Understanding Singaporean preschool teachers' beliefs about literacy development: Four different perspectives

Investigating teachers' beliefs may shed light on their activities in the classroom, and in turn, on the pedagogical process itself. It is, however, not easy to study teachers' beliefs empirically. Q-methodology has been used over several disciplines to systematically investigate individuals' points of view on a range of issues. A study involving Q-methodology was conducted in Singaporean preschools to investigate some teachers' perceptions of early literacy development and instruction. The study revealed four viewpoint groups among the 30 preschool teachers who participated in the study, and possible teacher characteristics that distinguish the viewpoints from each other. The results suggest that the differences in viewpoints are indicative of differences in cultural expectations held by various groups of teachers.     

幼教工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见的调查研究

为了解普通幼儿园工作者对特殊幼儿融合教育问题的态度和意见,本文对174名教师和保育员进行问卷调查,主要发现:(1)幼教工作者对特殊幼儿有一定的了解,但不够深入;(2)幼教工作者以及普通幼儿家长在保障师资、设备以及教育方式的情况下,更乐意接受特殊幼儿进入普通幼儿园;(3)幼教工作者认为学前阶段实施特殊教育最需解决的问题依次为师资问题、设备问题、家长观念、教师观念、经费问题以及专设督导机构问题。     

Learning about environmental print through picture books

Children construct knowledge about print from what they see in the environment. They also develop early literacy from good children's literature. There are now many books which incorporate environmental print, combining both ecological text and the printed page.     

Student teachers' attitudes and beliefs about inclusion and inclusive practice

The beliefs and attitudes of teachers are an important element in the development of inclusive education and its associated practices. Teacher education is seen as crucial in helping to develop positive attitudes and beliefs that are thought to promote inclusion, although attempts to reform teacher education in order to address issues of inclusion are complex. The paper reports the findings from a set of surveys that studied student teachers' attitudes to, and beliefs about, inclusion and exclusion at the beginning and end of a newly reformed 1‐year professional graduate diploma course at the University of Aberdeen, which places inclusion at the heart of the programme. The findings from the surveys indicate that both primary and secondary student teachers' attitudes and beliefs towards the principles of inclusive education remain positive throughout the course and are largely undiminished by school experience. This contradicts some findings that are reported elsewhere, where attitudes and beliefs become more negative following experience in schools. Findings from this study also show that attitudes, beliefs and understandings of the principles of inclusion are enhanced by consideration of the ideas underpinning ‘Learning without Limits’.     

识字教学与儿童认知发展

识字教学与儿童认知发展有密切的关系。探讨影响儿童识字的诸多因素,如儿童心理特征、汉字字音、字形、字义的特点等,总结一些识字教学方法的成功经验,对提高识别教学的效率,促进儿童认知水平的提高,都是很有益的。     

Reading aloud: A way for parents to support their children's growth in literacy

Parents can form a vital link to literacy and later school success by encouraging literacy and language modeling in their daily communication with children. This article describes a study in Head Start classrooms in Florida and North Carolina where teachers used a book lending system and high quality books which they shared with children and families. Strategies for teachers to assist parents in providing support for emergent literacy are given. Ways to help families see the importance of their practices and encourage the use of these ideas as part of their daily routines are shared.     

幼儿教师专业发展现状及提升对策

采用调查法对260名学前教育专业毕业生进行了幼儿教师专业发展水平调查与分析。结果显示,幼儿教师专业发展处于优秀水平,在教龄和岗位两方面存在显著差异。从教师专业发展现状和问题入手,介绍了学前教育毕业生教师专业发展存在的问题并提出相应的对策。     

School experience influences on pre-service teachers' evolving beliefs about effective teaching

This study systematically tracked a group of 37 pre-service teachers' evolving beliefs about and perceptions of themselves and their experiences from the initial data collection prior to any experiential base in schools through the varied phases of their professional placements involving steadily increasing levels of professional responsibility. The results indicated that the pre-service teachers' beliefs about good teaching evolved from a belief in being in control through expertise to a belief in being in control through charisma and building relationship with their students. The first teaching practicum experience dramatically challenged the beliefs of these students where the beliefs indicated immediately after the experience to be more focussed on ‘self’ rather than students. Subsequent belief structures differed in character from both those after the first teaching experience and from those held prior to the first teaching responsibility. The study also reports on the pre-service students' self-efficacy beliefs in good teaching. Gender differences are also discussed.     

Support teachers' beliefs about the academic achievement of students with special educational needs

José Castro Silva, lecturer in sciences of education, and José Morgado, assistant professor, both work at the Instituto Superior de Psicologica Aplicada in Lisboa, Portugal. In this article, they describe their study of support teachers' beliefs about the academic achievement of school students with special educational needs. The 'support teachers' who were the subject of this study work in mainstream schools where the majority of pupils with special educational needs are educated in mainstream classes run by 'general teachers'. The work of the support teachers is supervised and supported by 'special education team co-ordinators'. The study reported here set out to elicit the support teachers' beliefs about the factors that contribute to success at school for pupils with special educational needs. Results suggest that the support teachers consider that factors including 'school climate', 'curriculum design' and 'teaching approach' contribute significantly to achievements among these pupils. On the other hand, analysis reveals that the support teachers attribute difficulties and lack of achievement significantly to 'out-of-school' contextual variables. These findings are related to a detailed review of the literature and the authors discuss the implications for policy, practice and professional development.     

