper explores the extent to which the provision of such opportunities is unevenly distributed—spatially and institutionally. The paper draws on research from two recently completed projects: one charting the distribution, attributes and vulnerability of local authority outdoor education centres across England and the other exploring variations in provision and participation in out‐of‐school learning within secondary schools throughout the UK. The paper highlights the uneven, precarious and uncertain nature of such activities and demonstrates that important regional and structural variations in the support and provision of opportunities for such activities by local authorities appear to have an important role in determining the provision of activities at the level of the schools.     

Early identification of special educational needs and the definition of 'at risk': The Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project

Education in the early years is a key element in the Government's current strategy. Recently, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) funded a major study of Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE). The Early Years Transition and Special Educational Needs (EYTSEN) Project developed from the EPPE research and was also funded by the DfES. The authors of this article, Brenda Taggart, Pam Sammons, Rebecca Smees, Kathy Sylva, Edward Melhuish, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Karen Elliott and Ingrid Lunt, all worked on the EYTSEN Project, based at the Institute of Education, University of London. In this article, they provide a summary of the findings from the EYTSEN Project, reviewing the impact of pre-school provision on children said to be 'at risk' of developing special educational needs. They suggest that pre-school experience has a positive impact on cognitive attainment and social or behavioural development and that integrated centres (where education and care are fully combined) and nursery schools have the most positive influence among the different f o rms of pre-school provision. This paper also discusses the identification of special educational needs; quality in pre-school centres; parents' perspectives; and future developments. The article closes with a call for improved training for practitioners working in early years settings.     

ARITHMETIC AND THE DIFFICULTIES OF CALCULATIVE THINKING

In the past 20 years a substantial literature has accumulated on intervention with deprived preschool children. The unrealistically high hopes of the 1960s have largely been replaced by a more sober analysis of the relevant factors in social disadvantage. One of the more recent developments has been an approach through the skills and attitudes of those adults most concerned with under‐fives, including the staff of pre‐school centres and parents. In Britain the available research has been focussed almost exclusively on nursery schools, neglecting the situation of day nurseries, many of whom cater to deprived inner‐city areas.

The present research was an attempt to explore the possibilities and monitor the problems of working with the trained staff of six London day nurseries. Three programmes were introduced ‐‐ a developmental assessment form, a series of workshops on coping with behaviour problems and workshops on language development.

The project is discussed in terms of the particular difficulties for intervention posed by day nursery practice, the achievements and problems of this project and general implications for action research as a method.