Enhancing the quality of early childhood education: A follow-up evaluation of an experiential, collaborative training model for head start

The study is a follow-up evaluation of a Collaborative Training curriculum for Head Start. The previous curriculum was enhanced by adding parent exemplars and demonstrations in trainees' classrooms. Two Head Start teachers and two parent volunteers from each of 70 classrooms were randomly assigned to either the enhanced Collaborative Training (CT) or Workshop Training (WT) approach. CT teachers and parents were involved conjointly in experiential training that included receiving guided practice and feedback from exemplary peers. WT consisted of a series of workshops conducted by outside trainers for separate groups of parents and teachers. Training methods were compared with respect to (a) trainees' reports of satisfaction with training and collaboration, and (b) observed levels of adult-adult and adult-child classroom interactions. CT teachers and parents reported significantly greater levels of satisfaction with the training, as well as significantly greater levels of collaboration than WT participants. Teacher-teacher and parent-teacher observations indicate that CT trainees showed higher levels of positive classroom interactions than WT trainees. With respect to adultchild classroom interactions, CT teachers demonstrated significantly more praise, supportive physical contact, and positive interactions in instruction than WT teachers. CT parents showed higher levels of adult-child classroom interactions across all observed categories compared to their WT counterparts. Implications of these findings for further research were discussed.     

Parent involvement in Head Start programs: the role of parent,teacher and classroom characteristics

The purposes of this study were to determine the extent and types of parent involvement in Head Start programs, and to examine the relations between parent participation and family, teacher and classroom characteristics. Parents (n = 1131) and teachers (n = 59) from four Head Start programs participated. Data were gathered through volunteer logs, parent interviews, teacher questionnaires, and classroom observations. The most frequent type of parent involvement activity was helping out in the classroom, followed by attendance at parent meetings. This pattern was consistent across the year (fall or spring), and across total amount of participation (i.e. parents participating one, two, three or more times in the year). Parent employment was the strongest predictor of parent involvement compared to other parent characteristics. Among teacher and classroom characteristics, classroom quality was the strongest predictor of parent involvement. Also, teachers with more years of experience in Head Start had more total hours of volunteering in their classrooms and had volunteers returning more times. Teachers’ reports of the involvement of parents in their classrooms were moderately correlated with volunteer logs, while parent self-reports of their involvement were only modestly correlated with volunteer logs, indicating that teachers may be more accurate than parents when reporting parent involvement activities.     

Parent Satisfaction with Educational Experiences scale: A multivariate examination of parent satisfaction with early childhood education programs

The study investigated a scale developed to measure parents’ satisfaction with experiences of various aspects of their child's early education program. The Parent Satisfaction with Educational Experiences (PSEE) scale was co-constructed with parents and teachers in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade programs in a large urban school district. Demographic and PSEE data were collected from a representative sample of 648 parents. Factor analyses yielded three dimensions of parent satisfaction with teacher contact experiences, classroom contact experiences, and school contact experiences. Multivariate analyses showed that parents with children in Head Start or kindergarten were more satisfied in all three dimensions than were parents of children in child care or first grade. Married parents were more satisfied with their teacher contact than were single parents and parents who were not employed full-time were more satisfied with their contact across all three dimensions than were parents who were employed full-time. Implications for fostering parent involvement were discussed.     

Parent Involvement,Parental Depression,and Program Satisfaction Among Low-Income Parents Participating in a Two-Generation Early Childhood Education Program

Research Findings: This study simultaneously examined parental depression and parent involvement as predictors of satisfaction with an early childhood intervention program. Parents (N = 203) of Head Start children participated in this short-term longitudinal study. Measures of parent involvement and satisfaction assessed multiple dimensions of these constructs. Nearly 40% of low-income mothers reported being sometimes or chronically depressed over the course of 1 year of the Head Start program. Compared with mothers who were never depressed, those who were sometimes depressed reported less involvement in home- and school-based activities as well as fewer interactions with their child's teacher. Never depressed parents were more likely to be satisfied with their child's teacher compared with either group of depressed mothers. Higher levels of parent involvement and parent–teacher interaction predicted optimal satisfaction with Head Start services. Practice or Policy: Implications of results for practice are considered in terms of teacher training to recognize unique needs involved in working to establish a home–school connection with mothers experiencing depression. Strategies for building community partnerships to assist with mental health needs are discussed.     