Low-income Latino mothers’ booksharing styles and children's emergent literacy development

Booksharing is often considered one of the most important activities parents can do to promote young children's early literacy skills. However, there is relatively little research on the style and nature of booksharing in Latino homes. This study examined the relation between maternal booksharing styles and low-income Latino children's subsequent language and literacy development. Eighty Latino Head Start four-year-old children and their mothers were audiotaped while they shared a wordless children's picture book together in their home. Six months later, children's emergent literacy ability was assessed. Results of a cluster analysis identified three types of maternal booksharing styles which had differential predictive power over children's literacy longitudinally. Results are discussed in terms of improving culturally appropriate research, practice and policy for early childhood and family literacy programming designed to meet the needs of young Latino children and their parents.     

A Classroom Investigation of the Growth of Metacognitive Awareness in Kindergarten Children Through the Writing Process

This study investigated the presence and growth of kindergarten children's metacognition as they engaged in the writing process. The study was conducted in an environment that surrounded children with books, language, and print. Twice a month the teacher/researcher interviewed the children as they finished writing, asking questions designed to help them reflect on their thinking and strategies they used in their writing. Anecdotal records, observations, and individual writing folders were used to complete a checklist of writing strategies for each child. Interviews with the children confirmed that they were exhibiting and showing growth in their metacognition. They were able to provide appropriate answers to questions that required them to talk about their thinking and identify strategies that helped them in their writing. The study provides a model that could be used in classrooms to help children in the development of their growing metacognition and writing in an authentic learning environment.     

Early writing development: kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about emergent writing in Qatari preschool settings

Writing often begins during the very early years of childhood; however, some children first learn writing when they begin attending school. Teachers’ beliefs about early writing development can influence when and how children learn to write. The purpose of this study was to determine kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about the development of children’s emergent writing in Qatari preschool settings. A 30-item questionnaire was completed by 93 kindergarten teachers with a range of qualifications, years of teaching experience, areas of specialisation, and preschool teaching level. They were selected from private and government-funded schools in Doha. The questionnaire consisted of four components: mechanisms of writing, concepts of writing, conventions of writing, and composing. The questionnaire responses indicated that teachers hold positive beliefs regarding most emergent writing components, with concepts of writing receiving the highest mean score, followed by mechanisms of writing. The results also revealed statistically significant differences among teachers due to a number of study variables. Based on these findings, the researchers offered a number of suggestions and recommendations aimed at promoting children’s emergent writing in Qatari preschool settings and similar contexts.     

Play in the Preschool Classroom: Its Socioemotional Significance and the Teacher’s Role in Play

The goals of this paper were two-fold. The first goal was to examine the emotional and social developmental value of play in the early childhood classroom. This issue is important because of the recent impetus for a more academic focus in early childhood classrooms, and questions about the developmental benefits of play. The second goal was to examine and discuss the role teachers could play in making play a developmental and educational experience. This is because understanding the significance of play could make teachers less apprehensive about using play to promote learning and development, and enable them answer questions regarding the value of play. Using these goals as a backdrop, this paper discussed views of children’s play; the defining characteristics of emotional and social development; play and the socioemotional development of children; and the role of early childhood teachers in children’s play.     

Does Preschool Enrichment of Precursors to Arithmetic Influence Intuitive Knowledge of Number in Low Income Children?

In this study, we examine whether preventive enrichment of pre-math skills has an influence on number knowledge in preschool children from low income families. Our data analyses use two methods to examine the influence of two independent programs implemented during junior kindergarten and kindergarten. The first implies the traditional approach comparing the self-selected treated group to a self-selected comparison group. The second approach uses a self-selected dosage approach to the treatment condition, considering that implementation of the program varied across teachers. The results regarding the enrichment program in kindergarten were inconclusive. Nevertheless, the pre-math program implemented in junior kindergarten showed a positive influence on children’s core requisite skills for later learning of arithmetic. Although children were receptive during both preschool years, a junior kindergarten program that elaborates upon conceptual issues beyond the number line appears both feasible and beneficial over the short-term.     

浅谈新升格幼儿师专发展现状问题及策略

新升格的幼儿师专,在角色和身份发生变化之后,如何快速地融入高等教育体系,这是幼儿师专在转型发展过程中面临的首要且普遍存在的问题。但她们面对的不仅有自身转型发展的任务和难题,还有当前高等教育不断改革变化的外部形势和压力。同时,融入高等教育体制与打破体制羁绊的任务并存。     

The Web and Early Literacy

Abstract

The Web as an appropriate vehicle for educating young children in formal and informal school settings is the subject of widespread, international debate (Anderson, 2000; Attewell, Suazo-Gar-cia, & Battle, 2003; Davis & Shade, 1994; Dolowy, 2000; Filipenko & Rolfsen, 1999; Pendleton, 2001; Vail, 2001; Wardle, 1999). Regardless of these debates, however, the Web's use in early education continues to grow. This article describes current Web usage in early education, particularly literacy education, and suggests possibilities for the future.