Consultation outcome as a result of in-service resource teacher training

The effects of learning disabilities teacher training for consultation with classroom teachers were investigated. Twelve learning disabilities resource teachers and 60 elementary school classroom teachers within one school system served as subjects. Four learning disabilities resource teachers received communication skills training, and four resource teachers received conceptual assumptions training. In addition, four resource teachers served as a control group for the study. Each resource teacher conducted three 20- to 30-minute conferences with each of five elementary school teachers. Following the third conference, information was collected concerning: (a) classroom teacher ratings of satisfaction with services, (b) joint ratings of the child's progress toward goals set during the first conferences, (c) the percentage of recommendations implemented, and (d) classroom teacher ratings of joint responsibility, and of resource teacher respect, empathy, and congruence. There were three findings in this study. First, no differences resulting from either type of training were found at posttest for classroom teacher respect, resource teacher congruence, joint responsibility, or joint ratings of the child's progress. Second, training resource teachers in communication skills resulted in significantly higher classroom teacher ratings of resource teacher empathy. Finally, significant differences due to resource teacher experiences prior to this study were noted with classroom teacher ratings of the child's progress, and the number of recommendations implemented.     

Behavioural phenotypes in the classroom: a qualitative study of parental and teacher knowledge of classroom guidelines and teacher views on best practices

Research suggests that genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability often have specific cognitive and behavioural profiles. It has been suggested that educational approaches need to reflect these profiles. Parents (n = 381) and teachers (n = 204) of children with one of four syndromes, fragile X syndrome, Prader–Willi syndrome, Williams syndrome and velo‐cardio‐facial syndrome were surveyed. Syndromes were compared with respect to what parents and teachers had researched or been told with respect to appropriate educational approaches. Parent and teacher reports were subsequently compared with actual published guidelines on the syndromes. Teachers were also surveyed on what they felt were successful approaches based on actual experiences of teaching the children. Parent and teacher reports of efficacious strategies for supporting their children based on what they had been researched or been told differed across syndromes as might be anticipated. However, differences between parents and teachers and between parent/teacher reports and the published guidelines suggest that parent and teacher knowledge of guidelines is deficient and/or that parents and teachers are accessing knowledge elsewhere. With respect to teaching practices, there were much less differences between the syndromes than in the published guidelines indicating that differences between syndromes in guidelines may not be as evident in practice.     

Behavior Problems and Social Skills in Preschool Children: Parent-Teacher Agreement and Relations with Classroom Observations

The goals of the present investigation were to provide basic psychometric information about the use of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS: Merrill, 1994) with a sample of normally-developing preschool children, to assess agreement between parent and teacher ratings of children on this instrument, and to assess concurrent, criterion-related validity of these instruments in terms of their relations with observations of children's behavior in the classroom. Parents and teachers of 47 preschool children completed the scales and these children were observed naturalistically in the classroom setting. Overall, agreement between parents and teachers was modest (-.09 to .38). Cross-informant correlations were poor (-.09 to .27) for social skills, low (.15 to .36) for internalizing behaviors, and modest (.29 to .38) for externalizing behavior. Both parents and teachers rated boys as having more externalizing behavior problems than girls. Parents perceived their children to have more externalizing, and more overall, behavior problems than did teachers. In general, teacher reports, but not parent reports, were significantly associated with children's independently observed goal-directed activity, sustained attention, inappropriate behavior, peer affiliation, expressed negative affect, and proximity to a teacher in the classroom. Results argue for the clinical utility of the PKBS for teacher-report assessment of child behavior problems and social skills in the preschool years, and suggest the need for cross-contextual assessment. Also, it is clear that children's behavioral and social competence are crucial for optimal functioning in the preschool setting.     

PARENT‐TEACHER COMMUNICATION ABOUT CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: AN EXAMINATION OF COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM‐SOLVING

Effective parent‐teacher communication involves problem‐solving concerns about students. Few studies have examined problem‐solving interactions between parents and teachers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with a particular focus on identifying communication barriers and strategies for improving them. This study examined the problem‐solving behaviors of parents and teachers of children with ASD. Participants were 18 teachers and 39 parents of children with ASD. Parent‐teacher dyads were prompted to discuss and provide a solution for a problem that a student experienced at home and at school. Parents and teachers also reported on their problem‐solving behaviors. Results showed that parents and teachers displayed limited use of the core elements of problem‐solving. Teachers displayed more problem‐solving behaviors than parents. Both groups reported engaging in more problem‐solving behaviors than they were observed to display during their discussions. Our findings suggest that teacher and parent training programs should include collaborative approaches to problem‐solving.     

Parental involvement in secondary education schools: the views of parents in Greece

The present study explores Greek parents’ views on parental educational involvement and its impact on adolescent scholastic and social development. Specifically, aspects of parental involvement such as the achieved objectives of current parent–school communication, the psychological climate dominating teacher–parent interactions and parents’ suggestions for improvement of current policies and practices are examined. Four hundred and seventy‐five parents participated in the study. Findings showed that family–school communication is believed to be insufficient in Greece, despite the fact that parents tend to: (1) regard their cooperation with teachers as determinative of adolescent academic and psychosocial development; (2) consider teachers to be friendly and caring; and (3) believe that secondary school provides some opportunities for constructive parental involvement. These paradoxes are discussed and explained as a result of radical changes in current social and educational values, principles and objectives.     

Fostering Personal Teaching Efficacy Through Staff Development and Classroom Activities

Abstract

The effectiveness of the DARE to be You (DTBY) teacher training for enhancing feelings of personal teaching efficacy was assessed for 241 control or training-group teachers using a pretest, posttest, and 9-month follow-up design. Examined was the relation between personal and general teaching efficacy, satisfaction with and investment in teaching, and integration of roles. Significant group-by-time interactions were found for personal and teaching efficacy and the four teacher self-perception measures, using a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance. Level of involvement with the DTBY classroom activities was related to efficacy judgments. The study provides support for the value of the DTBY training and the importance of addressing teaching efficacy issues within staff development programs aimed at curricular innovation.     

西北少数民族地区农村学校教师专业发展现状与培训需求调查研究——以甘肃省临夏回族自治州H县三个学区为例

研究以问卷调查法、访谈法以及课堂观察法为基本研究方法,对甘肃省临夏回族自治州H县3个学区8所学校教师专业发展现状与培训需求进行了相关的调查。调查发现,边远学校师资民族成分多元,学历水平不高,学校办学满意度一般,课堂教学中新课改理念尚未落实,教师专业能力亟待提高,课堂教学质量与效率有待提高,学生学习水平整体不理想。就培训而言,教师参加高层次培训少,培训内容与形式多元,培训效果一般。因此,西北少数民族地区农村学校要积极推进"优质学校"发展计划,加强聚焦课堂的校本教研的质量与效率,以教育信息化促建高效课堂,加大教师培训力度,加强学生学习方式的转变。     

Changing Teacher–Child Dyadic Interactions to Improve Preschool Children's Externalizing Behaviors

A randomized controlled trial was used to examine the impact of an attachment‐based, teacher–child, dyadic intervention (Banking Time) to improve children's externalizing behavior. Participants included 183 teachers and 470 preschool children (3–4 years of age). Classrooms were randomly assigned to Banking Time, child time, or business as usual (BAU). Sparse evidence was found for main effects on child behavior. Teachers in Banking Time demonstrated lower negativity and fewer positive interactions with children compared to BAU teachers at post assessment. The impacts of Banking Time and child time on reductions of parent‐ and teacher‐reported externalizing behavior were greater when teachers evidenced higher‐quality, classroom‐level, teacher–child interactions at baseline. An opposite moderating effect was found for children's positive engagement with teachers.     

Using activity theory as a lens to analyse interaction in a university–school initial teacher education and training partnership

The development of beginning teachers' practice during a school placement is a multiplicity of mediated interactions between university- and school-based systems. Both systems have the common aim of training effective teachers. However, day-to-day internal institution matters can cause tension between the learning goals set out for the beginning teacher by the university and the schools' drive to ensure maximum student performance in ‘high stake’ national tests. This article reports on an intervention intended to equip beginning teachers with the capacity to learn, through purposive activity, in an authentic classroom environment. The context of the learning was to address the conceptual difficulties that secondary school pupils (aged 11-16) have in understanding scientific concepts within the constraints of a ‘curriculum delivery’ lead culture. The results show that beginning teachers are able to extract principles, which might assist them in new contexts in the future. The interactions which took place during the intervention within a school University Initial Teacher Education and Training partnership were analysed using activity systems.     

Teacher Perceptions of Learning Motivation and Classroom Behavior: The Role of Student Characteristics

The present study investigates whether teacher perceptions of students’ cognitive skills, their learning motivation, and their classroom behavior differ according to students’ socioeconomic status, immigrant background, and gender. Data from N = 4746 German fourth graders and data from their parents and teachers were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Controlling for student achievement as measured in a standardized achievement test and student motivation as measured by student and parent reports, we found that teachers overestimated the cognitive skills of high-SES students and girls in comparison to those of low-SES students and boys. Similarly, teachers perceived high-SES students, students who are not from an immigrant background, and girls as having a higher learning motivation and as having more cognitive skills. Finally, we found that teachers’ perceptions of students’ learning motivation and classroom behavior mediated the relationship between student characteristics and cognitive skills as perceived by the teacher.     

Parent Surveys for Teacher Evaluation

Parent or guardian perceptions play a specialized role in the evaluation of school teachers. Parents are important stakeholders in teacher success, they are in some instances partners in the teachers' work, parents have unique personal information about student learning, and they can report on the teacher duties to inform parents about the classroom and child progress. This study analyzed the responses of parents to 12 survey items concerning teacher performance in 201 classrooms. The surveys were used as part of an innovative teacher evaluation program in which teachers elected to include parent feedback as one objective data source for annual review. In this study three factors emerged as important concerns for parents: humane treatment of students, support for pupil learning, and effective communication and collaboration with parents. Recommendations for use of specific survey items can be based on the empirical results of this sampling. The data gathered by parent surveys define one dimension of quality which may vary in importance from one teacher to another.     

How African American Parents Understand Their and Teachers' Roles in Children's Schooling and What this Means for Preparing Preservice Teachers

Preservice teachers are socialized by their own raced, classed, and gendered experiences to expect “caring parents” to behave and contribute in certain ways to their children's schooling. Preservice teachers who come from widely divergent backgrounds from the communities in which they serve can sometimes be skeptical of parents who are not involved in children's schooling in ways that are familiar from their own upbringing. Moreover, much of the existing scholarship on parent involvement and the transition to school takes a top-down approach that discounts the important knowledge parents bring to the table. This is a study of African American parents of young children who were preparing to transition to kindergarten or first grade that proposes an alternate conversation about what we can learn from parents when we examine their ways of framing and enacting “involvement” in their children's school lives. African American parents and caregivers (N?=?25) participated in qualitative interviews. Thematic analyses of the interviews revealed that participants constructed preparation for the transition to school broadly, as preparation for the “real world.” I will discuss the implications of the study for teaching, teacher education, and future research, so that preservice teachers and teacher educators can begin to build a greater imagination for parent involvement.     

The effect of facilitative communication training on teacher response quality

Training designed to enhance facilitative communication between teachers and students is becoming an increasingly important element of teacher training programs. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of facilitative communication training on the quality of teacher response to various student problems and to the accompanying emotional states of anger, joy, or depression. The subjects consisted of 64 undergraduate teacher education majors who responded in writing to 15 audiotaped stimulus vignettes. A 5×3×2 repeated measures analysis of variance was used to measure the effects of problem situation, emotional state, and training on empathic understanding. The results indicated significant differences between trained and untrained groups, as well as differences in quality of response due to emotion, with joy eliciting greater empathy than depression or anger. Significant interactions among the variables also were obtained. Implications are discussed in terms of human relations training for teachers.     

Learning Together: The Student/Parent/Teacher Triad

This report contains an analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data on participant perceptions of the co‐production of learning. It constitutes a refinement of the working model of the triadic relationship between parents, students, and teachers which was the basis of previous reports (Coleman, Collinge, & Seifert, 1992; Coleman, Collinge, & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Tabin, 1992; Coleman & Collinge, 1991). Given our earlier findings the focus in this paper is upon the theme of collaboration, which is emerging as one critical element in the relationships within the student/teacher/parent triad.

The analysis shows that there are sharp differences in perceptions of collaboration between different triad members. Collaboration between parents and students is perceived to be both strong and balanced in initiation. Teachers show little awareness of its strength. Collaboration between teachers and parents is perceived by both to be one‐sided; each party sees the other as unresponsive. It is invisible to students. Collaboration between students and teachers varies between classrooms, and seems to be based upon the teachers’ perception of student acceptance of responsibility; parents are very keenly aware of this collaboration where it exists. Classroom level differences are also strong; teacher attitudes and practices clearly determine the extent of collaboration.

In British Columbia parent and student attitudes towards classrooms and teachers are affected, sometimes strongly, by teacher practices of parent involvement. These attitudes contribute to parent and student rating of particular schools.     

Priorities and program effectiveness in teacher education: A study of the perceptions of teachers in training and their tutors

The study solicited opinions of teachers and faculty on University of the West Indies teacher education courses about importance of teaching skills and program effectiveness. Interpersonal, curriculum and evaluative skills were found to be the most important. The high importance of interpersonal skills applied only to interactions with students. Interactions with other teachers and parents was consistently lowest in importance. Other low priorities were managerial and methodological skills. Few significant teacher faculty differences were found. In general program effectiveness showed strong positive correlation with order of importance of skills, contrasting with the tendency to negative correlations in the literature reviewed. High involvement of faculty in classroom activity is considered a possible factor influencing these results.